Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 24 Sept 2026, 16:52 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Science and Industry Museum Wonderlab Group 2 Interactives Makers 2

Authority: Science Museum Group (Central government)

5 lotsServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£155,000envelope for 5 lots · £186,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 23 Oct 202623:59 BST · 27d 6h left
Clarification cut-off 15 Oct 202617:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 2 yrsstarts 30 Nov 2026
Bids per lot · this authority 4CPV 9252 · n=8 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought5 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

This tender invites suppliers to bid for Wonderlab interactives. These interactive exhibits will provide moments of joy, fun, surprise and wonder throughout the visitor journey. They

should be in keeping with wider, gallery designs which will be overseen by the Lead Designer / Architect.

Interactives will embody the gallery’s key principles:

• playful – inspires and celebrates active exploration, curiosity, fun and experimentation.

• social – appeals to both children and their accompanying adults, sparks intergenerational conversations and encourages sharing discoveries and ideas with others.

• inclusive – is multi-sensory, values diversity, strives to be ‘Open for All’ and is accessible to as many people as possible.

• inviting – welcoming, with a sprinkling of Manchester personality, intuitive to navigate and empowering independent exploration.

Wonderlab interactive exhibits will be intuitive, easy to manipulate and importantly will not

rely on written instructions to function.

Exhibits will foster interaction in many different ways but will be based on the inquiry approach to science education, which allows for experimentation, questioning, reflection, open ended play and testing.

CPV: Museum services · Museum-exhibition services

Lots and requirements (5)Procurement structure

5 lots · all with a published value (£155,000 together) · same evaluation weights on every lot
Lot #1Circuits 2 yrsSMEPublished value£80,000
Interactive - Circuits
Contract period: 30 Nov 2026 — 29 Nov 2028 (2 yrs)Eligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: North WestTurnover guideline: ~£79,891/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£80,000 exc. VAT · £96,000 inc. VAT
92521000 Museum services92521100 Museum-exhibition services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Lot #2Forces Wheel 2 yrsSMEPublished value£30,000
Interactive - Forces Wheel
Contract period: 30 Nov 2026 — 29 Nov 2028 (2 yrs)Eligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: North WestTurnover guideline: ~£29,959/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£30,000 exc. VAT · £36,000 inc. VAT
92521000 Museum services92521100 Museum-exhibition services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Lot #3Tessilation 2 yrsSMEPublished value£10,000
Interactive - Tessilation
Contract period: 30 Nov 2026 — 29 Nov 2028 (2 yrs)Eligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: North WestTurnover guideline: ~£9,986/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£10,000 exc. VAT · £12,000 inc. VAT
92521000 Museum services92521100 Museum-exhibition services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Lot #4Binary Patterns 2 yrsSMEPublished value£20,000
Interactive - Binary Patterns
Contract period: 30 Nov 2026 — 29 Nov 2028 (2 yrs)Eligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: North WestTurnover guideline: ~£19,973/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£20,000 exc. VAT · £24,000 inc. VAT
92521000 Museum services92521100 Museum-exhibition services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Lot #5Guess Time 2 yrsSMEPublished value£15,000
Interactive - Guess Time
Contract period: 30 Nov 2026 — 29 Nov 2028 (2 yrs)Eligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: North WestTurnover guideline: ~£14,979/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£15,000 exc. VAT · £18,000 inc. VAT
92521000 Museum services92521100 Museum-exhibition services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored · same split on all 5 lots
Quality: 70%Price: 30%

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Science Museum Group buys Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings (CPV 9252) — and who usually turns up

Science Museum Group’s own published record, next to the North West England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings (CPV 9252) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

Science Museum Group

contract notices in 36 months: 29 in CPV 9252 · 34 in division 92 · 117 in all categories (1 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 8 lots. 6 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 2.5) and 2 from older notices (bids received, middle 6).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4CPV 9252 · 36m · n=8 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 8 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%CPV 9252 · 36m · n=8 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 18 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 9252 · 36m · n=18 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 4 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

34dCPV 9252 · 36m · n=4 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 116 notices.

Last 24 months.

3all categories · 24m · n=116 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 29 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%CPV 9252 · 36m · n=29 notices
Bids per lot · history, not this notice’s lots robust · n=8
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 8 lots on 3 contested notices · CPV 9252, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 50%
  • 4–6 25%
  • 7+ 25%

Middle value 4 · 8 lots on 3 contested notices · CPV 9252.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=18
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 18 lot pairs · CPV 9252, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 44%
  • Within ±2% 33%
  • Above estimate 22%

18 lot pairs · CPV 9252.

The market · delivery region

North West England · Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings (CPV 9252)

contract notices delivered in North West England in 36 months: 16 in CPV 9252 (12 competed, 4 route not published) · 116 in division 92 (92 competed, 17 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 4 lots. 3 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 6) and 1 from older notices (bids received, middle 2).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4.5CPV 9252 · 36m · n=4 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 4 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%CPV 9252 · 36m · n=4 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 3 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 9252 · 36m · n=3 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 4 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

34dCPV 9252 · 36m · n=4 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 4 lots.

Last 36 months.

100%CPV 9252 · 36m · n=4 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 9252), last 36 months: 3 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

100%CPV 9252 · 36m · n=3 awards
Bids per lot · history, not this notice’s lots moderate · n=4
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 4 lots on 4 contested notices · CPV 9252, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 50%
  • 4–6 25%
  • 7+ 25%

Middle value 4.5 · 4 lots on 4 contested notices · CPV 9252.

Winning award vs estimate moderate · n=3
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 3 lot pairs · CPV 9252, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 33%
  • Within ±2% 33%
  • Above estimate 33%

3 lot pairs · CPV 9252.

robust · n=18
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

This notice gives one total for several lots, so we show the percentage but do not turn it into pounds.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

The middle award in Science Museum Group (CPV 9252, n=18 pairs) lands at estimate. Applied to each lot’s own published value in the lot table below — the notice total (£155,000) is an envelope for 5 lots and is not converted.
2

Who you are likely to meet
i

Who you may be up against.

Suppliers on this buyer’s earlier similar contracts, and suppliers whose record fits this tender.

A guess from the record. Buyers do not publish who is bidding.

Suppliers on this authority’s earlier similar contracts, then suppliers with a matching track record — from published award history, not a bid list

Already supplying a similar contract to Science Museum Group
i

Who holds similar work with this buyer now.

Winners of this buyer’s earlier contracts that match this tender by title, lot, buyer and category.

SupplierEarlier contractLotAward valueMatch
Hüttinger Interactive ExhibitionsPrior contractWonderlab Interactive Exhibit Makers (Group 1), The Science and Industry MuseumManchester Machine£180k85% match

Earlier contracts of this authority that the nightly matcher links to this notice by title, lot, buyer and CPV. Open the contract before treating anyone as the incumbent.

By lot · 5 lots
i

Likely bidders for each lot.

For each lot: the previous winner, suppliers with history on this lot, and suppliers strong in this category.

A guess from the record, not a bidder list.

LotAwarded / admittedLikely suppliers
Circuits£80,000 · CPV 92521100 · expect ≈ £80k (at estimate, Science Museum Group)
From winners of the previous framework cycle (not a lot assignment on this notice).
—
Forces Wheel£30,000 · CPV 92521100 · expect ≈ £30k (at estimate, Science Museum Group)
From winners of the previous framework cycle (not a lot assignment on this notice).
—
Tessilation£10,000 · CPV 92521100 · expect ≈ £10k (at estimate, Science Museum Group)
From winners of the previous framework cycle (not a lot assignment on this notice).
—
Binary Patterns£20,000 · CPV 92521100 · expect ≈ £20k (at estimate, Science Museum Group)
From winners of the previous framework cycle (not a lot assignment on this notice).
—
Guess Time£15,000 · CPV 92521100 · expect ≈ £15k (at estimate, Science Museum Group)
From winners of the previous framework cycle (not a lot assignment on this notice).
—

Ranked by CPV market fit, scale and buyer history — historical public-sector wins, not the published bidder list or a predicted field. Lots with the same shortlist are grouped.

Suppliers with a similar track record — and how they price
i

Suppliers with a similar track record, and how they price.

Suppliers matched on wins in this category, history with this buyer, location and size. Their award vs estimate is from their own past wins.

A guess from the record, not a bidder list.

SupplierEvidenceLast awardTheir award vs estimateRelevance
D.H.A. DESIGN SERVICES LIMITED SME1 class wins · 1 lots for this buyer4 months agono comparable pairs57%
All Around Design SME1 class wins · 1 lots for this buyer2 months ago10% above n=157%
Dot Crew Digital Ltd SME1 class wins3 months agono comparable pairs55%
SETWORKS LIMITED SME2 class wins4 months agono comparable pairs55%

Matched by the nightly worker on class wins, buyer history, delivery geography, scale and notice text; relevance is a 0–100% heuristic score, not a probability of bidding. “Their award vs estimate” is that supplier’s middle value on its own comparable single-supplier wins, CPV 9252 first. Nobody here is known to be bidding.

Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

What this replaces
i

The earlier contract this tender most likely replaces.

Matched on title, category and buyer. The match percentage says how close the titles are.

76% title match.

A likely match, not a published link.

The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (76% title match) — the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid

Wonderlab Interactive Exhibit Makers (Group 1), The Science and Industry Museum — held by Hüttinger Interactive Exhibitions and Hüttinger Interactive Exhibitions (+1 more); the published contract ends 30 Aug 2028.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
24 Sept 2026, 16:52 BST
Last source update
24 Sept 2026, 16:52 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 13 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Authority reference
SIM4117M/2
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Museum servicesMuseum-exhibition services
Delivery area
North West (UKD3)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0779ec Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via In-tend
Submission portal named on this notice: In-tend · Who buys & how to bid on In-tend
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · one account per buying organisation's portal · reCAPTCHA on signup
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
23 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
Clarification deadline
15 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

5 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice published2 days ago
    24 Sept 2026, 16:52 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 19 days
    15 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 27 days
    23 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Award decision expected byin 48 days
    13 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  5. Contract startsin 64 days
    30 Nov 2026, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    24 Sept 2026, 16:52 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Science Museum Group

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PDTR-3338-MNPG The Science Museum, London, London, SW7 2DD

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender