Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 28 Sept 2026, 10:25 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Understanding the V&A's Impact on the Creative Industries

Authority: Victoria and Albert Museum (Central government)

ServicesBelow threshold - open competitionBelow thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: Research & Development (R&D) (73) Delivery: UK
Published estimate£60,000£72,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 19 Oct 202610:00 BST · 20d 22h left
Clarification cut-off 7 Oct 202623:59 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 6 moup to 1 yr 6 mo with extensions · starts 1 Dec 2026
Bids per lot · this authority 4all categories · n=7 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

We are looking for a supplier to conduct a study to build a clear, evidence‑based understanding of how the V&A supports the UK creative industries and where that support makes the greatest difference.

Supporting the creative industries is central to the V&A's founding mission and one of our core priorities in our Strategy for 2026-2030.

We want the study to help us make more informed decisions and tell a clear and confident story.

For more information please register with Delta and download the Brief

CPV: Research and development services and related consultancy services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal 6 moSMEVCSEPublished value£60,000
Contract period: 1 Dec 2026 — 31 May 2027 (6 mo) · up to 1 yr 6 mo with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligibleDelivery: UKTurnover guideline: ~£120,000/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£60,000 exc. VAT · £72,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
Option to vary the scope, deliverables, and value (up to a total of the threshold amount in Row 11 of Schedule 1 to the Procurement Act 2023 as amended, current around £112k excl. VAT) to accommodate any reasonable changes to the V&A's priorities. · Option to vary the programme to accommodate any options taken (see below).
73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy 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

Case studies: 20% Team: 20% Proposal: 50% Price: 10% (and not to exceed £60,000 excl. VAT) For full criteria log on to Delta and view the ITT document

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 Victoria and Albert Museum buys Research and development services (CPV 73) — and who usually turns up

Victoria and Albert Museum’s own published record, next to the Greater London market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Research and development services (CPV 73) →

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

Victoria and Albert Museum

contract notices in 36 months: 26 in all categories (2 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 all categories, last 36 months: 7 lots. 4 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 3 from older notices (bids received, middle 6).

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

4all categories · 36m · n=7 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 all categories, last 36 months: 7 lots.

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

0%all categories · 36m · n=7 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 all categories, last 36 months: 6 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

22% belowall categories · 36m · n=6 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 all categories, last 36 months: 8 notices.

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

Last 36 months.

32dall categories · 36m · n=8 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: 21 notices.

Last 24 months.

3all categories · 24m · n=21 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 all categories, last 36 months: 24 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%all categories · 36m · n=24 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=7
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 7 lots on 7 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 29%
  • 4–6 57%
  • 7+ 14%

Middle value 4 · 7 lots on 7 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=6
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 6 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 67%
  • Within ±2% 33%
  • Above estimate 0%

6 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · authority’s region

Greater London · Research and development services (CPV 73)

contract notices delivered in Greater London in 36 months: 154 in division 73 (102 competed, 22 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

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 industry (CPV 73), last 36 months: 52 lots. 28 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 5) and 24 from older notices (bids received, middle 4.5).

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

5division 73 · 36m · n=52 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 industry (CPV 73), last 36 months: 52 lots.

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

10%division 73 · 36m · n=52 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 industry (CPV 73), last 36 months: 42 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

2% belowdivision 73 · 36m · n=42 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 industry (CPV 73), last 36 months: 23 notices.

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

Last 36 months.

36ddivision 73 · 36m · n=23 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 industry (CPV 73), last 36 months: 34 lots.

Last 36 months.

64%division 73 · 36m · n=34 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 industry (CPV 73), last 36 months: 98 awards.

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

Last 36 months.

77%division 73 · 36m · n=98 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=52
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 52 lots on 45 contested notices · division 73, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 10%
  • 2–3 23%
  • 4–6 37%
  • 7+ 31%

Middle value 5 · 52 lots on 45 contested notices · division 73.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=42
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 42 lot pairs · division 73, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 52%
  • Within ±2% 43%
  • Above estimate 5%

42 lot pairs · division 73.

robust · n=6
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.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 6 lots (all categories), applied to the £60,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

The middle award in Victoria and Albert Museum (all categories, n=6 pairs) lands 22% below: on this notice’s £60,000 that is about £46,860. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
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.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Below threshold - open competition
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Below threshold
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
28 Sept 2026, 10:25 BST
Last source update
28 Sept 2026, 10:25 BST
Authority reference
VA/CON/F26/33
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Research and development services and related consultancy services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077b3c Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via Delta eSourcing
Submission portal named on this notice: Delta eSourcing · Who buys & how to bid on Delta
Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowed
Access & registration note: Free Select account; no DUNS asked at signup
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
19 Oct 2026, 10:00 BST
Clarification deadline
7 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £60,000 excludes VAT (£72,000 including VAT).

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedearlier today
    28 Sept 2026, 10:25 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 10 days
    7 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 21 days
    19 Oct 2026, 10:00 BST
  4. Contract startsin 64 days
    1 Dec 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
    28 Sept 2026, 10:25 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Victoria and Albert Museum

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PQLN-4536-WVGN Cromwell Road, London, London, SW7 2RL [email protected]

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender