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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

003550 - Flagship Festival 2027

Durham County Council · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 2 Oct 2026, 09:21.

Opportunity overview

Durham County Council is seeking an experienced and innovative delivery partner to develop and deliver a new flagship cultural event for County Durham. The Council is looking for a bold, ambitious and distinctive proposition that represents a step change from traditional festival models and has the potential to become a recurring, nationally recognised event. The successful proposal should be original, participatory and rooted in County Durham's unique identity, bringing together culture, creativity, innovation, technology and community engagement. The event should create a defining cultural moment for the county, enhancing its reputation as a place of creativity and excellence, while delivering lasting cultural, social and economic benefits. Proposals must demonstrate strong opportunities for participation, skills development and talent progression, particularly for children and young people, ensuring local communities play an active role in shaping and delivering the event.

Classification

  • CPV79950000 — Exhibition, fair and congress organisation services

Lots

  • Lot 1£1.5m

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-06f5ce
Status
active
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
How to submit
The documents must be downloaded from www.open-uk.org using the reference 20261993. These will be available from 9th September 2026. Any questions must be raised though this Open system for a response

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Procedure

Features
Stage 1: Procurement Specific Questionnaire / Conditions of Participation Stage 2: Competitive Dialogue and Presentation Stage 3: Competitive Dialogue (Session 2) and Final Proposal

Special regime

concession

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Tender Period

Ends
29 Oct 2026, 12:00

Enquiry period

Ends
28 Oct 2026, 12:00

Expected award period

Ends
2 Feb 2027, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes

Value

Including VAT
1,800,000
Amount
1,500,000
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
quality
Name
Final Proposal

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
60
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Type
price
Name
Price

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
30
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 3
Type
quality
Name
Social Value

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
10
Weight
percentageExact

Contract period

Starts
1 Mar 2027, 00:00
Ends
28 Feb 2029, 23:59
Max Extent Date
28 Feb 2031, 23:59

Renewal

Description
2 years + 2 years + 2 years, as this is will be a bi-annual event. Multiple extensions are possible depending on the success of the first festival in 2027.

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
79950000
Description
Exhibition, fair and congress organisation services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKC14
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Entry 2
Id
093075-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
2 Oct 2026, 07:47
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Durham County Council
Id
GB-PPON-PMPB-8772-VYWM

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PMPB-8772-VYWM

Address

Street Address
Corten House, Dunholme Close
Locality
Durham
Postal Code
DH1 5WB
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKC14

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Durham · UKC14 · DH1 5WB · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKC14 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS
  1. 085456-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 093075-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·