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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029

Kettering Town Council · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 1 Oct 2026, 19:25.

Opportunity overview

Kettering Town Council invites tenders from suitably capable event operators to plan, promote, manage and deliver an annual public soapbox racing event in Kettering town centre in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The Council is seeking a safe, professionally managed and visually engaging event that attracts participants and spectators, supports town-centre footfall and creates a distinctive annual experience for Kettering. The successful supplier will provide an end-to-end event management service. This will include event design and race operation; event planning and project management; participant recruitment, registration and race management; specialist race infrastructure; event safety, risk assessment and emergency planning; liaison in relation to traffic management, road closures and relevant permissions; marketing and audience development; and operational management and delivery of the event. The supplier will be expected to work collaboratively with Kettering Town Council and relevant local stakeholders, including North Northamptonshire Council, event safety partners, land and highway stakeholders and emergency services where required. The Council is also seeking an approach that considers accessibility, sustainability, community involvement and opportunities to support local businesses, organisations and traders where appropriate. The contract will cover three annual events in 2027, 2028 and 2029, with an indicative budget of approximately £40,000 excluding VAT per event, giving an indicative three-year contract value of approximately £120,000 excluding VAT. Tenderers are required to identify VAT treatment and clearly state all assumptions, exclusions and potential additional charges. Full details of the required services, Council and supplier responsibilities, minimum requirements, pricing schedule and evaluation methodology are contained within the Invitation to Tender.

Classification

  • CPV79952000 — Event services

Lots

  • Lot 1£160k

Documents and notices

  • Tender notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
  • Invitation to Tender - Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029. This document contains the full specification, supplier requirements, procurement timetable, submission requirements, pricing schedule and evaluation methodology.Open source ↗

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
KTC/SOAPBOX/2027-29
Status
active
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
No
How to submit
Tender submissions must be made electronically in accordance with the requirements set out in the Invitation to Tender. The tender documents and full submission instructions are available at: https://www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/documents/2176303 Completed tenders must be submitted by email to clerk@ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk by 12 noon on Friday 23 October 2026. Tenderers are responsible for ensuring that their submission is received by the Council before the deadline. Late submissions may not be considered. Clarification questions must be submitted by 12 noon on Friday 9 October 2026 in accordance with the Invitation to Tender.

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Tender Period

Ends
23 Oct 2026, 12:00

Enquiry period

Ends
9 Oct 2026, 12:00

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes

Value

Including VAT
192,000
Amount
160,000
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
price
Name
Price
Description
Whole-life contract price, price clarity, inclusions and exclusions, and overall value for money. Tenderers must clearly identify what is included within the core price, any assumptions or exclusions, VAT treatment and any potential additional charges.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
35
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Type
price
Name
Event proposal & quality
Description
Quality, attractiveness and practicality of the event concept; delivery methodology; participant and spectator experience; ability to create a distinctive Kettering event.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
30
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 3
Type
price
Name
Experience & delivery team
Description
Relevant comparable delivery, evidence of successful outcomes, capability and clarity of key roles.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
15
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 4
Type
price
Name
Safety & operational delivery
Description
Quality and credibility of safety, risk, traffic/highway interface, emergency planning and operational controls.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
10
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 5
Type
price
Name
Community & social value
Description
Local engagement, accessibility, local economic/community benefit and practical sustainability measures.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
10
Weight
percentageExact

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Starts
14 Dec 2026, 00:00
Ends
30 Sept 2029, 23:59
Max Extent Date
30 Sept 2030, 23:59

Renewal

Description
Option to extend for one further annual event in 2030, at Kettering Town Council's sole discretion.

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
79952000
Description
Event services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKC
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 2
Region
UKD
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 3
Region
UKE
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 4
Region
UKF
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 5
Region
UKG
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 6
Region
UKH
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 7
Region
UKI
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 8
Region
UKJ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 9
Region
UKK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
L-1
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Description
Invitation to Tender - Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029. This document contains the full specification, supplier requirements, procurement timetable, submission requirements, pricing schedule and evaluation methodology.
Entry 2
Id
093054-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
1 Oct 2026, 18:10
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Kettering Town Council
Id
GB-PPON-PCVT-2884-LDPW

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PCVT-2884-LDPW

Address

Street Address
10 Headlands
Locality
Kettering
Postal Code
NN15 7HP
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKF25

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

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

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Kettering · UKF25 · NN15 7HP · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKC · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKD · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKE · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKF · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKG · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKH · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKI · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKJ · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKK · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 093054-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·