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GB-Manchester: ACE 733 GCA - Community Voice Engagement Exercise

The Arts Council of England

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

01 Oct 2026 at 14:10

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Arts Council England commissioned a research and community engagement service to design, deliver and manage an online exercise gathering views on culture from adults aged 18 and over and young people aged 16–17 across England. The work includes enabling participants to express what they need and value from culture in their communities, then presenting the findings in clear, usable formats suitable for publication. The resulting public insights are intended to help communities and the cultural sector understand local interests, engage with residents and shape relevant cultural provision. This is a nationwide social research and public engagement project, rather than a purchase of physical goods or construction work.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Thinks Insight and Strategy (Britain Thinks) Limited. Arts Council England selected the supplier through a further competition under the Government Commercial Agency’s Research and Insights Dynamic Purchasing System. The award was made on 13 August 2026, at a value of £845,101.20. The contract runs from 24 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. The original tender submission deadline was 13 July 2026. The procurement is identified as unsuitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprises. No lot breakdown or evaluation criteria are reported.

For research and engagement suppliers, this award demonstrates Arts Council England’s demand for managed online consultation reaching both adults and young people across England, with findings prepared for public use. Credible competitors for a future requirement of this kind would need to design an accessible engagement exercise, recruit or reach a broad and age-diverse community audience, manage online participation, analyse responses and turn insights into clear, publishable outputs. Experience in cultural participation and understanding how community views can inform local cultural provision would be relevant to delivering the stated purpose. The scale of the commissioned work suggests a supplier able to coordinate a national exercise and manage its delivery end to end. The route used was a further competition through the Research and Insights DPS.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

GB-Manchester: ACE 733 GCA - Community Voice Engagement Exercise

Notice Description

ACE 733 GCA - Community Voice Engagement Exercise ACE has established a contract to design, deliver and manage an online community engagement exercise in England. The participants will be adults (aged 18+) and young people (aged 16-17 years old). The Contractor will be required to deliver and manage the online community engagement on behalf of ACE and present the insights in clear, useable formats suitable for publication. The engagement exercise will provide an opportunity for adults (aged 18+) and young people (aged 16 to 17), across England to express their views on the needs and interests for culture in their community. Insights gathered will be shared publicly, providing a valuable evidence base to support communities and the cultural sector to better understand, engage with communities and shape local cultural provision so that it is relevant to them. Additional information: Further competition via Government Commercial Agency Research and Insights DPS RM6126

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-b72c43a5-a6fd-4956-8f3c-1260eccd5d84
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ffbd140-3733-4fe4-8271-c11ccf03bab3
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£845,101 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£845,101 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Oct 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
13 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
24 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
The Arts Council of England
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MANCHESTER
Postcode
M1 1FN
Postcode Area
Manchester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD33 Manchester
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Manchester
Electoral Ward
Piccadilly
Westminster Constituency
Manchester Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Thinks Insight & Strategy

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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