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Creative Sector Services CIC (t/a Creative United) Take it away Scheme Credit Provider Contract

Creative Sector Services CIC

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

16 Sep 2026 at 10:34

Award Notice
TenderAmendment

16 Sep 2026 at 10:20

Tender Notice
Tender

06 Jul 2026 at 17:49

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Creative Sector Services CIC, trading as Creative United, procured consumer credit services for its Take it away Scheme. The provider supports interest-free loans that help people buy musical instruments, equipment, software and related goods or services, including blocks of tuition, to start or develop music-making. The scheme is delivered through approved musical instrument retailers and covers England and Northern Ireland, with possible future extension to Wales and Scotland subject to funding and agreement by the relevant Arts Councils or other funders. It supports creative livelihoods and access to music for UK residents aged over 18, subject to status. This is a financial services opportunity, classified under CPV 66000000, for a supplier able to support the scheme’s retailer network and consumer lending activity.

The procurement has been awarded. Creative Sector Services CIC selected Mitsubishi HC Capital T/A Novuna Consumer Finance on 16 September 2026 through a selective competitive procedure with negotiation above threshold. The award value is £157,500. The contract runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2028, with provision for two further 12-month extensions, subject to performance review, giving a maximum possible term of 42 months. The tender deadline was 12 noon on 14 August 2026. The requirement was suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The selected supplier is a large organisation. The award covers the Take it away Scheme in England and Northern Ireland; expansion to Wales or Scotland was a potential, unfunded extension rather than a guaranteed requirement.

This award is relevant to consumer finance providers with the systems, regulatory capability and operational capacity to deliver interest-free lending through a distributed network of musical instrument retailers. A credible future competitor would need to administer applications and lending for purchases ranging from instruments and equipment to software and tuition, while supporting retailers with reliable processes for subsidised and unsubsidised products. Experience serving adult customers across England and Northern Ireland would be directly relevant, particularly where applicants include lower-income customers, first-time instrument buyers, people in areas with low arts participation, and disabled customers or people buying for someone who is disabled. Suppliers should also be able to manage partnerships across the music sector and accommodate possible geographic expansion without assuming it will occur.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Creative Sector Services CIC (t/a Creative United) Take it away Scheme Credit Provider Contract

Notice Description

A tender opportunity is offered by Creative Sector Services CIC (trading as Creative United), for the provision of consumer credit services for the Take it away Scheme (the Scheme) commencing 1 November 2026 for a period of 18 months, with provision for Creative United to extend the contract for two (2) further twelve (12) month periods (subject to performance review in accordance with the terms and conditions of contract) up to a maximum of forty-two(42) months in total. The Take it away Scheme is a publicly funded initiative designed to make it more affordable for people to get involved in learning and playing music by providing interest free loans of between PS100 and PS25,000 for the purchase of musical instruments, equipment, software any other associated goods or services they may need (such as a block of tuition) in order to get started or further develop their music practice. Creative United's objective is to use the Take it away scheme to support creative livelihoods by providing affordable access to musical instruments to people of all ages and abilities across the UK, working in partnership with musical instrument retailers and other organisations across the music sector. The Scheme is open to all qualifying UK residents over the age of 18 (subject to status) and made available via a network of approved musical instrument retailers in England. A variation of the scheme in partnership with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland is available exclusively to Northern Ireland Residents over the age of 18. The awarded contract would cover the provision of the Scheme through the network of retailers in England and in Northern Ireland. The opportunity may also exist during the term of the awarded contract for the Scheme to be extended to include a network of retailers in Wales and/or Scotland subject to the agreement and financial support of their respective Arts Councils (or other funders) in due course. For the avoidance of doubt the inclusion of Scotland and Wales is not guaranteed but is included as a potential enlargement of the Scheme for the purposes of this procurement, subject to the caveat above. Under our current funding agreement with ACE, our priority is to support customers that fall into one or more of the following target categories: - Customers earning below the median UK wage of PS34,000 - Customers living in areas of low participation in the arts (as reported by the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the Office of National Statistics - Customers purchasing a musical instrument for the first time - Customers that identify as disabled (or purchasing on behalf of a disabled person) To apply: You should complete and return a copy of our attached Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) by 17 July 2026. All supporting documents including the Invitation to Tender (ITT) which includes the specifics of the contract are available to download from this notice.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-d7a9ea97-d876-429e-a169-e110844fde0b
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3a14b305-65da-4051-93c4-ab5c9d684f6c
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive procedure with negotiation (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services

CPV Codes

66000000 - Financial and insurance services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£157,500 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£157,500 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Sep 2026Today
Submission Deadline
14 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
16 Sep 2026Today
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 30 Apr 2028 1-2 years
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
Creative Sector Services CIC
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
WC2R 1LA
Postcode Area
Central London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England), TLN Northern Ireland
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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