Award

Graduation Ceremony Venue Hire

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

17 Feb 2026 at 08:44

Summary of the contracting process

The Open University, a sub-central government public authority, successfully completed a procurement process to hire the Symphony Hall in Birmingham for a graduation ceremony scheduled on 30 October 2025. The procurement, under the title "Graduation Ceremony Venue Hire," falls within the services industry category and is facilitated through a below-threshold method, which remains unspecified. Key dates in this process include the contract signing on the same date as the event, with relevant procurement stages marked as award and contract. The official award to the supplier, B:Music Ltd, was documented on 17 February 2026, highlighting the fruition of the tender.

This tender offers strategic growth opportunities for businesses involved in event services, particularly those capable of providing venue hire for large-scale academic ceremonies. The procurement, awarded to B:Music Ltd, an SME located in Birmingham, demonstrates a receptive opportunity for entities possessing the required event management expertise and service offering infrastructure. Businesses situated in the United Kingdom with experience in event services, indicated by CPV classification 79952000, are well-positioned to compete in future similar tenders initiated by organisations like The Open University.

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Notice Title

Graduation Ceremony Venue Hire

Notice Description

Hire of Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 30 Oct 2025 for OU graduation ceremony

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065591
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014103-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - unknown
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

79952000 - Event services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£39,052 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Feb 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Oct 20253 months ago
Contract Period
30 Oct 2025 - 30 Oct 2025 24 hours
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
finance-tenders@open.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
MILTON KEYNES
Postcode
MK7 6AA
Post Town
Milton Keynes
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Milton Keynes
Electoral Ward
Monkston
Westminster Constituency
Milton Keynes Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

B:MUSIC

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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