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NHM150 Western Galleries - Galleries Lead Designer (Fit Out) - Exhibition Design

Natural History Museum

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

02 Sep 2026 at 17:32

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

28 Apr 2026 at 10:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

16 Apr 2026 at 16:39

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Natural History Museum is procuring exhibition design and fit-out lead designer services for its NHM150 transformation programme in London. The work covers four galleries in the west wing of the Waterhouse building: the Old General Herbarium, Origins (Life on Earth Gallery), Dinosaur Gallery 1 and Dinosaur Gallery 2. The requirement includes design consultancy, project design, graphic and specialist design, and museum-exhibition services (CPV 92521100, alongside related design codes). The programme aims to renew existing galleries, improve visitor experiences and increase public access. Suppliers would need to support the design and installation of new exhibitions and displays within a major museum renewal programme.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through an open procedure. The tender deadline was 23 May 2026 and the award date was 26 August 2026. Awards were made separately: KELLENBERGER-WHITE LIMITED received the Old General Herbarium lot for £420,200 net (£504,240 gross), running from 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2029; NISSEN RICHARDS STUDIO LIMITED received Origins for £448,890 net (£538,668 gross), running to 30 September 2031; MUF ARCHITECTURE / ART LLP received Dinosaur Gallery 1 for £429,758 net (£515,709.60 gross), running to 30 September 2030; and STUDIO MUTT LIMITED received Dinosaur Gallery 2 for £269,768 net (£323,721.60 gross), running to 31 January 2029. Each lot was evaluated on quality (60%), social value (10%) and price (30%).

This award demonstrates demand from the Natural History Museum for specialist exhibition design delivered as separate gallery commissions, with each lot suitable for SMEs. A credible future supplier would need experience combining exhibition, spatial, graphic and specialist design with project-design services for museum environments. The successful field includes London-based design studios and a Liverpool studio, showing that the requirement attracted established small businesses with focused creative practices rather than only large contractors. Strong quality performance matters most in evaluation, followed by demonstrable social value and then price. Suppliers should therefore be able to present compelling creative responses, manage design through fit-out and installation, and evidence relevant museum or visitor-experience work at comparable gallery scale.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

NHM150 Western Galleries - Galleries Lead Designer (Fit Out) - Exhibition Design

Notice Description

The Natural History Museum has launched NHM150, an ambitious transformation programme leading up to its 150th anniversary in 2031. The programme will significantly enhance the Museum's public offer, increasing access, reach and impact through a major renewal of galleries and visitor experiences. Through NHM150, the Museum will: *Breathe new life into four existing galleries. *Open three magnificent new galleries. *Showcase the natural world's treasures to one million more visitors a year. *Engage 10 million school children, families and changemakers through local national and global programmes. *Create over 100 million advocates for the planet. The first phase is already underway, and the second phase will focus on the west wing of the Waterhouse building, combining base-build refurbishment, including improved circulation and facilities, with the design and installation of new exhibitions and displays. This second phase will form part of a funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). As part of Phase 2 the Museum is tendering for the exhibition design for the following 4 galleries: *the Old General Herbarium *Origins Gallery *Dinosaur Gallery 1 *Dinosaur Gallery 2

Lot Information

Old General Herbarium Origins (Life on Earth Gallery) Dinosaur Gallery 1 Dinosaurs Gallery 2

Planning Information

To respond to our survey, please use this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/hwyK9SLfjm We are shortly going out to market for a 2D and 3D Exhibition Designer for the Western Galleries at the Natural History Museum. There are four galleries included in this and we are interested in getting your views on how the lots will be awarded. The galleries are: •the Old General Herbarium, •Origins Gallery, •Dinosaur Gallery 1 •Dinosaur Gallery 2. The purpose of this survey is to understand suppliers’ appetite and capability for providing these services, and whether our proposed lot structure is of interest. There are four galleries included in this tender, which will be a lot each. We are intending to award the contract for each lot separately. There will be no restrictions on how many lots a bidder can submit a response for, or how many can be awarded to a single company, although minimum financial thresholds will apply per lot and cumulatively. As part of the Stage 2 Quality Response bidders will answer a number of questions which will apply across all lots (and should only be answered once), plus a lot specific question(s). Bidders shortlisted at Stage 2 will be invited to present their creative response for each lot they are shortlisted for. This tender will be run as a three-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure. Stage 1 will be a Pre-Qualification stage, where bidders must meet a number of criteria and demonstrate their relevant experience. Stage 2 will be the Invitation to Tender stage, and Stage 3 will be interview/presentations. The survey closes at 5pm, Thursday 23rd April 2026. We are intending to issue Stage 1 documents on the 27th April, with shortlisted bidders being invited to tender on the 1st June (dates may be subject to change).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-068494
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083236-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

CPV Codes

79415200 - Design consultancy services

79421200 - Project-design services other than for construction work

79822500 - Graphic design services

79930000 - Specialty design services

92521100 - Museum-exhibition services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,568,616 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
23 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
27 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
26 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Natural History Museum
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
SW7 5BD
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI33 Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham
Delivery Location
TLI London
Local Authority
Kensington and Chelsea
Electoral Ward
Brompton & Hans Town
Westminster Constituency
Kensington and Bayswater

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
4
Supplier Names

KELLENBERGER-WHITE LIMITED

Nissen Richards Studio

muf architecture/art

Studio MUTT

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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