Planning

Graduation Venue and Events Management

DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

08 Jun 2026 at 20:37

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

De Montfort University is engaging in a preliminary market consultation for their future requirement of graduation venue and event management services. The procurement process is currently in the planning stage with the milestone of market engagement scheduled to be completed by 22nd June 2026. The University is located in Leicester, UK, and seeks to contract a single supplier to provide these services, starting from 1st March 2028. The event, classified under the services category with CPV code 79952000, expects an initial three-year contract, with the possibility to extend up to five years if needed, engaging businesses till 28th February 2033.

This tender offers a significant opportunity for businesses adept in event management, especially those with experience in handling large-scale graduation ceremonies. Companies, including SMEs and VCSEs, that can provide a suitable venue and comprehensive event management services for the planning and execution of graduation events are encouraged to engage with this process. With an annual spend of approximately £332k, this contract represents a substantial business opportunity for event service providers looking to expand their portfolio in the educational sector.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Graduation Venue and Events Management

Notice Description

De Montfort University has a requirement for a suitable - and suitably-sized - venue to hire to host graduation ceremonies, along with a suitably qualified and experienced Event Management Production service for the planning, production and delivery of graduation services, as described in the Specification, to include on the day management and event production of each ceremony. For clarification, it is intended to contract with a single supplier for provision of these services. The current annual spend on these services is around PS332k ex.VAT, in an approximate split of c.PS145k for Winter graduations, c. PS187k for Summer graduations; it is anticipated that the current broad level of activity will continue for the proposed duration of the new contract(s). Current contract for these services will expire on 29th February 2028 and new service provision is therefore required from 1st March 2028. It is anticipated that contract(s) will be awarded for an initial approximate three-year period to 28th February 2031 with the potential opportunity to extend for up to a further two years for a maximum five-year duration, anticipated maximum end date 28th February 2033 (any extension will be offered based on available budget, supplier performance and continuing business need - and in all cases at the sole discretion of the University).

Planning Information

The aim of this supplier engagement process is for the University to share our present thinking around the requirement for our future Graduation Venue and Events Management needs, obtain a better idea of the current capability and readiness of the market with regard to provision of these services, and to assess whether our outline requirement for supply of these services is realistic and in line with what is available. Our current draft requirement for the services and the market engagement form can be found on the In-Tend e tendering portal https://in-tendhost.co.uk/demontfort/aspx/Home Once complete, please return this form to procurement@dmu.ac.uk, marked for the attention of James West, ideally by Monday 22nd June.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b051
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054027-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

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
£1,750,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Jun 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
22 Jun 20262 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Mar 2028 - 28 Feb 2031 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LEICESTER
Postcode
LE1 9BH
Post Town
Leicester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF21 Leicester
Delivery Location
TLF21 Leicester
Local Authority
Leicester
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
Leicester South

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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