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Manchester Cotton and Transatlantic Slavery Exhibition - Fit Out and Graphics

Science Museum Group

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

21 Oct 2026 at 11:16

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
TenderUpdate

07 Sep 2026 at 15:55

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

18 Aug 2026 at 15:03

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Science Museum Group appointed a main contractor to fit out its temporary Manchester Cotton and Transatlantic Slavery exhibition. The work covers fabrication, production of exhibition graphics, installation and subsequent deinstallation. It is museum exhibition fit-out and display work, combining physical construction and graphics production. Delivery is at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. The requirement is focused on creating and removing a specific temporary exhibition, rather than supplying general museum services or operating an exhibition. The buyer is the Science Museum Group, and the selected supplier is MER Services Ltd.

The procurement is complete and a contract was awarded to MER Services Ltd. The contract was signed on 14 October 2026, with an award value of £300,000 excluding VAT (£360,000 including VAT). The contract period runs from 19 October 2026 to 31 March 2028. This was a below-threshold open competition. The tender deadline was 15 September 2026, following an extension from 11 September; the deadline for supplier questions was 8 September 2026. There was one lot. Bids were assessed by adding weighted quality and price scores to produce an overall tender score; detailed evaluation criteria were set out in the tender documents.

For suppliers considering similar future exhibition work for the Science Museum Group, this award demonstrates demand for a main contractor able to deliver a temporary exhibition fit-out as an integrated package. Credible competitors would need to show experience in high-quality fabrication, graphics production and installation, together with the capacity to coordinate and complete all these elements and later deinstall the exhibition. The competition placed weight on both quality and price, so suppliers would need to demonstrate a strong delivery approach as well as competitive pricing. Experience delivering exhibition environments in a museum setting is directly relevant to this buyer’s requirement. The scope indicates work requiring practical production and installation capability, not graphics design alone or standalone construction.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Manchester Cotton and Transatlantic Slavery Exhibition - Fit Out and Graphics

Notice Description

SMG seeks to appoint a skilled and experienced Main Contractor to provide services including high-quality fabrication, graphics production, installation and deinstallation of the temporary exhibition titled Manchester Cotton and Transatlantic Slavery Exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e6af
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099355-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

45 - Construction work

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

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

45212310 - Construction work for buildings relating to exhibitions

45212313 - Museum construction work

79822500 - Graphic design services

92500000 - Library, archives, museums and other cultural services

92521000 - Museum services

92521100 - Museum-exhibition services

98112000 - Services furnished by professional organisations

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£300,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£300,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£300,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Oct 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
15 Sep 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
19 Oct 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Science Museum Group
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 2DD
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
Not specified
Local Authority
Kensington and Chelsea
Electoral Ward
Brompton & Hans Town
Westminster Constituency
Kensington and Bayswater

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MER Services Ltd

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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