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Storage of the British Library's RMS and Sound Archive Collection

British Library Board

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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20 Aug 2026 at 07:54

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The British Library Board is procuring long-term storage for its RMS and Sound Archive collections. The service also covers retrieving stored materials, transporting them and returning them to the library or another required destination. This is a specialist records and archive storage service, with storage and retrieval services as the relevant classification. The buyer is the British Library Board, a central government public authority based in London. Delivery is required in the United Kingdom. The requirement concerns the collections as a whole rather than separate types of work: a supplier would need to provide the storage service together with the associated retrieval, transport and return arrangements.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to COMPASS MINERALS STORAGE & ARCHIVES LIMITED. The contract was signed on 30 June 2026 and runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028, with two optional 12-month extensions allowing the maximum period to reach 30 June 2030. Its value is £174,000 excluding VAT and £208,800 including VAT. The process used a selective procedure and was described as a below-threshold award under a framework. It was non-competitive and comprised one completed lot. The contract is active. The selected supplier is responsible for the storage, retrieval, transport and return service for the British Library’s RMS and Sound Archive collections.

This procurement demonstrates a continuing requirement from a national cultural institution for managed storage and access to specialist archive collections. It is most relevant to suppliers that can provide long-term storage alongside dependable retrieval, transport and return services, rather than storage alone. A credible competitor would need the operational capacity to manage institutional collections, respond to retrieval requests and coordinate the associated movement and return of materials across the United Kingdom. The award was made through a framework route, so businesses seeking similar work with this buyer should understand and be able to operate through the relevant framework arrangements. The incumbent is a large supplier, indicating a requirement suited to organisations with established storage and logistics capability.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Storage of the British Library's RMS and Sound Archive Collection

Notice Description

The Supplier shall provide long-term storage services for the British Library's RMS and Sound Archive collections together with retrieval, transport and return services as described within this specification.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e818
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079241-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - award under framework
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

CPV Codes

63121000 - Storage and retrieval services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£174,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Aug 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Jun 20261 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2028 2-3 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
British Library Board
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
NW1 2DB
Postcode Area
North West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI36 Camden
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Camden
Electoral Ward
St Pancras & Somers Town
Westminster Constituency
Holborn and St Pancras

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

COMPASS MINERALS STORAGE & ARCHIVES LIMITED

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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