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Submergence at NOVUM Festival

Newcastle City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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20 Aug 2026 at 16:50

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Newcastle City Council commissioned “Submergence at NOVUM Festival”, an immersive walk-through experience installation for the festival. The requirement combines event services with artistic services, covering the creation and installation of an audience-facing experience rather than a conventional supply of goods or construction works. The contracting authority is Newcastle City Council, based at the Civic Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. The service was associated with the North East of England. This opportunity would be relevant to businesses that design, produce and install immersive visitor experiences for festivals, cultural events or other public-facing programmes, particularly those able to combine creative development with practical event delivery and installation.

The procurement has been completed and awarded. Newcastle City Council used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition, under the stated legal basis. One lot was completed, with the contract awarded to SQUIDSOUP LIMITED. The award is active. The contract was signed on 5 August 2026 and runs from 5 August to 31 August 2026. Its value is £25,000 excluding VAT, or £30,000 including VAT. The award covers the event and artistic services needed for the Submergence installation. The recorded evaluation route was a direct award rather than a competitive assessment, so the contract was not selected through published price-and-quality criteria or a scored tender process.

For a supplier that did not win this contract, the procurement indicates demand from Newcastle City Council for short-duration, installation-led cultural event work. A credible future competitor would need to show the ability to develop and deliver an immersive walk-through experience, manage physical installation and removal within a tightly defined festival programme, and provide reliable event delivery. Relevant evidence could include completed artistic installations, public or cultural event projects, audience-facing experiential work, and the operational capacity to coordinate creative production with on-site logistics. Smaller specialist firms may be well suited to this type of requirement: the appointed supplier is recorded as an SME. Businesses combining artistic capability with practical event production should monitor this buyer’s requirements in this specific area.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Submergence at NOVUM Festival

Notice Description

Immersive walk-through experience installation at NOVUM Festival.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e90e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079655-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
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

79952000 - Event services

92312000 - Artistic services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£25,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Aug 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
5 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
5 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2026 30 days
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Newcastle City Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Postcode
NE1 8QH
Postcode Area
Newcastle upon Tyne
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC43 Tyneside
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Newcastle upon Tyne
Electoral Ward
Monument
Westminster Constituency
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SQUIDSOUP 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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