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EHC 0726 Provision of annual family pantomime

East Hertfordshire District Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

02 Sep 2026 at 15:24

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

East Hertfordshire District Council is seeking an experienced pantomime production company to produce and deliver a high-quality annual family pantomime at BEAM, the council’s arts and culture venue in central Hertford. The requirement is for artistic services and covers the complete pantomime offer, designed to appeal across age groups and attract school visits and a broad audience. The production should support revenue growth for the venue, strengthen BEAM’s regional and national profile, and create community outreach opportunities, particularly for young local people and other local talent. BEAM includes a 550-seat theatre, a studio seating more than 140, three cinema screens, a dance studio, community and hospitality spaces. Delivery is at BEAM in Hertford.

The procurement has reached tender: the council invited offers through an open competitive flexible procedure. Tender returns were due by 2 October 2026 at 12:00. The intended award period ends on 1 November 2026 at 23:59. The contract is scheduled to run from 15 November 2026 to 31 March 2030, with a council option to extend to 31 March 2032. The estimated value is £1,000,000 excluding VAT (£1,200,000 including VAT) for the procurement. The lot data records the same amounts but identifies the currency as AED, whereas the overall procurement records GBP; bidders should check the tender documents. Evaluation weights are 35% price, 55% quality and 10% social value. The highest three scoring bidders will enter negotiations and present to the evaluation panel.

This opportunity suits established pantomime production companies able to plan, produce and deliver a commercially successful family production in a substantial theatre venue. The council requires previous experience of delivering a similar contract and a minimum annual turnover of £1 million, indicating a need for proven financial capacity as well as relevant production capability. Strong suppliers will be able to demonstrate high-quality creative delivery, audience development across different age groups, school engagement, revenue planning and effective promotion of a new venue. The requirement also favours companies able to involve local talent, especially young people, and generate meaningful social value. Bidders should be prepared to explain their quality and social value approach in a presentation and negotiation stage.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

EHC 0726 Provision of annual family pantomime

Notice Description

BEAM is a flagship venue and multi-faceted Arts & Culture destination in the centre of Hertford, which opened in August 2024. BEAM sits on the site of the former Hertford Theatre and is the result of a significant investment by the council. BEAM has a range of facilities including a 550-seat Theatre, a flexible Studio space, with seating for 140+, three dedicated cinema screens, a dance studio and community space, as well as hospitality spaces. The Pantomime is a major commercial driver for BEAM and will deliver significant revenue back to the venue. The Council is seeking an experienced Pantomime Production Company to produce and deliver an annual high-quality family pantomime at BEAM for the next three years (2026-2028), with an option to extend for a further two years (2029-2030). Objectives: * High Quality: The quality of the pantomime is critical to BEAMs ongoing success and the appointed Pantomime provider will need to deliver a captivating and magical Pantomime that appeals to all ages and has high-quality at its core. * Attract a broad audience demographic: BEAM is ideally located to be able to reach an extremely broad range of audiences. It's therefore important that the Pantomime present an attractive offer to all potential customers. School visits will also be important to the success of Pantomime at BEAM. * Revenue Growth: Pantomime is a critical commercial driver for BEAM, so it is expected that revenue growth will be built into all Pantomime planning. * Community Outreach: Pantomime provides an excellent opportunity for local talent- especially young people- to get involved in the magic of Pantomime. * Brand Awareness: As a new venue, building brand recognition is highly important to us and Pantomime provides an excellent opportunity to grow Brand Awareness on a regional level, as well as the national level through the potential of award nominations. East Hertfordshire District Council reserves the right to cancel the procurement and not to proceed with the long term contracts at any stage of the procurement process. East Hertfordshire District Council also reserves the right not to award a contract. Neither East Hertfordshire District Council nor any person on whose behalf of whom this procurement is undertaken is to be liable for any costs incurred by those expressing an interest or tendering for these contracts. The Council reserves the right to carry out additional financial checks on all companies tendering for this Contract at any time during the procurement process, to ensure that they continue to meet the Council's requirements and remain financially viable to perform the Contract. To access this procurement opportunity please visit https://in-tendhost.co.uk/supplyhertfordshire/aspx/Home and follow the on-screen guidance. Any clarifications regarding this opportunity must be raised through the Correspondence area in the eTendering system. If you are experiencing problems with the eTendering system, In-Tend offer a help section which includes a dedicated UK Support Desk which can be contacted via email: support@in-tend.com or telephone +441144070065 for any website /technical questions, Monday to Friday 8:30 - 17:30. The Council undertakes to hold confidential any information provided in the proposal submitted, subject to the Council's obligations under the law, including the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If the potential supplier considers that any of the information submitted in the proposal should not be disclosed because of its commercial sensitivity or for reasons of confidentiality, then this should be stated with the reason for considering it sensitive. The Council will then endeavour to consult with the potential supplier about such commercially sensitive or confidential information when considering any request received under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 before replying to such a request, but the decision of the Council in deciding whether an exemption applies is final. Please note the deadline for return and allow sufficient time to make your return as late returns will not be permitted. Conditions of participation: There is a minimum turnover threshold of PS1m pa, and previous experience of delivering a similar contract. previous notice regarding PPME https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045773-2025

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: At the councils discretion option to extend by two years

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f08a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083140-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

CPV Codes

92312000 - Artistic services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
2 Oct 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
15 Nov 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
East Hertfordshire District 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
HERTFORD
Postcode
SG13 8EQ
Postcode Area
Stevenage
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire
Delivery Location
TLH23 Hertfordshire CC
Local Authority
East Hertfordshire
Electoral Ward
Hertford Castle
Westminster Constituency
Hertford and Stortford

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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