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Graduation Ceremony Venue Hire

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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23 Sep 2026 at 16:06

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Open University hired Bridgewater Hall for a graduation ceremony on 5 March 2027. The requirement is for event venue hire and associated event services, with the ceremony taking place in Manchester. The buying organisation is The Open University, a public authority based in Milton Keynes. The procurement covers one venue-hire requirement for the university’s graduation ceremony; the named venue is Bridgewater Hall.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Legends Global Holdings Limited. The university used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition. The contract was signed on 22 July 2026 and runs from 22 July 2026 to 5 March 2027. Its value is £33,445 excluding VAT (£40,134 including VAT). The award relates to a single lot and is recorded as active. The stated requirement was venue hire for the graduation ceremony on 5 March 2027; no evaluation basis or selection criteria are set out in the procurement details.

For future requirements of this kind, credible competitors will need to provide a suitable Manchester event venue and deliver venue-hire services for a university graduation ceremony. The selected supplier, Legends Global Holdings Limited, is a large company, showing that the buyer has contracted with an established venue and events operator for this requirement. Suppliers should be able to accommodate the ceremony at the specified venue and coordinate the associated event service; the published scope centres on venue hire rather than broader university event work. The direct award was made without competition, so the outcome does not provide a competitive evaluation benchmark or stated technical, accreditation or capacity thresholds for future suppliers.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Graduation Ceremony Venue Hire

Notice Description

Hire of Bridgewater Hall for a graduation ceremony on 5th March 2027

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090291-2026
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
Large

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
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£33,445 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
22 Jul 2026 - 5 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE OPEN 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
MILTON KEYNES
Postcode
MK7 6AA
Postcode Area
Milton Keynes
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Milton Keynes
Electoral Ward
Monkston
Westminster Constituency
Milton Keynes Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SMG Europe Holdings 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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