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Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029

Kettering Town Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

01 Oct 2026 at 18:10

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Kettering Town Council is seeking an event operator to plan, promote, manage and deliver an annual public soapbox racing event in Kettering town centre. The end-to-end service covers event design and race operations; planning and project management; recruiting and registering participants; race management and specialist infrastructure; safety, risk and emergency planning; coordination around traffic, road closures and permissions; marketing; and on-the-day operations. The event is intended to attract participants and spectators, increase town-centre footfall and create a distinctive annual occasion. The supplier will work with the Council and local stakeholders, including North Northamptonshire Council, highway and land stakeholders, safety partners and emergency services as required. Event services (CPV 79952000).

The Council invited tenders through a below-threshold open competition. This is a single-lot procurement for three annual events. The clarification deadline was 12 noon on 9 October 2026, and tenders were due by 12 noon on 23 October 2026. The contract period runs from 14 December 2026 to 30 September 2029, with an option, at the Council’s discretion, to extend for one further annual event in 2030. The estimated contract value is £160,000 excluding VAT (£192,000 including VAT); the indicative budget is approximately £40,000 excluding VAT per event. Evaluation weights are price 35%, event proposal and quality 30%, experience and delivery team 15%, safety and operational delivery 10%, and community and social value 10%.

The opportunity suits event operators, including SMEs, able to deliver a public street-racing event end to end. Strong bids will show experience delivering comparable events with successful outcomes, a capable team with clear responsibilities, and a practical, engaging concept that can attract racers and spectators. Suppliers need to demonstrate credible event safety arrangements, risk assessment, emergency planning, traffic and highway coordination, and operational controls, alongside the ability to provide specialist race infrastructure and manage participant registration and race operations. The Council also values plans for accessibility, sustainability, community involvement, local economic benefit and support for local traders. Pricing should make the core offer, inclusions, assumptions, exclusions, VAT treatment and any potential extra charges clear.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029

Notice Description

Kettering Town Council invites tenders from suitably capable event operators to plan, promote, manage and deliver an annual public soapbox racing event in Kettering town centre in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The Council is seeking a safe, professionally managed and visually engaging event that attracts participants and spectators, supports town-centre footfall and creates a distinctive annual experience for Kettering. The successful supplier will provide an end-to-end event management service. This will include event design and race operation; event planning and project management; participant recruitment, registration and race management; specialist race infrastructure; event safety, risk assessment and emergency planning; liaison in relation to traffic management, road closures and relevant permissions; marketing and audience development; and operational management and delivery of the event. The supplier will be expected to work collaboratively with Kettering Town Council and relevant local stakeholders, including North Northamptonshire Council, event safety partners, land and highway stakeholders and emergency services where required. The Council is also seeking an approach that considers accessibility, sustainability, community involvement and opportunities to support local businesses, organisations and traders where appropriate. The contract will cover three annual events in 2027, 2028 and 2029, with an indicative budget of approximately PS40,000 excluding VAT per event, giving an indicative three-year contract value of approximately PS120,000 excluding VAT. Tenderers are required to identify VAT treatment and clearly state all assumptions, exclusions and potential additional charges. Full details of the required services, Council and supplier responsibilities, minimum requirements, pricing schedule and evaluation methodology are contained within the Invitation to Tender.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Option to extend for one further annual event in 2030, at Kettering Town Council's sole discretion.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093054-2026
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
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

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
£160,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£160,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Oct 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
23 Oct 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
14 Dec 2026 - 30 Sep 2029 2-3 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
Kettering Town 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
KETTERING
Postcode
NN15 7HP
Postcode Area
Northampton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF25 North Northamptonshire
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
North Northamptonshire
Electoral Ward
St Michael
Westminster Constituency
Kettering

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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