---
title: "GB-Manchester: ACE 733 GCA - Community Voice Engagement Exercise"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-b72c43a5-a6fd-4956-8f3c-1260eccd5d84"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b72c43a5-a6fd-4956-8f3c-1260eccd5d84"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b72c43a5-a6fd-4956-8f3c-1260eccd5d84.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b72c43a5-a6fd-4956-8f3c-1260eccd5d84.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "The Arts Council of England"
published: "2026-10-01"
---

# GB-Manchester: ACE 733 GCA - Community Voice Engagement Exercise

Buyer: The Arts Council of England  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-b72c43a5-a6fd-4956-8f3c-1260eccd5d84

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## Summary

Arts Council England commissioned a research and community engagement service to design, deliver and manage an online exercise gathering views on culture from adults aged 18 and over and young people aged 16–17 across England. The work includes enabling participants to express what they need and value from culture in their communities, then presenting the findings in clear, usable formats suitable for publication. The resulting public insights are intended to help communities and the cultural sector understand local interests, engage with residents and shape relevant cultural provision. This is a nationwide social research and public engagement project, rather than a purchase of physical goods or construction work.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Thinks Insight and Strategy (Britain Thinks) Limited. Arts Council England selected the supplier through a further competition under the Government Commercial Agency’s Research and Insights Dynamic Purchasing System. The award was made on 13 August 2026, at a value of £845,101.20. The contract runs from 24 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. The original tender submission deadline was 13 July 2026. The procurement is identified as unsuitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprises. No lot breakdown or evaluation criteria are reported.

For research and engagement suppliers, this award demonstrates Arts Council England’s demand for managed online consultation reaching both adults and young people across England, with findings prepared for public use. Credible competitors for a future requirement of this kind would need to design an accessible engagement exercise, recruit or reach a broad and age-diverse community audience, manage online participation, analyse responses and turn insights into clear, publishable outputs. Experience in cultural participation and understanding how community views can inform local cultural provision would be relevant to delivering the stated purpose. The scale of the commissioned work suggests a supplier able to coordinate a national exercise and manage its delivery end to end. The route used was a further competition through the Research and Insights DPS.

## Notice

ACE 733 GCA - Community Voice Engagement Exercise ACE has established a contract to design, deliver and manage an online community engagement exercise in England. The participants will be adults (aged 18+) and young people (aged 16-17 years old). The Contractor will be required to deliver and manage the online community engagement on behalf of ACE and present the insights in clear, useable formats suitable for publication. The engagement exercise will provide an opportunity for adults (aged 18+) and young people (aged 16 to 17), across England to express their views on the needs and interests for culture in their community. Insights gathered will be shared publicly, providing a valuable evidence base to support communities and the cultural sector to better understand, engage with communities and shape local cultural provision so that it is relevant to them. Additional information: Further competition via Government Commercial Agency Research and Insights DPS RM6126

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ffbd140-3733-4fe4-8271-c11ccf03bab3 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 13 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 24 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £845,101 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £845,101 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | The Arts Council of England |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode area | Manchester |
| Postcode | M1 1FN |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Piccadilly |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Thinks Insight & Strategy |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73110000 - Research services

## Release History

- 1 Oct 2026 at 14:10 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ffbd140-3733-4fe4-8271-c11ccf03bab3

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4ffbd140-3733-4fe4-8271-c11ccf03bab3
  1st October 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/respondToList.html?noticeId=1066640633
  Please follow this link to view the notice.

## Provenance

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