---
title: "Durham Book Festival 25/26- Programming & Delivery"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-ec7378c8-264a-4eca-85c6-4734d5ef9f3a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ec7378c8-264a-4eca-85c6-4734d5ef9f3a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ec7378c8-264a-4eca-85c6-4734d5ef9f3a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ec7378c8-264a-4eca-85c6-4734d5ef9f3a.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2025-06-24"
---

# Durham Book Festival 25/26- Programming & Delivery

Buyer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-ec7378c8-264a-4eca-85c6-4734d5ef9f3a

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## Summary

Durham County Council has completed the procurement process for the programming and delivery of the Durham Book Festival for 2025 and 2026. This contract, which falls within the exhibition, fair and congress organisation services industry, was awarded to New Writing North. The procurement method was limited, negotiated without a call for competition, to ensure continuity in the high standards of the festival's delivery. The award was made on 1 September 2024 and is valued at £130,000. This procurement is part of the council's strategy under the Arts Council England's National Portfolio Organisation status and involves services located in England, United Kingdom.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses involved in event management and cultural programming, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are eligible to participate. The contract with New Writing North highlights the potential for organisations with a strong track record in delivering high-quality cultural events to secure similar opportunities. Businesses capable of showcasing expertise in exhibition and event management services stand well-positioned to provide these services, thereby benefiting from enhanced visibility and growth in the sector.

## Notice

Durham Book Festival (DBF) is a Durham County Council event produced by New Writing North with support from Durham University and Arts Council England (ACE). Alongside Brass and Lumiere, DBF forms a key part of DCC's status as an NPO with ACE. To maintain continuity and consistency we are seeking to extend the existing 2 year contract with New Writing North by 2 years to cover the festivals in 2025 and 2026, which will take us to the end of the existing NPO period with ACE. We feel that New Writing North stands alone as the best delivery vehicle for the festival and have delivered to consistently high standards.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9899684f-2e6c-4c1f-bde3-356b1f7ea290 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Jun 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 1 Sep 2024 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 31 Aug 2024 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £130,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £130,000 |
| 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 | DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | DURHAM |
| Post town | Durham |
| Postcode | DH1 5UQ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham |
| Local authority | County Durham |
| Electoral ward | Neville's Cross |
| Westminster constituency | City of Durham |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | NEW WRITING NORTH |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79950000 - Exhibition, fair and congress organisation services
- 79952000 - Event services

## Release History

- 24 Jun 2025 at 07:31 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9899684f-2e6c-4c1f-bde3-356b1f7ea290

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9899684f-2e6c-4c1f-bde3-356b1f7ea290
  24th June 2025 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- http://www.durham.gov.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ec7378c8-264a-4eca-85c6-4734d5ef9f3a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ec7378c8-264a-4eca-85c6-4734d5ef9f3a.json.