---
title: "ACE 1003 ITT - Touring Research 2025/26"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05248e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05248e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05248e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05248e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND"
published: "2025-11-13"
---

# ACE 1003 ITT - Touring Research 2025/26

Buyer: ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05248e

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## Summary

The procurement process titled "ACE 1003 ITT - Touring Research 2025/26" by Arts Council England focuses on gaining insights into the theatre, dance, music, and combined arts touring sectors post-Covid-19. It targets indoor venues with a capacity of 150 or fewer, alongside rural, outdoor, and site-specific contexts. The procurement process, managed under an open competition below the threshold, includes research services as its main category. The contract was awarded to World Pencil Ltd, an SME, with the contract active from 15th September 2025 to 30th April 2026. Following the award stage completion on 13th November 2025, Arts Council England, located in Manchester, serves as the central government buying authority.

This tender presents substantial growth opportunities for businesses, particularly those specialising in research services within the arts sector. Enterprises with a focus on theatre, dance, or music touring research would find this contract aligns seamlessly with their capabilities. The open competition format used is ideal for SMEs and new entrants aiming to establish or enhance their profile in public sector procurement. Additionally, businesses offering innovative or cost-effective research solutions will find themselves well-positioned to meet the expectations set under the procurement method's evaluation criteria prioritising quality and price.

## Notice

ACE 1003 ITT - Touring Research 2025/26 ACE is seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the current landscape of the theatre, dance, music and combined arts touring sectors and ecologies, and how these have evolved since the Covid-19 pandemic. The specific focus of this study is the Touring of theatre, dance, music, and combined arts activities to indoor venues with a capacity of 150 or below, rural, outdoor work, site specific work and touring to community spaces, as well as by geography and artform, including genre. To view this notice, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=994292149

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073759-2025 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 13 Nov 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 18 Jun 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 16 Jul 2025 |
| Contract period | 14 Sep 2025 - 30 Apr 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £50,000 |
| Lots value | £50,000 |
| Awards value | £46,500 |
| Contracts value | £46,500 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Post town | 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 | WORLD PENCIL |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73110000 - Research services

## Release History

- 13 Nov 2025 at 19:05 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073759-2025
- 17 Jul 2025 at 15:05 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041069-2025
- 23 May 2025 at 15:43 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026978-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073759-2025
  13th November 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041069-2025
  17th July 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026978-2025
  23rd May 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/W6JU847KX8

## Notice URLs

- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=994292149
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-05248e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05248e.json.