---
title: "Tate Galleries - St Ives - Palais de Danse Refurbishment"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-052ae9"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-052ae9"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-052ae9.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-052ae9.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "TATE"
published: "2025-06-02"
---

# Tate Galleries - St Ives - Palais de Danse Refurbishment

Buyer: TATE  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-052ae9

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## Summary

The Tate, a central government public authority based in London, is seeking bids for the refurbishment of the Palais de Danse in St Ives, part of a project to extend Tate's cultural footprint in the area. This undertaking involves the sensitive upgrading and transformation of a Grade II listed building into a gallery/museum, with additional facilities such as artist studios, visitor amenities, and community spaces, maintaining the site’s historic character and public engagement possibilities. The tendering process labelled under the construction industry (CPV 45000000) is active, using an open procurement method for below-threshold works. Interested suppliers must submit their tenders electronically by 4th July 2025, following an initial enquiry period ending on 27th June 2025. The contract period is set from November 2025 to December 2026 with potential options for extension.

This tender provides substantial opportunities for businesses specializing in heritage preservation and construction works, particularly those with a keen understanding of complex site logistics and community interaction. Companies experienced in high-quality, sensitive refurbishments that respect historical narratives will find this project aligns with their expertise. The procurement process is ideal for SMEs, requiring entities to demonstrate financial stability with a turnover of at least £5 million, and sufficient insurance coverage before awarding the contract. This opportunity allows businesses to contribute to significant cultural projects while expanding their portfolio and building robust partnerships with esteemed organisations like the Tate.

## Notice

The Palais de Danse project is a sensitive refurbishment and extension of a Grade II listed building in St Ives, commissioned by Tate. It will become Tate's third site in the St Ives town, complementing the existing Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Once a vibrant social venue, the Palais de Danse was later acquired by Barbara Hepworth. Located just across the street from Trewyn Studio-Hepworth's primary workshop and now Hepworth museum-the former dance hall provided the larger space needed to create her monumental sculptures. Notably, it played a key role in the development of Single Form, one of her most significant public commissions. The Palais de Danse is being transformed to support public engagement, informal programming, and to celebrate Barbara Hepworth's legacy-complementing her nearby museum and garden. The design introduces level access throughout, a new welcoming entrance, a lift and stair for improved circulation, and flexible spaces including refurbished dance and small halls. New artist studios, visitor facilities, and staff areas support creative uses while preserving the building's historic character. The project includes a change of use from a sculptor's studio to a gallery/museum with ancillary shop, sculpture studio, artist residency accommodation, and community use. External alterations include the creation of a new main entrance area, relevant highway works, a new attic extension to the Small Hall, a new roof to the Dancehall, demolition of the existing garage and erection of a new two-storey yard building, a roof terrace, green roof, installation of new windows and doors, air source heat pumps, associated plant equipment, and other associated works. The contract will be let as a traditional contract, with tenderers acting as the Principal Contractor. The project will require careful planning and complex site logistics to ensure close coordination with the local area, community, and the historic fabric of the building itself. It demands a contractor with extensive experience in heritage preservation-one who is proactive, collaborative, and sensitive to the exceptional standards of quality and care required for the successful delivery of the scheme. Please refer to planning submission PA24/06437 via Cornwall Councils planning portal.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: To allow for any variation in scope of works during the RIBA stages.

Renewal: While the forecasted programme is for construction to take 56 weeks, extensions are possible in the event that this slips for any reason.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029248-2025 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Works |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Jun 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 4 Jul 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Nov 2025 - 1 Dec 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £2,900,000 |
| Lots value | £2,900,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | TATE |
| Additional buyers | WARD WILLIAMS ASSOCIATES LLP |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 4RG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| ITL 3 | TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| Local authority | Cornwall |
| Electoral ward | Threemilestone & Chacewater |
| Westminster constituency | Truro and Falmouth |
| Delivery location | TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 45 - Construction work

### Codes

- 45000000 - Construction work

## Release History

- 2 Jun 2025 at 14:49 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029248-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029248-2025
  2nd June 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://secure.marketdojo.com/signup
  Invite code to use once signed-up 9430AF9F2D
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-1790
  A guide to participating in this process via MarketDojo. The invite code to use is 9430AF9F2D. If you experience any difficulty in registering or participating, contact the HelpDojo live chat or procurement@tate.org.uk
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-1791

## Notice URLs

- http://wardwilliams.uk
- 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-052ae9. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-052ae9.json.