---
title: "Theatre Royal Plymouth Graduation Ceremonies (November)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06d9d4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d9d4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d9d4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d9d4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH"
published: "2026-08-03"
---

# Theatre Royal Plymouth Graduation Ceremonies (November)

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06d9d4

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## Summary

The University of Plymouth has awarded a direct contract to Theatre Royal Plymouth for the provision of venue hire and associated hospitality services necessary to deliver its 2027 and 2028 Graduation Ceremonies in November. This decision follows the unavailability of Plymouth Guildhall due to refurbishment delays. The contract, part of the services category, involves exclusive use of the Theatre Royal Plymouth for one set-up day and three ceremony days, along with post-ceremony reception services. The purchasing activity has reached the award stage, with the contract period commencing on 17 August 2026 and concluding on 1 December 2028, but potential extensions exist if the original venue remains unavailable.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses involved in venue management, event coordination, and hospitality services. The requirement for a venue capable of accommodating multiple graduation ceremonies within a compact timeframe, coupled with necessary operational support, identifies Theatre Royal Plymouth as an ideal supplier. Companies that specialise in large-scale event planning and possess a robust infrastructure to manage a high volume of attendees could find lucrative prospects in such contracts. The University’s decision to proceed with a direct award underlines the uniqueness of the requirement and highlights the importance of Theatre Royal Plymouth's capabilities, making it a benchmark for service standards in this sector.

## Notice

The Theatre Royal Plymouth venue and associated event services will be used by the University of Plymouth to deliver its 2027 and 2028 Graduation Ceremonies in November. These ceremonies are a business-critical component of the University's academic calendar, providing the formal conferral and celebration of awards for graduating students. The contract will support the delivery of multiple graduation ceremonies together with associated hospitality and reception services for graduates, guests, staff and attendees. The contract will cover the hire and exclusive use of Theatre Royal Plymouth for a four-day period comprising one set-up day and three graduation ceremony days. Associated post-ceremony reception services, including catering and hospitality provision for graduates, guests, and official attendees, are also included within the scope of the contract. The requirement has arisen following the unavailability of the University's previously intended graduation venue, Plymouth Guildhall, due to ongoing refurbishment delays and uncertainty regarding future availability. Theatre Royal Plymouth offers a suitably sized, established, and professionally managed venue capable of accommodating the University's graduation programme and associated logistical requirements within the required timescales. The below justification set out in Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies to this Direct Award: (5) 'Single supplier' because, due to the particular characteristics, capacity, availability and suitability of the venue required to deliver the University's graduation programme within the required timescales, Theatre Royal Plymouth is considered to be the only reasonably available supplier capable of meeting the University's requirements. The requirement has arisen following the unavailability of the University's previously intended graduation venue, Plymouth Guildhall, due to refurbishment delays and uncertainty regarding future availability. The contract will provide venue hire at Theatre Royal Plymouth for one set-up day and three graduation ceremony days. The contract will also provide associated post-ceremony reception and hospitality services, together with the operational support necessary to facilitate the successful delivery of the University's graduation programme.

### Procurement Information

This Transparency Notice (UK5) sets out the University of Plymouth's intention to award a contract to Theatre Royal Plymouth (Registered Company No. 01560651), Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR, for the provision of venue hire and associated hospitality services required to deliver the University's Graduation Ceremonies in 2027 and 2028. The Supplier 'Theatre Royal Plymouth' provides a large-scale theatre venue and associated event services capable of accommodating the University's graduation ceremonies, graduates, guests, staff, and associated reception activities. The proposed contract includes venue hire for one set-up day and three ceremony days, together with post-ceremony reception and hospitality services. The University requires a venue capable of hosting multiple graduation ceremonies within a compressed timeframe, whilst providing the capacity, accessibility, operational support, and visitor experience appropriate for a significant institutional event. The requirement has arisen following confirmation that the University's previously intended venue, Plymouth Guildhall, will not be available in 2027 and 2028 due to ongoing refurbishment delays and uncertainty regarding future availability. Following consideration of available options, Theatre Royal Plymouth has been identified as the venue best able to meet the University's specific operational and scheduling requirements. For these reasons, the University of Plymouth considers the Direct Award justification(s) permissible under section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023. More specifically, sub-section 41(1)(a) states that "if a direct award justification applies, a contracting authority may award a public contract directly to a supplier that is not an excluded supplier". The University considers that Theatre Royal Plymouth represents the only reasonably available supplier capable of delivering the required graduation venue and associated services within the required timescales and without significant disruption to the University's graduation programme.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073136-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 3 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 17 Aug 2026 - 1 Dec 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £480,730 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH |
| Locality | PLYMOUTH, DEVON |
| Post town | Plymouth |
| Postcode | PL4 8AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon |
| ITL 3 | TLK41 Plymouth |
| Local authority | Plymouth |
| Electoral ward | Drake |
| Westminster constituency | Plymouth Sutton and Devonport |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THEATRE ROYAL (PLYMOUTH |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79952000 - Event services

## Release History

- 3 Aug 2026 at 11:31 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073136-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073136-2026
  3rd August 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/about-us/university-structure/service-areas/procurement

## 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-06d9d4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d9d4.json.