---
title: "Swindon's New Entertainment Venue PME"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f19b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f19b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f19b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f19b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Swindon Borough Council"
published: "2026-09-03"
---

# Swindon's New Entertainment Venue PME

Buyer: Swindon Borough Council  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f19b

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## Summary

Swindon Borough Council is planning a flexible modern entertainment venue to replace and enhance the existing Wyvern Theatre. The proposed procurement is expected to cover a combined design, construction, operation and delivery partnership for the new venue, responding to Swindon’s cultural, technical and audience requirements. The scope spans theatre and entertainment-building construction, architectural, engineering and planning services, engineering design, modular or portable building solutions, arts-facility operation, and building and facilities management. The work will be delivered in Swindon. This is a major public-sector works project with associated services, intended to create a long-term venue that can support cultural activity and audiences after the Wyvern Theatre reaches the end of its life.

The process is at the planning stage: the Council has announced an intention to procure but has not invited tenders. It expects to develop a competitive procurement process after preliminary market engagement. The estimated value is £40 million excluding VAT, or £48 million including VAT, and the procurement is above the relevant threshold. One lot is currently planned, with an anticipated contract period from 1 August 2027 to 31 July 2055. Market engagement is planned through one-to-one Microsoft Teams discussions with potential operator and delivery partners, subject to a confidentiality agreement. The engagement is expected to run from 7 to 18 September 2026, with the Council aiming to complete it by 18 September and reserving the right to limit participation if interest is high.

This will suit organisations or consortia able to combine major entertainment, theatre or cultural-venue development with long-term operational delivery. Relevant preparation includes construction and development capability, architectural, engineering and planning expertise, technical design for entertainment spaces, and experience operating arts or entertainment facilities. Building and facilities management capacity is also likely to be important for the extended operating period. The Council is specifically testing interest from operator and delivery partners able to take part across design, build, operation and delivery, so businesses that can provide an integrated offer, or contribute a defined specialist role within a partnership, may be well placed. Suppliers should be prepared for confidential, structured discussions about the venue’s cultural, technical and audience requirements before a future competition is designed.

## Notice

Swindon's New Entertainment Venue PME. As the Wyvern Theatre nears the end of its life, Swindon Borough Council are looking to bring forward a flexible modern entertainment venue that replaces and is an enhancement on the Wyvern Theatre, meeting Swindon's cultural, technical and audience needs. This preliminary market engagement exercise seeks to explore the market for operator and delivery partners for this exciting opportunity. The Council wishes to undertake preliminary market engagement to gain an understanding of interest from the market in being an design, build, operate and delivery partner for the proposed venue. The Council will also use this information to design a competitive procurement process that meets both its own requirements and the needs of the market.

### Planning Information

Operator & Delivery Partner for Swindon Entertainment Venue
As the Wyvern Theatre nears the end of its life, Swindon Borough Council are looking to bring forward a flexible modern entertainment venue that replaces and is an enhancement on the Wyvern Theatre, meeting Swindon’s cultural, technical and audience needs.
This preliminary market engagement exercise seeks to explore the market for operator and delivery partners for this exciting opportunity.
The Council wishes to undertake preliminary market engagement to gain an understanding of interest from the market in being an design, build, operate and delivery partner for the proposed venue. The Council will also use this information to design a competitive procurement process that meets both its own requirements and the needs of the market.
The Preliminary Market Engagement is being undertaken by In Partnership With Ltd (IPW...) on behalf of the Council and for further background information to the scheme and registering your interest in participating the process please contact Elliott Russell at (elliottrussell@ipw3.com) with (billymills@ipw3.com) also copied in, before the 12pm on Friday 11th September 2026.
Please note that participation in this process will require the signing of a confidentiality agreement and the engagement will be conducted via one-on-one discussions (via Microsoft Teams) between suppliers and IPW… (the Council’s specialist event venue consultants) between Monday 7th – Friday 18th September.
To ensure the engagement exercise can be completed within the required timeframe, the Council reserves the right to reduce the number of participants if the number of organisations expressing an interest is such that the exercise could not reasonably be concluded by Friday 18th September 2026.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083603-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Works |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Aug 2027 - 31 Jul 2055 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £40,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Swindon Borough Council |
| Locality | SWINDON |
| Postcode area | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN1 2JH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Eastcott |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon South |
| Delivery location | TLK14 Swindon |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)
- 45 - Construction work
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

### Codes

- 44211100 - Modular and portable buildings
- 45212170 - Entertainment building construction work
- 45212322 - Theatre construction work
- 71240000 - Architectural, engineering and planning services
- 71320000 - Engineering design services
- 79993000 - Building and facilities management services
- 92320000 - Arts-facility operation services

## Release History

- 3 Sep 2026 at 16:09 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083603-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083603-2026
  3rd September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.swindon.gov.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-06f19b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f19b.json.