---
title: "Graduation Ceremony Venue Hire"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE OPEN UNIVERSITY"
published: "2026-09-23"
---

# Graduation Ceremony Venue Hire

Buyer: THE OPEN UNIVERSITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1.json)

## Summary

The Open University hired Bridgewater Hall for a graduation ceremony on 5 March 2027. The requirement is for event venue hire and associated event services, with the ceremony taking place in Manchester. The buying organisation is The Open University, a public authority based in Milton Keynes. The procurement covers one venue-hire requirement for the university’s graduation ceremony; the named venue is Bridgewater Hall.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Legends Global Holdings Limited. The university used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition. The contract was signed on 22 July 2026 and runs from 22 July 2026 to 5 March 2027. Its value is £33,445 excluding VAT (£40,134 including VAT). The award relates to a single lot and is recorded as active. The stated requirement was venue hire for the graduation ceremony on 5 March 2027; no evaluation basis or selection criteria are set out in the procurement details.

For future requirements of this kind, credible competitors will need to provide a suitable Manchester event venue and deliver venue-hire services for a university graduation ceremony. The selected supplier, Legends Global Holdings Limited, is a large company, showing that the buyer has contracted with an established venue and events operator for this requirement. Suppliers should be able to accommodate the ceremony at the specified venue and coordinate the associated event service; the published scope centres on venue hire rather than broader university event work. The direct award was made without competition, so the outcome does not provide a competitive evaluation benchmark or stated technical, accreditation or capacity thresholds for future suppliers.

## Notice

Hire of Bridgewater Hall for a graduation ceremony on 5th March 2027

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090291-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 22 Jul 2026 - 5 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £33,445 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | THE OPEN UNIVERSITY |
| Locality | MILTON KEYNES |
| Postcode area | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode | MK7 6AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |
| Local authority | Milton Keynes |
| Electoral ward | Monkston |
| Westminster constituency | Milton Keynes Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SMG Europe Holdings Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79952000 - Event services

## Release History

- 23 Sep 2026 at 16:06 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090291-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090291-2026
  23rd September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-0778f1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0778f1.json.