--- title: "Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "Kettering Town Council" published: "2026-10-01" --- # Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029 Buyer: Kettering Town Council Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b.json) ## Summary Kettering Town Council is seeking an event operator to plan, promote, manage and deliver an annual public soapbox racing event in Kettering town centre. The end-to-end service covers event design and race operations; planning and project management; recruiting and registering participants; race management and specialist infrastructure; safety, risk and emergency planning; coordination around traffic, road closures and permissions; marketing; and on-the-day operations. The event is intended to attract participants and spectators, increase town-centre footfall and create a distinctive annual occasion. The supplier will work with the Council and local stakeholders, including North Northamptonshire Council, highway and land stakeholders, safety partners and emergency services as required. Event services (CPV 79952000). The Council invited tenders through a below-threshold open competition. This is a single-lot procurement for three annual events. The clarification deadline was 12 noon on 9 October 2026, and tenders were due by 12 noon on 23 October 2026. The contract period runs from 14 December 2026 to 30 September 2029, with an option, at the Council’s discretion, to extend for one further annual event in 2030. The estimated contract value is £160,000 excluding VAT (£192,000 including VAT); the indicative budget is approximately £40,000 excluding VAT per event. Evaluation weights are price 35%, event proposal and quality 30%, experience and delivery team 15%, safety and operational delivery 10%, and community and social value 10%. The opportunity suits event operators, including SMEs, able to deliver a public street-racing event end to end. Strong bids will show experience delivering comparable events with successful outcomes, a capable team with clear responsibilities, and a practical, engaging concept that can attract racers and spectators. Suppliers need to demonstrate credible event safety arrangements, risk assessment, emergency planning, traffic and highway coordination, and operational controls, alongside the ability to provide specialist race infrastructure and manage participant registration and race operations. The Council also values plans for accessibility, sustainability, community involvement, local economic benefit and support for local traders. Pricing should make the core offer, inclusions, assumptions, exclusions, VAT treatment and any potential extra charges clear. ## Notice Kettering Town Council invites tenders from suitably capable event operators to plan, promote, manage and deliver an annual public soapbox racing event in Kettering town centre in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The Council is seeking a safe, professionally managed and visually engaging event that attracts participants and spectators, supports town-centre footfall and creates a distinctive annual experience for Kettering. The successful supplier will provide an end-to-end event management service. This will include event design and race operation; event planning and project management; participant recruitment, registration and race management; specialist race infrastructure; event safety, risk assessment and emergency planning; liaison in relation to traffic management, road closures and relevant permissions; marketing and audience development; and operational management and delivery of the event. The supplier will be expected to work collaboratively with Kettering Town Council and relevant local stakeholders, including North Northamptonshire Council, event safety partners, land and highway stakeholders and emergency services where required. The Council is also seeking an approach that considers accessibility, sustainability, community involvement and opportunities to support local businesses, organisations and traders where appropriate. The contract will cover three annual events in 2027, 2028 and 2029, with an indicative budget of approximately PS40,000 excluding VAT per event, giving an indicative three-year contract value of approximately PS120,000 excluding VAT. Tenderers are required to identify VAT treatment and clearly state all assumptions, exclusions and potential additional charges. Full details of the required services, Council and supplier responsibilities, minimum requirements, pricing schedule and evaluation methodology are contained within the Invitation to Tender. ### Lot Information Lot 1 Renewal: Option to extend for one further annual event in 2030, at Kettering Town Council's sole discretion. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093054-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | 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 | 1 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | 23 Oct 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 14 Dec 2026 - 30 Sep 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £160,000 | | Lots value | £160,000 | | 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 | Kettering Town Council | | Locality | KETTERING | | Postcode area | Northampton | | Postcode | NN15 7HP | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | | ITL 3 | TLF25 North Northamptonshire | | Local authority | North Northamptonshire | | Electoral ward | St Michael | | Westminster constituency | Kettering | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79952000 - Event services ## Release History - 1 Oct 2026 at 18:10 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093054-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093054-2026 1st October 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/documents/2176303 Invitation to Tender - Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029. This document contains the full specification, supplier requirements, procurement timetable, submission requirements, pricing schedule and evaluation methodology. ## Notice URLs - https://www.ketteringtowncouncil.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-077f1b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077f1b.json.