United Kingdom1 days leftOpen

Provision of a Seasonal Pantomime

Tender Overview

ORGANIZATION

Halton Borough Council

LOCATION

Merseyside, United Kingdom

VALUE

£468,000

DEADLINE

February 03, 2026 at 14:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

92300000

REFERENCE

000608-2026

Project Timeline

Contact Information

View Original

Original Tender Description

Halton Borough Council is seeking an experienced production company to work with the Council to produce an annual Pantomime over the next three years 2026-2029 at the Brindley Theatre, Runcorn. The Brindley Theatre is Halton's 21-year-old, purpose-built theatre situated in Runcorn, Cheshire. The building is fully accessible and includes a 424-seat proscenium arch theatre (less up to 13 seats for sound desk positions), wheelchair access, 119 flexible Studio space, Library, Education Room, Bar and Café. All public parking is provided free of charge. The Brindley Theatre is a previous winner of the National Lottery Best Arts Project in the UK and also holds a Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence. The annual schedule is balanced between a mixed programme of professional work across all the art forms and community, commercial hires and classes. The current season can be viewed online at www.thebrindley.org.uk. Tickets for all Theatre and Studio events can be purchased in person, by telephone or online. The Brindley Theatre has been successfully presenting professional Pantomime for 21 years and has firmly established a reputation for traditional family productions. We aim to produce a show that is unique to our venue and draws on collaborative skills to achieve the highest quality and value for money for our audiences. The Council has fixed the price of this provision to £65,000 per annum. To view the full specification and access the RFQ documentation and requirements, please register your interest in this opportunity via The Chest e-tendering portal: www.the-chest.org.uk. Search for Project ID: DN799333 All questions must be submitted via the Chest messaging facility only. Telephone enquiries will not be answered during the live tender process. Closing date for questions: 27th January 2026 at 4pm Closing date for Submissions: 3rd February 2026 at 2pm
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MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • No specific mandatory exclusion grounds are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • No specific eligibility requirements are explicitly mentioned in the provided text, beyond being a 'production company'.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Must be an experienced production company.
  • Must be able to produce an annual Pantomime.
  • Must be able to work collaboratively with Halton Borough Council.
  • Must be capable of producing 'traditional family productions'.
  • Must be able to produce a show that is unique to the Brindley Theatre venue.
  • Must demonstrate collaborative skills.
  • Must aim to achieve the highest quality for audiences.
  • Must aim to achieve value for money for audiences.
  • Must be able to provide services for the contract duration of three years (2026-2029).
  • Must be able to deliver services at the Brindley Theatre, Runcorn.
💰

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Must accept the fixed price of £65,000 per annum for the provision.
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Must register interest in the opportunity via The Chest e-tendering portal (www.the-chest.org.uk).
  • Must search for Project ID: DN799333 on The Chest e-tendering portal.
  • Must submit all questions via The Chest messaging facility only.
  • Must not make telephone enquiries during the live tender process.
  • Must submit all questions by 27th January 2026 at 4pm.
  • Must submit all proposals/bids by 3rd February 2026 at 2pm.
  • Must access the full specification and RFQ documentation via The Chest e-tendering portal after registration.

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Official PDF Version
PDF000608-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
Halton Borough Council is seeking an experienced production company for a three-year annual pantomime at the Brindley Theatre, Runcorn, with a fixed annual price of £65,000, requiring registration on The Chest e-tendering portal for full details.

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66
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender presents a clear service description and utilizes an e-tendering portal, but suffers from critical omissions regarding evaluation criteria and significant data inconsistencies in financial values.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender clearly defines the procedure type and assigns appropriate CPV/NUTS codes. However, the absence of explicitly stated mandatory exclusion and eligibility grounds in the provided text is a notable concern for full legal compliance and transparency.

No explicit mandatory exclusion grounds mentioned.
No explicit eligibility requirements mentioned beyond 'production company'.
Clarity60/100

While the service description is clear, the tender critically lacks specified evaluation criteria, making it difficult for bidders to understand how their proposals will be judged. Many technical requirements are qualitative and would benefit from more measurable definitions.

No evaluation criteria specified.
Technical requirements are qualitative and lack measurable specifics.
Completeness70/100

Basic information, deadlines, value, and duration are provided. However, the tender is incomplete due to the absence of evaluation criteria and explicit mandatory exclusion/eligibility grounds. Furthermore, only one of four listed documents is summarized, indicating incomplete documentation disclosure.

Missing evaluation criteria.
Missing explicit mandatory exclusion and eligibility grounds.
Fairness65/100

The use of an e-procurement portal promotes equal access, and the value is disclosed. However, the critical absence of evaluation criteria severely impacts fairness and transparency, as bidders cannot objectively prepare or assess their chances. The fixed price could also limit competition.

No evaluation criteria specified, hindering transparency and objective assessment.
Fixed price may limit competition.
Practicality85/100

The tender provides clear instructions for accessing documentation via an e-tendering portal, supports electronic submission, and specifies the contract start date and duration. Financing information (fixed price) is also available.

Data Consistency40/100

A significant inconsistency exists between the estimated value in EUR (468,000.00 EUR) and the fixed annual price in GBP (£65,000 per annum for three years, equating to £195,000 GBP or approximately 229,411 EUR). This major discrepancy is a critical flaw. Minor inconsistencies exist in contract duration (34 months vs. 'three years').

Major discrepancy between estimated EUR value and fixed annual GBP price.
Minor inconsistency in contract duration (34 months vs. 3 years).
Sustainability30/100

The tender does not explicitly include any green procurement, social, or innovation criteria. While the service itself has inherent social value, the procurement process does not actively seek or reward these aspects from bidders.

No explicit green procurement criteria.
No explicit social criteria.

Strengths

Clear description of the service and venue.
Utilizes an e-tendering portal for submission and questions.
Value and duration are specified.
CPV and NUTS codes are correctly assigned.
Contract start date is provided.

Concerns

Absence of explicit evaluation criteria.
Significant inconsistency between estimated EUR value and fixed annual GBP price.
Lack of explicit mandatory exclusion and eligibility grounds.
Only one of four tender documents is summarized.
No explicit sustainability, social, or innovation criteria.

Recommendations

1. Clearly define and publish comprehensive evaluation criteria to ensure transparency and fairness.
2. Rectify the discrepancy between the estimated EUR value and the fixed annual GBP price to avoid confusion.
3. Ensure all mandatory exclusion and eligibility grounds are explicitly stated in the tender notice or easily accessible documents.

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Tender Quality Score
66/ 100 · Good

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