RFP QuestBeta
OpenStage · tender 28 days to close

Essex County Council

Essex Music Tours

Business ServicesCPV 55110000
Value£1.1m
Deadline4 Sept 2026
Published6 Aug 2026
RegionNationwide
Timeline
Published 6 Aug 202628 days leftCloses 4 Sept 2026
Who to contact
Abbey Wellington
abbey.wellington@essex.gov.uk

The procurement contact named on the official notice.

How to submit
Open the submissions portal

The submission route named on the official notice.

Contract value in context
£1.1mtotal contract value
median £606k
this tender£0£7.6m

This sits in the upper-middle of the Hospitality & Catering band — a substantial contract for the sector. Based on 3,335 valued Hospitality & Catering tenders in our corpus.

When this comes round again

Essex County Council has published 9 Hospitality & Catering notices, about every 15 months. On that rhythm the next one is expected around November 2027.

38% of Essex County Council’s awards go to a supplier it has used before.

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The brief

Orchestral touring has been an established part of Essex Music Service’s programme for over 60 years, with previous destinations including Poland, Budapest, and Prague.

These tours provide young musicians with the opportunity to perform in prestigious concert halls and participate in renowned music festivals, thereby raising artistic standards, building confidence, and fostering cultural exchange.

In addition to performance opportunities, EMS places strong emphasis on the cultural and educational value of touring.

Programmes have historically included visits of significant historical and educational importance, such as Auschwitz in 2015, supporting the development of global awareness and cultural understanding.

The Essex Youth Orchestra is the flagship symphony orchestra within the whole GEMH partnership and comprises of 65–75 advanced players (Grade 7+), performing a broad orchestral repertoire, including works by composers such as Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.

The orchestra will be accompanied on tour by either the Essex Youth Symphonic Wind Orchestra or the Essex Youth Jazz Orchestra, which participate in tours on a bi-annual basis.

Requirements

What the notice asks for

01

These tours provide young musicians with

These tours provide young musicians with the opportunity to perform in prestigious concert halls and participate in renowned music festivals, thereby raising artistic standards, building confidence, and fostering cultural exchange.

Sentences from the notice that state an obligation, surfaced automatically and shown in the order they appear. Not an exhaustive list — always confirm against the tender documents.

What it takes to bid this

2540 daysof bid-team effort
£17.1k£27.4kat typical UK bid-team rates

Typical UK bid effort for the £1m–£10m band — an estimate, not a quote.

Qualify & bid/no-bid ~10% · SQ / PQQ ~20% · Written response ~55% · Review & presentation ~15%

Typical for this category — confirm against the ITT pack

  • Show at bidComparable references / case studies
  • Hold at bidFinancial standing (accounts, often ~2× contract value turnover)
  • Hold at bidInsurance cover (PL / EL, often PI)
  • Show at bidSocial value commitments

Hold at bid = pass/fail conditions of participation. Show at bid = scored in the quality response. Plan for delivery = contract obligations from day one.

Buyer intelligence

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Source & provenance
OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ddea
Stage
tender · Open
Source
Find a Tender
Buyer ref
074792-2026
View the original notice on Find a Tender

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source data © Crown copyright.

Market context

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