Official UK procurement notice
Pantomime Procurement · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Reading Borough Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Hexagon, Reading's largest entertainment venue, delivers a wide-ranging and diverse programme of events throughout the year. The annual pantomime represents the most commercially significant and strategically important component of the venue's programme.
In 2022, a formal procurement process was undertaken to appoint Imagine Theatre as the pantomime production partner. This contract is now approaching its conclusion, with Aladdin (2026/27) being the final production under the current agreement, which ends in February 2027.
To ensure continuity of delivery, audience engagement, and timely marketing and production planning, The Hexagon must enter into a new pantomime production contract by Autumn 2026, enabling full preparation for the 2027/28 pantomime season.
The appointment of a pantomime production partner is a critical procurement for The Hexagon, given the pantomime's status as the venue's most commercially significant and strategically important annual event. A formal procurement process is required to ensure compliance with public sector procurement regulations, secure best value, promote fair competition, and mitigate financial and operational risk. Early market engagement and timely contract award are essential to enable sufficient lead-in time for creative development, casting, production planning, and marketing activity, all of which typically commence 12-18 months in advance of delivery.
CPV: Entertainment services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewal
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Reading Borough Council buys Entertainment services (CPV 9230), and who usually turns up
Reading Borough Council’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Entertainment services (CPV 9230) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in South East England.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 55 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
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How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid39% / 20%
2–316% / 20%
4–621% / 50%
7+24% / 10%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate25% / 40%
Within ±2%67% / 40%
Above estimate8% / 20%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 9230Published estimate£1.2m
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How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 21 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid10%
2–329%
4–657%
7+5%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Concession
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 6 May 2026, 20:30 BST
- Last source update
- 14 May 2026, 16:44 BST
- Authority reference
25-S-206- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-044575- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0692b3Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
6 May 2026 → 1 Oct 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published173 days ago6 May 2026, 20:30 BST
- Latest notice published165 days ago14 May 2026, 16:44 BST
- Market engagement159 days ago20 May 2026, 23:59 BST
SOFT MARKET ENGAGEMENT NOTICE
Seasonal Pantomime Production
Venue: The Hexagon
Local Authority: Reading Borough Council
Engagement Reference: SOFT MARKET ENGAGEMENT NOTICE
Issue Date: 06/05/2026
Response Deadline: 20/05/2026
Please submit your responses by email to
________________________________________
- Purpose of this Engagement
RBC is undertaking a Soft Market Engagement exercise in advance of a potential procurement process for the delivery of a seasonal pantomime at The Hexagon.
The purpose of this exercise is to:
- Understand current market capacity and appetite
- Explore viable commercial and contractual models
- Inform the proposed procurement route and specification
- Identify innovation, audience development and community engagement opportunities
This is not a call for competition and does not commit the Council to commence a procurement process.
________________________________________
- Venue Overview
- Auditorium capacity: 960
- Typical performance run: 48 performances from Early Dec - Early Jan
- Average pantomime attendance: 35,000
- Technical specification summary: Please follow the link
The Council is particularly interested in understanding how producers can support:
- Box office growth
- Risk mitigation
- Community participation
- Accessibility and inclusive programming
________________________________________
- Engagement Format
The Council proposes:
- Written responses to this questionnaire
- Optional 1:1 virtual engagement meetings (30-45 minutes)
- Potential supplier engagement event (if appropriate)
All participating organisations will receive the same information to ensure transparency.
________________________________________
Supplier Response Questionnaire
- Organisation Overview
- Company name and registration details
- Years trading
- Summary of pantomime production experience
- Experience in similar sized Local Authority venues.
________________________________________
- Market Insight
Please outline:
- Current trends in regional pantomime production
- Emerging commercial models (guarantee, risk-share, hybrid)
- Typical production budget ranges for venues of comparable scale
- Casting strategies and impact on financial performance
________________________________________
- Commercial Structures
For a venue of 960 please indicate:
- Preferred financial model and rationale
- Typical box office splits (if risk-share)
- Minimum performance run to ensure viability
- Key cost drivers affecting pricing
Indicative figures are welcome at this stage (non-binding).
________________________________________
- Creative & Audience Development
- How do you tailor pantomime scale to venue size?
- What marketing assets do you typically provide?
- Strategies for reaching new or underrepresented audiences
- Examples of community or education engagement delivered
________________________________________
- Risk & Delivery Considerations
- Key risks in delivering pantomime in the current market
- Mitigation strategies
- Lead-in time required for casting and production build
- Technical or scheduling constraints the Council should consider
________________________________________
- Innovation & Added Value
- Digital integration (streaming, social media campaigns, influencer marketing)
- Environmental sustainability practices
- Local employment / skills development opportunities
________________________________________
- Confidentiality
Information provided will be used solely to inform procurement strategy. Commercially sensitive information will not be disclosed publicly.
________________________________________
- Next Steps
Following this engagement, the Council may:
- Refine its delivery model
- Publish a formal procurement notice
- Decide not to proceed
- Contract starts26 days ago1 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 6 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published6 May 2026, 20:30 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published14 May 2026, 16:44 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender