Open tenders / Construction & civil works
Open tender · Notice 101973-2026
Gallery 33 - Principal Contractor Exhibition Fit-Out
- Value
- £1.5m
- Closes
- 1 Dec 2026 (23 days)
- Where
- London
- Lots
- 1
- Suitable for SMEs
- Yes, says the buyer
- Contract
- 25 Jan 2027 – 31 Oct 2027
In plain English
Natural History Museum wants a principal contractor to fit out a new permanent children's gallery (Gallery 33) at its South Kensington site in London, replacing the Creepy Crawlies gallery in the Grade 1 listed Waterhouse East Building. The estimated value is £1,500,000, with work running from 25 January 2027 to 31 October 2027 and the gallery opening in September 2027; bids close on 1 December 2026.
Good fit for: Exhibition fit-out or specialist construction contractors able to manage AV and showcase subcontractors in a listed museum building.
- Mandatory site visit, with signed NDA first
Mandatory site visits are being held w/c 9th November.
- Must book visit slot by 4 November
bidders must sign and return the NDA contained within the Tenderbox Document Library, and confirm attendance by 10am, Wednesday 4 November.
- Must subcontract AV and showcase specialists
including sub-contracting the services of an AV Integrator and specialist showcase manufacturer.
Written with AI from the official notice. Check the notice before relying on it.
What the buyer says
In September 2027, we will open a new, permanent gallery at South Kensington dedicated to building a positive connection to nature in our very youngest audiences - aged 4-7 years old - and their adults. This brand-new gallery will be a place where visitors delight in the dazzling variety of life on Earth, from the very small to the very tall, and discover that all life – including us! – share the same needs. We all need to breathe, eat, move, communicate and grow to survive and often depend on each other to do this. Together, we are all part of this great, big, weird and wonderful natural world. It will deliver inspiring stories that celebrate diversity and welcome in the widest possible audience of children and their adults. It will combine our world-leading collections, with hands-on and multi-sensory interactives that evoke joy, empathy and care. This project supports our Strategy and Mission to 2031 and our vision of a future where both people and the planet thrive, with a mission to create advocates for the planet. By appealing to visitors’ sense of kindness, their curiosity, and their imagination, this gallery will lay the foundations of advocacy for nature at a young age, foster a lifelong appreciation of the natural world and build a positive connection to nature in early childhood. Gallery 33 (working title) will replace the current Creepy Crawlies gallery on the ground floor the Grade 1 listed Waterhouse East Building and refurbishing the space for the new exhibition. It will open in September 2027 as a free, permanent gallery, and is expected to welcome millions of visitors over a 25-year lifespan. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new gallery which positions children at the heart of our Museum and inspire the next generation of child…
Getting the documents
delta-esourcing.com (the buyer's own site, usually free to register).
Procedure: Below threshold - open competition (Open: anyone can bid (a lower-value contract with lighter rules)). Published 28 Oct 2026.
What similar contracts went for
Similar contracts went for £363k to £407k (2 since 2025; 2 won by small firms).
| Contract | Won by | Value | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 002787: Agatha Christie: a World of Mystery Temporary Exhibitions Build Principal Contractor British Library Board | Setworks Limited SME | £363k | 20 May |
| Future of Food Exhibition Fit-out Contractor Science Museum Group | Sam Forster Associates Ltd SME | £407k | 28 May |
From the award notices on Find a Tender and Public Contracts Scotland. Values are as each notice states them and cover the contract's whole term: most notices give the value before VAT, but about one in seven gives only a figure including VAT. AI picked these as the same kind of work and can be wrong, so check what each one included before you price.
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