Gallery 33 - Principal Contractor Exhibition Fit-Out

Summary from the buyer

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 children to start their lifelong journey of advocacy for the planet. The Natural History Museum wishes to secure the services of a Principal Contractor to undertake the exhibition fit-out, including sub-contracting the services of an AV Integrator and specialist showcase manufacturer. Mandatory site visits are being held w/c 9th November. In order to secure a timeslot bidders must sign and return the NDA contained within the Tenderbox Document Library, and confirm attendance by 10am, Wednesday 4 November.

Before you decide to bid

For a UK creative, digital or marketing agency, the tender “Gallery 33 - Principal Contractor Exhibition Fit-Out” from Natural History Museum is only worth pursuing if three conditions hold. First, the agency must be able to submit a complete response before 1 December 2026 at 12:00; late bids are normally rejected without being read. Second, the published value of £1,500,000 has to cover the work described, including the unpaid hours it takes to write and check a public-sector bid. Third, the agency should already hold the evidence buyers usually ask for: recent case studies of similar work, insurance certificates and, for many contracts, a social value commitment. Under the Procurement Act 2023, buyers publish their award criteria in the tender documents, so read those criteria on Find a Tender before writing anything. If one of the three conditions fails, skipping this tender is usually the better use of the agency's time.

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