Scope
Reference
RBGKEW1471
Description
We are looking to procure a supplier to initiate and close membership sales to prospective members face-to-face, on site at Kew Gardens. RBG, Kew has a successful membership scheme with over 100,000 members on around 80,000 memberships. This is made up of around 20,000 new sales and 60,000 renewals each year. We have ambitious plans to double our membership over the coming five years and we are seeking a partnership with a face-to-face membership sales agency to support this ambition.
We have an existing contract in place for this service, and our current contract for this service delivers up to 10% of our annual sales. We are seeking a supplier who can support us to grow this in line with our ambitious plans.
Membership sales pattern vary significantly depending on peak seasons and visitor flow. As a guide, our strongest sales days generate around 70 onsite sales, and we average around 15 on-site sales per day (through all our on-site channels both the front of house team and the sales agency)
Kew Gardens is a popular destination in South West London, currently the 13th most popular visitor attraction in the UK, and the #1 paid outdoor attraction, drawing almost 2 million visitors annually. We have huge potential to convert these visitors to members, and we are seeking a professional, experienced supplier to deliver this membership conversion. Secondary to membership sales, we expect the supplier to also deliver membership upgrades and renewals to existing members.
As well as being highly experienced in delivering sales in a face-to-face environment, we expect the supplier to have a high working knowledge of Kew Gardens and our membership scheme, including:
•Seasonal highlights and familiarity with the Gardens
•Current and future programming and events to draw visitors to a full years of membership
•Membership benefits, including seasonal offers
•RBG, Kew's brand and ethos as a world leading, pioneering scientific institution tackling the global challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Upon appointment, the supplier will be given a full induction covering these points and will receive ongoing training which we expect all staff to attend to ensure they are able to provide knowledgeable and trusted interactions with visitors.
We anticipate the supplier will be experienced working in similar outdoor, visitor attraction environments and will have the necessary workforce to deliver year-round sales, dealing with peaks of visitor numbers which require higher staffing. The staffing pattern will be determined monthly, in collaboration with both RBG Kew and the supplier.
Contract 1
Supplier
Contract value
- £280,000 excluding VAT
- £336,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Award decision date
17 December 2025
Date assessment summaries were sent to tenderers
6 January 2026
Standstill period
- End: 16 January 2026
- 8 working days
Earliest date the contract will be signed
2 March 2026
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028
- Possible extension to 30 March 2030
- 3 years, 11 months, 30 days
Description of possible extension:
Original contract 2 Years and possible Extension 2 Years.
Value of awarded contract including any extensions : Up to £280k across maximum 4 years (£50k - £70k per annum)
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
Contract locations
- UKC - North East (England)
- UKD - North West (England)
- UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
- UKF - East Midlands (England)
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
- UKH - East of England
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
- UKK - South West (England)
Information about tenders
- 2 tenders received
- 2 tenders assessed in the final stage:
- 2 submitted by small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- 0 submitted by voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
- 1 supplier awarded contracts
- 1 supplier unsuccessful (details included for contracts over £5 million)
Submission
Submission type
Requests to participate
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Supplier
Complete Works Staffing & Training Ltd
- Companies House: 08035479
26 Etna Rd
St Albans
AL3 5NJ
United Kingdom
Email: bala@complete-works.co.uk
Region: UKH23 - Hertfordshire
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Supported employment provider: No
Public service mutual: No
Contract 1
Contracting authority
Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- Charity Commission (England and Wales): 803428
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PGTT-3583-QXLN
THE HERBARIUM
KEW GREEN
TW9 3AE
United Kingdom
Email: procurement@kew.org
Region: UKI75 - Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames
Organisation type: Public authority - central government