Scope
Description
Tate Britain is creating a bold new garden for London in collaboration with celebrated garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith and the Royal Horticultural Society. Generously funded by the Clore Duffield Foundation, the Clore Garden will transform Tate Britain's exterior and offer beautiful natural spaces for residents, students and visitors to enjoy.
The Clore Garden will:
• transform Tate Britain's landscape, enhancing existing architecture and restoring sightlines
• amplify biodiversity through diverse planting, and improve sustainability
• create space to enjoy art outside the gallery, with works shared from Tate's collection
• feature a new café terrace with room for outdoor programmes, talks and learning events
• include a new classroom for school groups and adult learners to connect art with nature (separate contract).
Complementing Tate Britain's classical architecture, the garden's organic design will invite discovery year-round. From magnolias and blossom in spring, to seed heads and evergreens in autumn and winter, there will be eye-catching plants to delight in across the seasons. The garden will be fully accessible with quiet spaces, seating and interactive water features. The project includes the removal of and creative refabrication of existing landscaping to create new fluid pathways through the garden.
The project includes a separate new purpose-built garden classroom which is subject to an interdependent but separate procurement exercise. The garden includes key features aimed at celebrating the beauty of nature, creating a space of amenity where artwork can be explored in a different context whilst simultaneously allowing areas of public enjoyment and education to take place concurrently. The garden project includes works to elevate and improve existing listed features such as gates and railings, works to improve legibility and access and, additionally, key areas of interaction through a bespoke water feature and pond. New services will be provided including a proposed irrigation borehole, a new irrigation system, pathway lighting and event power. Works subject to a Section 278 Order, include the revised front layby, kerb lines and associated drainage and utilities.
The contract will be let as a traditional contract under a JCT Standard Building Contract, with tenderers acting as the Principal Contractor. The tenderers will act as Principal Contactor as defined in the Construction Design Management Regulations 2015 which will include the role to oversee a directly appointed contractor the Garden Classroom.
Total value (estimated)
- £4,000,000 excluding VAT
- £48,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 13 November 2025 to 30 September 2026
- 10 months, 18 days
Main procurement category
Works
CPV classifications
- 45000000 - Construction work
Contract locations
- UKI32 - Westminster
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
For insurance cover, the requirement is £5m for public liability, £5m employers' liability (compulsory insurance) and £2m professional indemnity insurance. Bidders that do not currently hold these levels of insurance will need to do so prior to award, at no extra cost to Tate. Any bidder who does not satisfy Tate that they hold the required levels specified for the contract or agree to increase to these levels will fail. Please note, if you agree to increase you will need to provide the supporting evidence requested prior to award.
Prompt Payment of Suppliers
Bidders should provide confirmation that they have systems in place to ensure that organisations in your supply chain are paid on time, including that you have procedures for resolving disputed invoices promptly and effectively and details about your payment performance, including the percentage of invoices paid within 60 days
Provision of accounts
Bidders should submit the latest 2 years audited accounts as an appropriately referenced appendix.
Turnover Test
These accounts should show an average turnover of at least £5,000,000 over the past 2 years accounts.
Liquidity Test (Acid Test)
(Current Assets - Stock) / Current Liabilities
From the latest 2 years accounts, the average result of the Test should be 1.0 or greater e.g. Y1 - 1.3, Y2 - 1.6 equals an average of 1.45.
Where a Bidders will be submitting unaudited accounts, the supplier must satisfy themselves that they qualify for an audit exemption in line with the latest regulation. The latest regulation is set by the government and can be found on www.gov.uk under "audit exemptions". If the supplier has any queries on this, please raise a question via the messaging tool as per the instructions in Section 1. Introduction - Questions and Contact Details.
Technical ability conditions of participation
Bidders must possess relevant experience, demonstrated by on-going and historical contract information. This experience should be more thoroughly evidenced in responses to MS1, however Bidders should provide outline information in response to this question.
Bidders should ensure that nominated contacts from their references are prepared and ready to provide a reference in support of their bid.
Bidders who are unable to demonstrate this will fail.
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
27 August 2025, 5:00pm
Tender submission deadline
12 September 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
https://secure.marketdojo.com/signup
The invite code to use is EC73CB3296.
If you experience any difficulty in registering or participating, contact the HelpDojo live chat or procurement@tate.org.uk
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
23 September 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| Quality | Quality |
Weighting description
Quality - 100%
Non-Price accounts for 100% of the total score for the Selection phase and will be assessed by reference to a number of method statements prepared by the bidder, in response to questions posed. There are 5 questions within the Non-Price section, and each has an individual weighting as shown (more information is provided below).
Following the conclusion of the Evaluation and Moderation phase, a shortlist will be compiled which will comprise of those Bidders with the highest Total...
Other information
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Documents
Associated tender documents
Sourcing-Dojo-Participants-Process-Guide (1).pdf
Sourcing-Dojo-Participants-Flow-Chart.pdf
Contracting authority
Tate
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVXL-7942-GJXJ
Tate, Millbank
London
SW1P 4RG
United Kingdom
Email: procurement@tate.org.uk
Region: UKI32 - Westminster
Organisation type: Public authority - central government
Other organisation
These organisations are carrying out the procurement, or part of it, on behalf of the contracting authorities.
WARD WILLIAMS ASSOCIATES LLP
Summary of their role in this procurement: Project Managers
- Companies House: OC401502
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PZHW-6682-BGCZ
Compass House Truro Business Park
Truro
TR4 9LD
United Kingdom
Email: marketing@wardwilliams.uk
Website: http://wardwilliams.uk
Region: UKK30 - Cornwall and Isles of Scilly