Provision and Delivery of an Annual Town Centre Soapbox Racing Event 2027-2029
Kettering Town Council, a local government organisation, is seeking an event operator to plan, promote, manage and deliver an annual public soapbox racing event in Kettering town centre during 2027, 2028 and 2029. The supplier will provide end-to-end delivery, including event and race design, project management, participant recruitment and registration, race operations, specialist infrastructure, marketing, audience development, traffic and road-closure liaison, safety and risk controls, emergency planning, and on-the-day management. The event is expected to be safe, professionally operated and visually engaging, while supporting town-centre footfall, accessibility, sustainability, community participation and local businesses, with collaboration involving relevant councils, highways and land stakeholders, safety partners and emergency services. The indicative budget is approximately £40,000 excluding VAT per event, or £120,000 excluding VAT over three years, with an option for one further annual event in 2030 at the Council’s discretion. The critical requirement is credible capability to manage event safety, risk assessment, traffic and highway interfaces, emergency planning and operational controls for a public town-centre event.
Buyer: Kettering Town Council. Source: Find a Tender. Updated 1 Oct 2026.
Key facts
- Estimated value: £160k
- Bids close: 23 Oct 2026
- Location: North East (England), North West (England), Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands (England), West Midlands (England), East of England, London, South East (England), South West (England), North Northamptonshire
- Procedure: Below threshold - open competition
- Contract period: 14 Dec 2026 to 30 Sept 2029
- Category: Event services (79952000)
From the official notice
Kettering Town Council invites tenders from suitably capable event operators to plan, promote, manage and deliver an annual public soapbox racing event in Kettering town centre in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The Council is seeking a safe, professionally managed and visually engaging event that attracts participants and spectators, supports town-centre footfall and creates a distinctive annual experience for Kettering. The successful supplier will provide an end-to-end event management service. This will include event design and race operation; event planning and project management; participant recruitment, registration and race management; specialist race infrastructure; event safety, risk assessment and emergency planning; liaison in relation to traffic management, road closures and relevant permissions; marketing and audience development; and operational management and delivery of the event. The supplier will be expected to work collaboratively with Kettering Town Council and relevant local stakeholders, including North Northamptonshire Council, event safety partners, land and highway stakeholders and emergency services where required. The Council is also seeking an approach that considers accessibility, sustainability, community involvement and opportunities to support local businesses, organisations and traders where appropriate. The contract will cover three annual events in 2027, 2028 and 2029, with an indicative budget of approximately £40,000 excluding VAT per event, giving ...
View the official notice
Questions about this tender
When is the deadline?
Bids close on 23 Oct 2026.
What is it worth?
The estimated value is £160k.
Who can apply?
The buyer has marked it as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
How do I bid?
Open the official notice, register on the buyer's portal and submit your bid before the deadline.
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