Small Venues Fund - Fund Administrator

What the buyer is asking for

Following the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (North East MSA) Cabinet meeting in March 2026, North East Mayor Kim McGuiness announced a package of £104million to turbocharge the region's creative industries driving new jobs and opportunities for local people. As part of that package, a commitment was made to back small venues across North East England. Working alongside the sector, the North East MSA's Small Venues Fund (SVF) has been developed to support creative grassroots venues, providing them with the resources and capacity to host events and provide space and a platform for creatives to thrive. It has been shaped to ensure that this fund is fit for purpose and supports an array of artists from across the creative industries. The fund will support an increase in opportunities for both artists and venue operators supporting the exposure of such facilities both within the region and further afield. The fund will open more opportunities to touring artists, providing an increase in the visitor economy and a wider economic impact. The North East MSA is looking to appoint an external Fund Administrator with experience of public sector grant administration and knowledge of the creative and cultural sector to manage the programme from initial enquiry through to project closure. The fund will be delivered on a phased basis. The successful bidder will provide a fully managed grant administration service for the Small Venues Fund. Services will include: o Programme mobilisation. o Applicant support and enquiry management. o Expression of Interest management. o Full application management. o Application appraisal and due diligence. o Independent assessment panel administration. o Grant contracting and subsidy control compliance. o Grant monitoring and compliance activity. o Financial management and payment administration. o Reporting and management information. o Support for programme evaluation. The overall project value is £2.45m million, of which £2.2 million is set aside for grant awards. The value of the contract for the Fund Administrator is up to £250,000 excluding VAT, for the duration of the contract.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• 80%qualityQuality
• 20%pricePrice

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 27 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice published14 days ago

   7 Sept 2026, 16:19 BST
2. Clarification questions byin 7 days

   28 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
3. Submission deadlinein 14 days

   5 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
4. Award decision expected byin 54 days

   14 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender

1. Tender notice7 Sept 2026, 16:19 BST084573-2026

Documents

• The reference for this opportunity is OPEN20261919
• Tender notice on Find a Tender