Worcestershire Arts Partnership Blog

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Museum on the High Street (MOTHS) - Worcester

http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/eTendering/TenderDetails.aspx?id=1211




We are looking for an experienced company with a track record of working on outdoor heritage commissions to help devise and deliver Museum on the High Street in Worcester, led by Museums Worcestershire and funded by Arts Council England, to start November 2013 – March 2014.

 

Background Information

Museums Worcestershire is a shared service for museums which manages four sites on behalf of Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council; our overarching aim is to become more "visible, viable and valued". We believe that Museums Worcestershire can significantly contribute to the visitor economy of Worcester and raise greater awareness of heritage and culture in the county.

The objectives of the MOTHS project are:

§  To contribute to the regeneration of Worcester's City Centre and increase the museums' contribution to civic life and a sense of place.

§  To engage new audiences through their response to representations of museum objects and historic collections in unusual locations.

§  To strengthen and provide a museum perspective on key marketing opportunities offered by existing events, namely Worcester Christmas Fair (December) and the Love Worcester campaign (February)

§  To create opportunities for on-going partnership working with Worcester's retail and finance sector.

§  To raise the profile and visitor numbers to the City Art Gallery & Museum and the Commandery and to connect the two buildings.

§  To raise the profile of Museums Worcestershire by creating something prominent of quality that is synonymous with Museums Worcestershire

§  To animate and invigorate the High Street

§  To create media interest

Local Government Association response to The Portas Review
        The vision for the future of high streets is of multifunctional and social places which offer a clear and compelling purpose and experience that’s not available elsewhere, and which meets the interests and needs of the local people.




The Portas Review
       “Fundamentally I believe that our high streets are uniquely placed to deliver something new. I believe that our high streets can be lively, dynamic, exciting and social places that give a sense of belonging and trust to a community”




 

 

Worcestershire County Council
Open for Business
       A prosperous Worcestershire


Worcester City Masterplan
       The Diverse City / The Visited City
       “..make the city a richer, more pleasant place to spend time”



 

Project outline

MOTHS – Museum on the High Street

 

MOTHS is a project that will deliver a series of high quality 'events' in the High Street inspired by Worcester's significant collections and exhibitions, and using that theme to link two museums in Worcester in an engaging, surprising and amusing procession of events or activity over a five month period.

 

Museums Worcestershire manages two museums in Worcester on behalf of Worcester City Council. Both buildings are outside the main areas of footfall in the City Centre and at either end of the High Street. The pressure to demonstrate the importance of museums to the visitor economy is constant, and the challenge still exists for cultural organisations to help reinvigorate the High Street as expressed in the Portas report.

 

Worcester's earliest collections are one of the oldest museum collections in the region, dating back to 1833. Because of their age and fragility, collections such as the butterflies, moths and birds are rarely displayed and the collections have become largely inaccessible. Creatively, they offer a wealth of inspiration for this project, offering both access and audience development opportunities.

We would like you to devise a project which will explore the boundaries between museum collections and the wider visitor economy by offering a taste of museum experiences in retail locations to new audiences.

We want people to 'expect the unexpected'.

The MOTHS project will benefit from a Steering Group drawn from Arts Council England, Worcestershire County Council, Worcester City Council and Destination Worcestershire. Potential MOTHS partners include:

§  Arts Council England

§  Worcester BID

§  Venues for MOTHS

 

 

Expected project outcomes

Strategic:

§  Demonstrate the importance of museums to the visitor economy of Worcester 

§  Raise greater awareness of heritage in the city and county

§  Promote the quality and strength of Museums Worcestershire collections and venues

§  Deliver high quality interventions in the High Street inspired by Worcester's collections and exhibitions

§  Provide a tangible response to the Portas report

 

Operational:

At this stage we envisage a minimum of two events / activities over the period November to March. We specifically want to link into, and add value to the Worcester Christmas Fayre (28th November – 1st December), the 'Love Worcester' Heritage campaign (14th – 23rd February) and the 'Song of the Sea' exhibition at the Art Gallery and Museum (opens on 8th February).

The practical measure of success for MOTHS will include:

§  Press coverage of activities – local and national

§  Number of shoppers and museum visitors expressing knowledge of project and of venues through visitor surveys (there is a separate budget for the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of MOTHS).

§  Increase in visitor numbers at the Art Gallery & Museum and the Commandery, as measured from the start of the activity to end March 2014.

 

Timetable and budget

§  Refine and agree brief and methodology with Marketing & Audience Development Manager

§  Produce creative itinerary by 8th November 2013

§  The first publicly deliverable element of MOTHS is to be scheduled for end November 2013, running through to end March 2014.

§  Production of a final evaluation report and presentation by 31st March 2013

§  Total budget £11,000 plus £3,200 for evaluation of MOTHS

§  To be paid 50% on completion of first 'event' and 50% at the end of the project.

§  The budget includes all fees and expenses accrued during the project

 

The company will work closely with Museum Worcestershire's Curatorial and Marketing teams.

 

About you – please supply the following:

§  From the information provided submit an outline of your proposed strategy for MOTHS, including creative ideas, timings of activity and a breakdown of budget expenditure

§  Outline your experience in delivering this kind of project, including experience of project management and reporting and evaluation

§  Clarify how the project will be managed and what other resources are available. CVs are required for the lead people

§  Provide a list of existing clients and at least two referees that may be contacted

§  Declare any restrictions with regard to current and future commitments, which may affect your involvement in this project

 

Your deadline

If you are interested in delivering MOTHS for Museums Worcestershire, please submit two hard copies of your proposal to Helen Large by 12 noon on Monday 14th October to the address below.  Please also submit an electronic version by email for the same deadline.

 

Interviews with the shortlisted providers will take place on Wednesday 23rd October.

 

We are happy to answer any questions about this project in writing by email:

 

Helen Large, Marketing & Audience Development Manager or

Philippa Tinsley, Senior Curator

Museums Worcestershire

Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum

Foregate Street

Worcester WR1 1DT


 

From the initial submissions a short list of companies will be invited to present to a panel selected from: Arts Council England, Museums Worcestershire, the City and County's tourism providers, Worcestershire Arts Partnership and the retail quarter.

 

PROJECT AWARD CRITERIA

The awarding criteria for this contract have been set as:

Criteria
Weighting
Experience, expertise and ability to undertake the project
35%
a)      Previous relevant experience
15%
15%
b)      Knowledge of local area and challenges
c)      References
5%

Quality of the proposal

55%

a)      Understanding of the project brief

(15%)

b)      Appropriateness and impact of your approach to MOTHS

(20%)

c)      Quality

(10%)

d)      Proposals for evaluation of the project

(10%)

Price

 
10%
Total
100%

 

Worcestershire County Council reserves the right not to award the contract if no applicant satisfactorily meets the criteria.

Tenders shall be scored accordingly:

Scoring Criteria - Adequacy of response
 
Very high standard with no reservations at all about quality
10
High standard
9
Good standard; acceptable with minor reservations
7
Acceptable; there are significant reservations but not sufficient to warrant rejection
3
Not Acceptable
0
 
(scores of 8,6,5,4,2,1 cannot be achieved)

 

The Council shall at its absolute discretion be entitled to reject any tender that is not submitted entirely in accordance with the requirements of this Invitation to Tender or if the tender is incomplete in anyway.

We will not accept tenders that are above a maximum price of £11,000 (exclusive of VAT and exclusive of the separate fee for project evaluation).

Please note – there is to be no subcontracting of any element of the project without prior discussion with and the agreement of Museums Worcestershire.

 

Thank you for your interest.

 


 


 

Draft Contract

 

1.         Appendix 1

1.1.      THIS AGREEMENT is made   […..] 2013

1.2.      Between WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL of County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP (“the Council”) of the one part and  (enter name and address of Consultant)

1.3.      IT IS AGREED as follows:

2.         Appointment

2.1.      Subject to the terms and conditions set out in this contract the Council hereby appoints the Consultant to provide the services set out in Schedule A (“the Services”) and the Consultant hereby agrees to provide the Services upon the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

3.         Period of Agreement

3.1.      This Agreement will commence on [date] and subject to its extension in accordance with Clause 2.2 and to the provisions for earlier termination in Clause 9 will continue until [date].

3.2.      The Agreement may be extended beyond the date detailed in Clause 2.1 if the Council and the Consultant agree this to be necessary to fulfil the requirements of Schedule A.

4.         Consultant’s Obligation to Provide the Services

4.1.      The Consultant shall provide and complete the Services in accordance with the agreed scheme of work specified in Schedule A and in accordance with the timetable set out in Schedule B.

4.2.      The Consultant shall not be entitled to sub-contract any of the Services to be provided hereunder without the express prior permission in writing of the Council which shall be at the Council’s absolute discretion.

4.3.      The Consultant shall not cause or permit anything which may damage or endanger any intellectual property of the Council or the Council’s title to it or assist or allow other to do so.

4.4.      The obligations of the Consultant hereunder are joint and several.

5.         Payment

5.1.      In consideration of the Services to be provided by the Consultant the Council shall make payments to the Consultant as specified in Schedule C.

6.         Self-Employed Status

6.1.      It is hereby declared that it is the intention of the parties hereto that the Council shall engage the Consultant upon the basis that the Consultant shall have the status of a self-employed person and shall be responsible for all his/her tax liabilities and National Insurance or similar contributions.  The Consultant shall indemnify the Council forthwith, on demand, in full and without any set-off, counterclaim or any other deduction whatsoever in respect of any claims which may be made by the relevant authorities against the Council in respect of tax demands or National Insurance or similar contributions relating to the Consultant’s rights or obligations hereunder.  The Consultant acknowledges and accepts that in his capacity as a self-employed person he is not eligible to participate in any benefits or tax-withholding schemes operated by or on behalf of the Council.

7.         Reporting

7.1.      The Consultant shall report to the Head of Corporate Financial Strategy.

7.2.      The Council shall be entitled to review the Contractor’s performance under this Contract at regular intervals and if the Contractor is adjudged to have reached the Contract by virtue of poor performance, the Council is entitled to terminate the Contract by giving two week’s notice to the Contractor in writing.  The process for assessing performance will be the subject of prior discussion with the Contractor.

8.         Confidentiality

8.1.      The Consultant shall not either during the continuance of this Agreement or at any time thereafter disclose or permit to be disclosed any confidential information relating to the Council or to the Services without the prior written consent of the Council.

9.         Intellectual Property Rights

9.1.      Any intellectual property rights including without limitation trademark, copyright or patent rights in any work prepared by the Consultant in the course of providing the Services shall belong to the Council and the Consultant undertakes to do all such acts and things and execute all such documents as may be necessary to vest the said intellectual property rights in the Council.

9.2.      The Council will acknowledge the work of the Consultant in any such documents.

9.3.      All files and materials and the media upon which they are located which are prepared in connection with the performance of the Services shall be the sole property of the Council.

9.4.      At the termination of this Contract howsoever arising, the Contractor shall hand over to the Council all documents, books, records, photographs, correspondence and other papers of whatsoever nature kept or made by him/her relating to the affairs of the Council which may then be in his/her possession.

10.       Insurance and Indemnity

10.1.   The Contractor shall be covered during the normal course of his/her duties under the terms of this agreement by the Council’s public liability and officials indemnity risk insurance except and to the extent that it arises out of the gross negligence of the Contractor

11.       Termination

11.1.   Without prejudice to any accrued rights or remedies under this Agreement, the Council shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement forthwith by giving the Consultant notice in writing upon the occurrence of any of the following events, but not otherwise:

·       the Consultant’s failure to comply with any deadline, subject to the terms of Clause 2; or

·       the Consultant’s failure to remedy any breach of the terms of this Agreement within 30 days following notice in writing given by the Council; or

·       the Consultant being guilty of gross misconduct whether or not in connection with its duties hereunder but if not in such connection only if such of its conduct is likely to prejudice the reputation of the Council; or

·       the Consultant becoming bankrupt or insolvent or entering into an arrangement for the benefit of his/their creditors; or

·       the Consultant, or any person employed by him or acting on his behalf, commits an offence under the prevention of Corruption Acts 1889 – 1916 or has given any fee or reward the receipt of which is an offence under Section 117 (2) of the Local Government Act 1972.

12.       Notices

12.1.   Any notice required by this Agreement to be given by either party to the other shall be in writing and shall be served by delivery by hand or by sending the same by recorded delivery post or facsimile transmission to the address of the other party given herewith or to such other address as that party shall have notified in writing to the other party as their address for the service and if so sent shall, subject to proof to the contrary be deemed to have been received by the addressee on the second business day after the date of posting or on successful transmission, as the case may be.

13.       Recovery of Sums Due

13.1.   Whenever under this Agreement any sum of money shall be recoverable from or payable by the Consultant to the Council, the same may be deducted from any sum then due or which at any time hereafter may become due to the Consultant under this Agreement or any other agreement with the Council.

14.       No Assignment

14.1.   The Consultant shall not assign this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Council.

15.       Employer / Employee Relationship

15.1.   This being a Contract for Consultancy Service between the Council and the Contractor, it is acknowledged that no employer/employee relationship exists between the two.  The Contractor is, therefore, not entitled on the termination of the Contract hereunder:

i)      to any redundancy payment under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, or any modification or re-enactment thereof;

ii)     to make any claim for unfair dismissal in respect of the rights under

·        the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, or any 

·        modification or re-enactment thereof.

16.       Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999

16.1.   The parties to this Agreement do not intend that any of its terms will be enforceable by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 by any person not a party to it.

17.       Law

17.1.   This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and the parties hereto irrevocably submit to the exclusion jurisdiction of the English courts.

 

 

SIGNED by the duly authorised representative of the Council and the Consultant

 

SIGNED on behalf of Worcestershire County Council

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNED on behalf of the Consultant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18.       SCHEDULE C – Payment Terms

18.1.   The fee payable to the Consultant will be £[ …… ].  It is the usual practice of Worcestershire County Council to pay upon completion of the work following submission of an invoice by the Consultant.  The Council shall pay the invoice within 30 days of receipt except in relation to any disputed amount.  However the terms of payment will be discussed further at the interview. 

 

SIGNED by for and on behalf of Worcestershire County Council

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNED by for and on behalf of the Consultant

 

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