Design services required at Urbis football museum

17 Mar 2010, 08:26

Michael Hunt

Manchester City Council requires a design and fit-out contractor for the new home of the National Football Museum at Urbis in the city centre.

The council is seeking to appoint a firm that can carry out design services for the specialist exhibitions display and related retail, catering and other fit-out works required to redevelop the football museum.

A decision was made last November to move the National Football Museum to Urbis in Manchester city centre, despite attempts by Preston and Lancashire councils making a bid to keep the museum at the Deepdale stadium. The museum was based at Preston North End FC's football ground since 2001.

The £500,000 design and fit-out contract is due to start from June this year until October 2011 with a 12 month rectification period thereafter.

The services required cover all exhibition related design services including concept development, graphic design, exhibition lighting design, and creative development of interactive displays.

The council's tender said architectural, structural engineering and services engineering design services relating to the existing building and infrastructure will be acquired separately and are outside the scope of the contract.

It also said quantity surveying, project management and health and safety services will also be acquired separately for both alterations to the existing building and the fit-out works and are outside the scope of the contract.

Substantial works are planned as part of the project which involve modifications to the building and completely new displays for the collections, with the main site of the new museum scheduled to open in summer next year.