Fine Art Storage Supplier

Tender description

This contract is for a Fine Art Storage Supplier for The Courtauld Institute of Art (CIoA) during Phase 1 of the Courtauld Connects project. The client/employer is The Courtauld Institute of Art. See www.courtauld.ac.uk for further information. Storage is required mainly for the art collection owned by the Samuel Courtauld Trust, an independently constituted charity, managed and cared for by The Courtauld Gallery as part of The CIoA, but is also to include for The CIoA's small collection of artworks and items of antique furniture (together "the Collection"). The Courtauld Gallery's collection covers a variety of media and ranges in date from the medieval period to the present day. The Gallery's collection is fully Designated. There are approximately 35,000 items, including some 550 paintings, 7,000 drawings, 27,000 prints and 550 works of sculpture and decorative art. The collection includes outstanding individual masterpieces as well as areas of sustained depth and quality. The Institute's directly owned works comprising c150 items consist of a range of decorative arts, objects, fine art and c100 items of furniture from the late 18th Century/early 19th Century. The contract covers de-installation, packing, decant/transport, unloading and storage of the Collection in appropriately secure and climate controlled facilities - see specification, for a period from May 2018 to December 2020 (approximately), and repacking, transport, unloading and return to stores or other gallery rooms of the majority of the Collection into the newly refurbished accommodation by December 2020. Some parts of the Collection will also be required to be stored for a further 28 months. 24/7/365 access (upon receipt of 24 hours' prior written notice) to the Collection (at no additional cost) is required for designated Courtauld staff (managing incoming and outgoing loans), (and under the supervisions of designated Courtauld staff within the working hours of 10:00 to 16:00 (Monday to Friday) up to five students or external visitors). The Collection whilst in storage may be used for many different purposes including: study, retrospective documentation, cataloguing, re-fitting, conservation, photography and digitisation, etc. which may involve up to four Courtauld staff needing to work within the storage facility between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00 (Monday to Friday). Suppliers must be able to provide suitable facilities within 90 minutes' public transport travelling time of The Courtauld and demonstrate their ability to deliver the full specification, as well as being an approved Regulated Agent under the United Kingdom Department for Transport Known Consignor Scheme or equivalent National scheme. The procurement is being managed by LUPC Consultancy (through Moonstorm Consulting Ltd) on behalf of The Courtauld Institute of Art.