NON-DOMESTIC RATINGS ADVICE FOR THE SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP'S ESTATE

The Science Museum Group (SMG) is a group of five museums and one storage site:

Science Museum, London

National Railway Museum, York

National Science and Media Museum, Bradford

Science and Industry Museum, Manchester

Science and Innovation Park, Wroughton

Locomotion, Shildon

The five museums are a key national resource. With an unparalleled collection in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine, SMG is uniquely placed to draw people of all ages to engage with science in an inspirational and informal way. It is the most significant group of science museums in the world, with over 7 million items in the collection, and received nearly 6 million visits a year.

SMG is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) operating within the public sector but at arm's length from its sponsoring department, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The group is an exempt charity under Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011, with DCMS acting as its principal regulator for charity law purposes; it is recognised as charitable by HM Revenue & Customs.

SMG has one of the largest, most complex and iconic science-based estates in the world, spanning a total of almost 600 acres, with 83 buildings and a gross internal footprint of over 200,000 m2. The estate is liable for non-domestic ratings as calculated by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and also for charitable relief from some of its rating authorities. Over the past several years, SMG has successfully challenged the valuation of its estate in relation to the 2010 and 2017 Ratings Lists. It is now seeking advice on its potential approach to the 2023 and 2026 Lists, where the value of its properties are currently significantly higher than in the 2017 List.

Additional information:

You can view our tender documents and apply for the opportunity here: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/sciencemuseumgroup/aspx/Home

Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No