‘ Museum Trust: From clay to treasure’ Mar 2021

Brief for Options Appraisal

1. Purpose of the brief

The Trust (SMT) is looking to appoint a suitably qualified individual or organisation to provide consultancy services as part of its project ‘Spode Museum Trust: From clay to treasure’.

The consultant will lead on crucial elements of the project including audience insight and market research, proposition and concept development, and appraisal of options.

Ultimately, the role aims to support SMT in developing a robust plan for the future of the Spode collection within the historic factory buildings, allowing better conservation of and access to the collection, and sustainably delivering greater public benefit.

2. Background and context

Spode was a world-renowned that produced iconic ceramics (including fine and other wares) in Stoke-on-Trent from its establishment in 1770 until the factory’s closure in 2008.

Caring for the Spode collection is the charitable purpose of SMT (Reg. Charity No. 519597). The Trust was formed in 1987 to protect the wide range of historic ceramics, production materials and archives. Having always been on its original site, Spode retained the complete working necessities of a large ceramic producer, with all of its records, pattern books, moulds and copper plate hand engravings – making it unique as so little of its working history has been lost.

The Spode collection includes:

• Some 18,000 ceramic items dating from the late 18th Century to 2008 believed to be of local, national and international significance. There are approximately 7000 catalogued/accessioned items and approximately 11,000 other ceramic items which are not accessioned and in need of survey and possible de-accessioning. Particular treasures are SMT’s 600+ blue transferware collection (now held on the Spode site) and examples of more popular interest, including a piece from the dinner set of Charles Dickens and a dinner plate supplied to the Titanic. • 40,000 hand-engraved copperplates used in the decorating process, believed to be unique in its completeness: many other ’ copperplates were sold for scrap or bought by other potteries (in fact, engravings from defunct companies such as Brownfields are included in the Spode collection). • The Spode paper archive, which includes some 70,000 patterns, beautifully recorded in the original pattern books, only some of which is catalogued. • Also of interest are the circa 63,400 moulds used in the casting process, owned by Stoke on Trent City Council (SOTCC), and various tools of the trade and items of furniture owned by SMT.

Seen with the ceramic collection, the moulds, copperplates and paper records constitute a fantastic archive of design, and help make Spode such an integral part of the rich human story of ceramics manufacture in Stoke.

SMT currently runs a small visitor centre, shop and café (circa 3000 visitors pa) occupying a building on the former Spode Works site, owned by SOTCC. However, the vast majority of the collection remains at risk:

• A large proportion of the ceramics collection is inaccessible to the public, boxed up and stored in temporary off-site accommodation, together with miscellaneous tools of the trade. The need to rehouse this part of the collection is urgent, due to the planned sale of the facility where it is stored. • The unique, hand-engraved copperplates are stored on site but inaccessible to the public and in urgent need of improved conditions in order to ensure their preservation. • The paper archive is mostly on deposit at Hanley Library with Stoke and Staffordshire Archive Services, and some is held at Keele University; relations with the Archives Services could be improved to promote mutual benefit • In addition, many of the 63,400 moulds under Council ownership face a significant and imminent risk of loss following a review which sees only a small percentage retained

However, SOTCC are embarking upon a programme of regeneration for the former Spode Works site, which is part of Stoke Town Conservation Area and on Historic ’s Heritage at Risk register. SOTCC’s regeneration approach is bringing new audiences and communities of interest to Spode Works.

SMT has already begun to shape a reinvigorated vision around the following principles: • Dynamic – encouraging wide engagement with collections to inspire and shape creative practice • Unique – surviving and intact design and making of world class ceramics since 1770’s on the original factory site/landscape • Connected – looking outward, listening and working closely with local communities, partners • Innovative – reinvigorating industrial heritage through discovery, experiment and encounter

The site now houses artist studios, student accommodation and a pop-up hotel, and is permanent home to The Clay Foundation (see the site masterplan in Annex A). Within this context, the Spode collection and museum have the potential to provide the historic heart of the Spode Works site and be an integral part of its future cultural offer.

As part of their regeneration approach, SOTCC have agreed in principle to lease a number of additional spaces to Spode Museum Trust – an opportunity to provide not just a permanent home for the collection, but also to conserve some of the most significant buildings on the site and maintain their connection with Spode’s ceramic heritage.

However, a robust - as well as creative and dynamic - proposition needs to be fully developed, one which articulates the needs of the collection, the buildings, market demand and the wants and needs of the local community and communities of interest, and evaluates how and where this is best met.

Within this context, SMT’s overall ambitions are to (re)unite the collection on site and enable better conservation and interpretation of and access to the collection; and to develop a ‘hands on’ offer, complementing the other offers on the wider Spode Works site, and sharing and conserving the skills, knowledge and experiences of former workers for future generations, while improving the sustainability of SMT’s operations.

More information about SMT can be found online at http://www.spodemuseumtrust.org/.

3. The project

Spode Museum Trust has been working in partnership with the National Trust’s External Partnerships Team to understand the threat and opportunity facing the collection.

Now, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and in partnership with the National Trust, Spode Museum Trust is launching a project to identify a future for the collection within the historic buildings at Spode Works’ core – one which allows better conservation and access, delivers greater public benefit, and is sustainable.

The project will take Spode Museum Trust through a strategic process to:

• Establish the significance and needs of the collection • Identify opportunities to open up access to the collection to meet the needs of multiple users • Understand the current audience and market context and wants and needs of the community and communities of interest • Establish the proposition for the Spode collection on the Spode Works site and carry out an appraisal of options, considering how Spode Museum Trust can deliver its charitable mission on site or off • Understand the likely scale of investment required for buildings Spode Museum Trust occupies or could occupy. • Identify how SMT needs to develop in terms of its governance and operation, including to deliver the emerging preferred option

The project will be punctuated by three ‘Spode Summits’ where key stakeholders will be invited to help steer the project, giving people more opportunities to participate in the collection’s future.

This brief forms one of six key work packages which are:

1. Project management and coordination of Spode Summits (National Trust appointed) 2. Conservation and curatorial consultancy 3. Architectural consultancy 4. Options Appraisal 5. Governance and operational consultancy (Sara Hilton appointed) 6. Evaluation

More detail on the proposed process, including the scope of the Spode Summits, is given in the project work plan, Annex C.

4. Options appraisal

4.1 Understanding audience and market

Working with SMT and the Project Manager, the consultant will be required to:

• Build a picture of the current visitor profile and experience, as well as potential visitor profile, and community wants and needs, through market research surveys and supporting SMT with on-and off-site community engagement • Carry out benchmarking of competitors and comparators, including pricing and visitor numbers, proposition, target audiences, planned developments, and programming, with a view to understanding the market and demand • Work with SMT to analyse audience data, report on profile of residential and tourist markets, and identify growth markets

Deliverables: Audience insights report, Benchmarking report

4.2 Understanding spatial context and parameters

The consultant will be required to:

• Work with the Conservation & Curatorial Consultant to identify spatial requirements for the collection. • Identify spatial opportunities for Spode Museum Trust, on the Spode Works site, or elsewhere. • Assess the opportunities and constraints of potential buildings offered by Stoke-on-Trent City Council on the Spode Works site, taking into consideration spatial need and relative significance. • Aid in ongoing discussions with key stakeholders (including SOTCC) around SMT’s position and role on the Spode Works site, including looking at potential partnerships with other tenants or developers.

The consultant will also be required to:

• Review current operating model, commercial performance and financial position • Participate in the first Spode Summit, coordinated by the Project Manager, which seeks to articulate the Spirit of Place for Spode (what makes Spode Works, the core historic spaces, and the collection unique, distinctive and cherished) • Articulate key constraints within which a future visitor offer will need to operate and opportunities for development

Deliverables: Report on constraints and opportunities

4.3 Establishing the future ambition for the collection and space

Working closely with SMT and the Project Manager, the consultant will:

• Review the existing research into the significance of the collections and buildings, plus the outputs of the first Spode Summit (a Spirit of Place statement), market research findings, and the articulation of key constraints and opportunities • Coordinate a workshop to articulate the proposition or core idea around which a visitor experience is developed for SMT, and articulate this proposition • Work with SMT and the Project Manager to establish the growth ambition for SMT and ambition for the collection, based on the proposition, audience/market analyses and conservation/storage specification and requirements • Spec out the potential components of the offer that deliver the proposition and growth ambition • Participate in the second Spode Summit which seeks to test the proposition and components with stakeholders and identify opportunities for funding, partnership, collaboration, and co-delivery

Deliverables: Proposition statement, Outline specification for core components

4.4 Options appraisal and implementation planning

Based on the outcomes of the second Spode Summit, the consultant will be required to:

• Develop and appraise three potential options for SMT's offer o Each option should articulate, at concept level only, the outline specifications for the visitor offer (including suggested pay barrier, pricing and opening), commercial offer, storage provision, and approach to interpretation and engagement o In developing the options for SMT’s offer, the consultant will be required to work closely with the appointed Architectural consultant who will suggest the optimal spatial layout, provide headline costs for fit-out, and provide necessary information to enable a calculation of conservation deficit for the preferred option o The options appraisal should also consider funding and financing options • Feed into the work of the Governance and operational consultant, who will be tasked with reviewing SMT’s governance and operations to identify skills and capacity gaps, organisational development needs, and the optimum governance/operating structure based on the emerging preferred option(s) • Undertake soft market testing of the three options identified with target audiences • Work with SMT and the Project Manager to identify a preferred option • Participate in the third Spode Summit which seeks to galvanise support and agree an approach to move SMT to implementation • Based on the outcome of the third Spode Summit, produce a suggested phasing and implementation plan for the preferred option

The options appraisal report should be developed in line with the latest guidance from the National Lottery Heritage Fund on viability appraisals.

Deliverables: Options appraisal report (including implementation plan)

5. Anticipated timescales

Action Date Invitation to Tender issued w/c 15 Mar 2021 Deadline for clarifications (17:00 PM) Fri 9 Apr Deadline for bids (17:00 PM) Fri 16 Apr Contract award w/c 26 Apr Project inception meeting and contract start date w/c 3 May Audience insights report, Benchmarking report completed By Fri 30 Jul Report on constraints and opportunities completed By Fri 13 Aug Proposition statement, Outline specification for core components completed By Fri 15 Oct Options appraisal report (including implementation plan) By Fri 17 Dec

6. Budget

The maximum budget for this work package is £24,000 inclusive of VAT and expenses.

7. Proposal 7.1 Tender requirements

SMT would like to invite suitably qualified consultants to submit proposals to deliver services in line with the brief above.

Proposals should include: • Proposed methodology, programme and timescales • Details of relevant experience of working on similar projects • CV of the candidate/organisation, including two references • Detailed budget for this work, showing a breakdown of fees and allocation of time for each member of the consultant’s team, including the consultant’s day rate, expenses, and VAT • Details of Public Liability, Employer’s Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance

Images, plans or any other form of graphical illustrations may be used help to illustrate your proposal.

Proposals should be submitted by email to [email protected] by 17:00 PM on Fri 16 April 2021 . PDF format is preferred.

This is an open submission, with no incumbent candidate.

7.2 Tender evaluation

The tender proposal and interview will be scored 0-10 on the following basis:

Score Classification Characteristics

Exemplary response. Comprehensive and relevant information is provided and 9-10 Excellent the response exceeds required standards in all respects. The bid also provides something of additional benefit or innovation.

Comprehensive and relevant information is provided and the response meets 7-8 Good the required standards in a number of respects and exceeds the required standards in one or two respects.

A broad response with an adequate level of information provided that is 5-6 Satisfactory relevant and meets the required standard.

The response is limited and lacking in relation to a large proportion of material 3-4 Poor elements and only partially meets the required standards.

No response or extremely limited response that does not meet the required 0-2 Unacceptable standard.

A weighting will be applied to the scores as follows:

Evaluation criteria Weighting (%)

Understanding of the brief 25

Methodology including implementation 25

Skills and experience 25

Cost 25

8. Further information

For further information about SMT or the project, contact Richard Gray on [email protected], or Ellie Ralphs on [email protected] or 07824 434132.

To arrange a site visit in advance of your submission, contact Ellie Ralphs on [email protected] or 07824 434132.