Research into the Business and Operational Needs of the Arts Sector in Wales

The Arts Council of Wales has issued a solicitation for a comprehensive study into the business and operational needs of the Welsh arts sector, targeting organisations and freelancers rather than creative practitioners. The research will map current and future skill gaps in areas such as governance, finance, human resources, planning, compliance, and digital capability, while also assessing organisational capacity, operational systems and infrastructure. In addition, the study will identify training and development requirements for multi‑year funded organisations and skills needs across the sector, and will explore emerging opportunities and risks that could influence long‑term sustainability.

To achieve these objectives the chosen research body will design and administer a sector‑wide survey, conduct qualitative engagements with stakeholders across diverse art‑forms and regions, and engage with existing datasets to avoid duplication of prior work. The final outputs will comprise a bilingual research report containing methodology, detailed findings, forward‑looking insights and actionable recommendations, a presentation of those findings to the Arts Council and key stakeholders, and clean, metadata‑rich datasets with accompanying methodological notes. All deliverables will be produced in both English and Welsh, with full bilingual documentation and datasets.

Background and scope
1. Introduction 
Arts Council of Wales, through its Business Enabler Team, invites tenders from suitably qualified and experienced research organisations to undertake a comprehensive study into the business and operational needs of the arts sector in Wales. 
This research will play a central role in strengthening the resilience, sustainability, and business capability of organisations and freelancers across the Welsh arts ecosystem. 
Important: 
This tender excludes any exploration of creative skills or artistic practice. The research must focus exclusively on Business, Operational and Organisational elements that include (but not entirely limited to): 
Organisational business capability 
Operational systems 
Infrastructure 
Skills and training needs related to business functions 
Forward‑looking business trends and challenges 
2. Purpose of the Research 
The commissioned research organisation will be expected to deliver robust, evidence‑based insight into: 
2.1 Training and Development Needs 
Identifying business‑related training requirements for Arts Organisations (including Multi-Year Funded Organisations), Individuals and Freelancers. 
2.2 Business and Operational Skills Gaps 
Mapping current and future gaps in business and operational skills, including management, governance, operations, finance, HR, planning, compliance, business growth, and digital capability. 
2.3 Future Needs and Trends 
Exploring emerging opportunities and risks that may impact the sector's sustainability. 
2.4 Recommendations 
Producing clear, actionable, prioritised recommendations to inform future support interventions delivered by Arts Council of Wales. 
3. Scope of Work 
The successful bidder will be required to deliver the following workstreams (all work must be delivered bilingually (Cymraeg and English): 
3.1 Sector‑Wide Survey 
Design and deliver a survey across the arts sector in Wales. 
Ensure representation across: artforms, organisation sizes, freelancers, regions, and demographics. 
3.2 Engagement with Existing Data Sources 
Identify organisations that hold relevant, quality datasets. 
Liaise with those organisations to integrate relevant data where permitted. 
Avoid duplication of existing research efforts. 
3.3 Qualitative Engagement 
Conduct interviews, workshops, or focus groups with stakeholders (as required to achieve the Deliverables) 
Ensure balanced representation of the sector’s diversity and geographic spread. 
3.4 Analysis & Reporting 
Comprehensive analysis of all quantitative and qualitative findings. 
Identification of priority needs, risk areas, and future challenges. 
Evidence‑based recommendations. 
4. Deliverables 
4.1 Full Research Report 
Including: 
Executive Summary 
Methodology 
Detailed Findings 
Analysis of Skills & Operational Gaps 
Forward‑looking insights 
Recommendations & priority actions 
This Document and all associated attachments should be bilingual (Eng / Cym) 
4.2 Presentation of Findings 
A comprehensive presentation to Arts Council of Wales and relevant stakeholders. 
4.3 Data Outputs 
Cleaned datasets  
These are the final, fully prepared versions of the data collected during the research 
Metadata / documentation  
This provides a clear explanation of what the data contains and how it should be interpreted 
Methodological notes  
These explain the research approach used and provide transparency about how the findings were produced 
5. Meeting With Up To 3 Applicants 
Following tender evaluation, up to three scoring applicants will be invited to a face‑to‑face clarification and presentation meeting with members of the decision panel. 
Location: Cardiff 
Attendance: At the applicant’s own cost 
Format: Presentation + Q&A (30–45 minutes) 
Purpose: Final assessment prior to awarding the contract 
Further information on the Presentation will be provided to the top three scoring applicants 

Contract location: UK
Communication: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/ All Submissions should be Electronic and sent Via Sell2Wales
Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted: En
Enquiry deadline: 2026-06-20T12:00:00+01:00
Submission address and any special instructions: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/ All Submissions should be Electronic and sent Via Sell2Wales
Tenders may be submitted electronically: allowed

Lot number: 1
Lot value (estimated)
30.000,00 GBP excluding VAT
36.000,00 GBP including VAT

Award criteria:

Name	Type	Weighting
Quality & robustness of methodology	quality	40%
Relevant experience & expertise	quality	30%
Value for money	cost	20%
Capacity to deliver within the timeline	quality	10%