The Works (Dance & Theatre Cornwall Ltd.) has been awarded Phase Two funding from the Capacity Builders Modernisation Fund Grants Programme. The Works is the dance and theatre development agency for Cornwall. We support and advise individual practitioners, dance and theatre companies, and venues, with the aim of creating a sustainable performing arts ecology in Cornwall. We also work with young people and local communities to create and develop opportunities that will develop skills, contribute to community cohesion and contribute to health and well-being agendas.

The funding from Capacity Builders is to enable us to pay for professional support to help us explore how we can increase our impact and become more resilient, including through working more closely with others partners or collaborators. Having gone through an initial consultation process, to scope out our current and future development needs and opportunities, we are now seeking to appoint a consultant who can take us through Phase Two. The Works wishes to establish a shared location with two other charities, who are also involved in the strategic development and delivery of the arts to young people. There is a natural affinity between our three organizations, and we are all keen to relocate to a shared location, which will enable us to provide a more joined-up service, to create more opportunities for our client groups and allow us to share back office staff and resources, either through collaboration or through merger.

We now want to undertake the following activities:

Feasibility Study

We want to commission a feasibility study which will:

• Test demand (from potential partners/collaborators, stake-holders, etc.)
• Undertake options analysis for location and scope of a shared location
• Undertake risk analysis for identified activities
• Test sustainability of identified activities
• Identify synergies
• Prioritise activities

Governance & Leadership

Explore the options for different models of governance for joint tenancy/ownership of building, with CEOs and trustee representatives of the potential collaborators/partners.

Partnership Formation:

Establish a Memorandum of Understanding amongst partners which will govern the working relationship.

Explore models for the partnership to manage the new building/location.

Assess risks to the individual partners.

Legal , Audit and Contract

Legal advice on setting up a company to take on joint tenancy/ownership on behalf of partners.

Fee: The fee available for this work is £10,000, inclusive of VAT and all expenses.

NB: All work to be completed by 31st March 2010

If you would like to tender for this work, please reply, by 11th January 2010, setting out your approach and methodology. Please include CVs of all personnel who would be involved in this consultancy, and examples of similar work that you may have undertaken in the past, with particular reference to the creative and cultural sector.

Please send your applications to:

Dot Peryer
Director
The Works (Dance & Theatre Cornwall Ltd.)
Crusader House
Newham Road
Truro, TR1 2DP

Or by email to: dot@dtcworks.co.uk