Activity Plan Consultant for Leading Lights Project (National Historic Ships UK)

National Historic Ships UK (NHS-UK) wishes to appoint an experienced consultant (which may be an individual consultant or consultancy organisation) to develop an Activity Plan for the Leading Lights Project, a new capacity building scheme supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

About the Project

NHS-UK has secured initial support of £155,600 from the Heritage Fund (£140,040) and the Pilgrim Trust (£15,560) to progress plans for the Leading Lights project, a five-year project which aims to invest in historic vessels at a UK-wide level, making the sector more resilient, connected and informed. It has been designed to impact a wide range of people, from vessel custodians to sector professionals, training organisations and funding bodies, as well as NHS-UK itself.

Responsibilities

The Activity Plan consultant will develop a full activity plan to Heritage Fund guidelines, as well as supporting documentation, to be delivered for the Delivery Phase application to the Heritage Fund. Responsibilities and expected outcomes will include an executive summary, consultation and audience analysis, risk assessment, project management structure development, job descriptions and a recruitment strategy for Delivery Phase roles, a working timetable, a full activity programme including briefs for related work and a full action plan, a detailed budget and cash flow.

Renumeration

The fee is up to £25,000 (excluding VAT), including expenses.

Submissions should indicate how the Activity Plan will be delivered within this budget, who will work on the project, their day rates and predicted time expenditure.

The appointed consultant will be required to develop the Plan by the end of June 2027 ahead of a Delivery Phase application to the Heritage Fund on 11 November 2027.

Requirements

Submissions should demonstrate an interest in the work of NHS-UK and the Leading Lights Project, proven track record of preparing and delivering successful Activity Plans for Heritage Fund projects, experience of developing detailed budgets, ability to work collaboratively with both the client team and a range of consultants, and strong report writing and presentation skills.

How to apply

Interested parties should submit a copy of their CV and a written proposal (6 pages maximum) outlining methodology, timeline and approach. They must be able to demonstrate the above requirements. The proposal should include a proposed methodology for undertaking the work including a schedule, approach to consultation with key stakeholders, a simple Gantt chart showing the sequence of key tasks, a breakdown of fees, and details of two referees for whom similar work has been completed.

All submissions and queries should be submitted to the Delta e-procurement platform or sent via email to: Eva Griffin, Leading Lights Project Manager, at eva.griffin@nationalhistoricships.org.uk

Submissions should be sent no later than 23rd November 2026.

Interviews are expected to take place on the week of 7th or 14th December 2026 at the NHS-UK offices in Greenwich or online via Zoom.

Contract start date: January 2027

This project is made possible thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Greenwich:-Museum-services-and-preservation-services-of-historical-sites-and-buildings./D7M3E6J5WR

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/D7M3E6J5WR