Estonian Natural History Museum Launches New Tender for Permanent Exhibition
The Estonian Museum of Natural History has launched a new procurement worth about €2.8 million to design and build its permanent exhibition at the new Nature House in Tallinn. The first tender failed, as none of its three bids qualified.
The Estonian Museum of Natural History has launched a new tender to find a contractor for designing and building its permanent exhibition. The exhibition will be housed in the newly built wooden Nature House in Põhja-Tallinn, a district of Tallinn. The two-part tender has a total value of €2,812,950 and is described as one of the largest projects in Estonia's museum sector in the past decade.
The earlier tender failed
The first tender for the core exhibition drew three bids, but none qualified. According to Egle Hecht, the museum's acting director, the bidders were mostly leading international creative agencies specializing in exhibition construction, which often do not take part in public procurement. They misunderstood the conditions and made mistakes in their submissions. The museum hopes the new tender will avoid such problems.
Hecht said she hopes to see bids from both Estonian and foreign companies that have carried out similar museum projects. She noted that an international tender of this size was last held in Estonia's museum sector more than 10 years ago, when the Estonian National Museum was established.
What the exhibition will cover
The new exhibition will tell the story of the coexistence of nature and humans through Estonia's natural environment. In each chapter, humans appear as one character among others. It also highlights microscopic life and shows how rich biodiversity influences culture and language. The museum is also planning a separate exhibition for young children.
Deadlines and funding
The children's exhibition is due to open in 2027 together with the museum's first temporary exhibition, while the permanent exhibition will open in 2028. This is why the tender is split into two parts. The exact date for the museum's opening is still unclear, as moving in will begin only once the building is finished. The expected final deadline for design and construction work is April 6, 2028.
Bids must be submitted by November 23. The work will be financed from external funds: the Cohesion Policy Funds Implementation Programme 2021–2027 and the Environmental Investment Center's environmental program.
