The Victorian Government seeks Expressions of Interest (EOI) from suitable applicants, as the first step in a procurement process designed to appoint a new balance-of-site, head-tenant and operator at the 50 Perry Street site.

The successful respondent (resulting from the Stage 2 Tender process) will need to consider the equipment needs to operate the premises within the business model. Currently all technical assets including core rigging and equipment is owned by Circus Oz and the premises will be leased as a warm shell. The responses will need to provide information on the model to ensure safe use of the premises by the sector. The equipment should be considered in three tiers:

• Tier 1 – hanging gear (including slings, clamps, chain hoists etc. securing the truss to the roof)

• Tier 2 – the truss from which to hang running gear and fixed equipment (such as the flying trapeze rig and platform currently installed in Rehearsal Room 2), including stabilisation equipment such as winches and ratchet straps. (Tiers 1 and 2 combined are commonly referred to as the “grid”)

• Tier 3 – running gear (rope systems including rigging lines, pulley blocks, webbing slings, carabiners, and shackles) that can be used to secure and hang training equipment.

Any outcome in relation to equipment will need to be maintained, serviced and inspected to the relevant Australian Construction, Lifting and Rigging, and Theatre Rigging Standards as they apply to the premises, or where there is not a relevant Standard, in line with good industry practice will be the responsibility of the respondent.

There is significant goodwill and a strong desire among all key stakeholders (government, sector and community) to recalibrate and renew the 50 Perry Street site in sustainable and creative ways.

To these ends, the State will focus especially on how EOI respondents propose to:

• Manage equitable access to the 50 Perry Street site, with priority access for the CaPT sector

• Provide highest-value use of the site, including increased creative participation and content

• Leverage significant state government investment in bespoke creative infrastructure, effectively ‘reaching out’ beyond the site for positive and enduring CaPT sector benefit

• Support the participation and practice of First Peoples creative sector participants and organisations

• Demonstrate capability and financial capacity to deliver proposed outcomes – including a plan for business sustainability beyond the anticipated fixed-term investment (four-years) of State support

• Provide insightful, accurate and timely reporting

• Manage the risks associated with a unique site purpose built for CaPT training, creative development and performance