Agents for Technical Services

There is a wide range of private sector companies and agents who offer services to museums, galleries and exhibition makers. These services are available to support the development and delivery of temporary, touring and partnership exhibitions, when suitable expertise or capacity is not available from an in-house technical department or team.

Agents can be used for a variety of tasks, from organising suitable packing and transportation, to managing an exhibition tour, to installing and dismantling an exhibition or exhibit, to the storage of an exhibition or museum collection. Agents have knowledge of Customs regulations in the UK and abroad with regard to the import and export of collection objects and works of art, are familiar with specific air and sea freight procedures and can offer international contacts essential for organising an international tour.

Many museums in the UK and abroad choose to work with one or only a small number of agents. A continuing relationship with an agent may have financial benefits for the organisation and it is usually based on the principle that both parties trust each other, respect each other’s standards, and can develop an understanding of the requirements of a specific object or exhibition. However, the competition that springs from the use of several agents across different projects can have positive results, as it affords the organisation a bigger choice of contractors.

Organisations with procurement rules or procedures who are contracting specialist transport and technical services on a regular basis may benefit from engaging in a competitive process to establish a Multi Party Framework (a framework agreement).

Initial framework established: the organisation conducts a competition for a framework agreement to select contractors who can provide specialist transport and technical services.

Framework agreement: this agreement outlines the terms and conditions under which the selected contractors can provide services.

Supplementary tenders: organisations then use the framework agreement to procure services from the list of contractors on the framework for specific projects by running mini-competitions or supplementary tenders.

All the agents should be made familiar with the range of standards required, and may each have different expertise and resources to offer. Relationships can be built with more than one agent and tested over time.

An advantage of contracting the services of an agent is that the exhibition maker can identify the real costs of a project, which may have been previously hidden in the organisation’s overheads. This is particularly evident when obtaining transport estimates from agents, because transport is occasionally provided in-house.

Most organisations now adopt a cost-centre approach to budgeting, which enables them to itemise the different areas of the budget and allows them to separate, where necessary, collection from exhibition-related costs, and in-house from external contractors’ costs.

Exhibition transport is not an exact science; cost increases can occur when details and parameters of transport arrangements change, and depending whether a part or full-load is travelling, so the organiser should build contingency into the budget.

Agents usually build contacts through museum registrars, exhibition organisers and conservators. They advertise on sites such the Corporates page of The Exhibitions Group website, the Museums Journal and ‘Find a Product or Service‘ on the Museums Association website.  They attend museum trade fairs and sponsor conferences, such as Exhibitions Connect and the Museums + Heritage Show. Sector support organisations, such as The Exhibitions Group, the Museums Association and the UK Registrars Group have transport agents among their corporate members, but this does not mean that the agents are approved by these organisations. The best advertising is by word of mouth, where an agent is recommended by a sector colleague who has had direct experience of working with them.

Agents – even overseas ones – often make visits to potential clients, when the client’s needs can be discussed. The exhibition maker may discuss with the agent the particular requirements of an exhibition and even request references to ascertain the agent’s previous experience. It is essential that the agent’s resources are discussed, and the client may be invited back to inspect warehouse, packing and storage facilities. Agents will usually offer quotations (i.e. fixed price) and estimates (i.e. subject to variables) free of charge.

Before commissioning an agent, the exhibition maker should consult with the lenders, and with other venues if the exhibition is touring. The tour partners might have their own preferences, based on previous experiences, particularly if they are responsible for the cost of onward transport, and because they will have local and regional expertise. Similarly, some lenders specify in the loan forms their preferred agents in their own country and sometimes even in the country of the exhibition maker. When borrowing from lenders in other European countries, North America or Japan, most lenders will generally accept the organiser’s choice of an internationally-known agent. Some UK firms have relationships with international companies with which they collaborate. It is good practice to inform all lenders of the arrangements and address any of their concerns, in order to strike a balance which puts the safety of the object as the absolute priority.

In order that the conditions of insurance or government indemnity are met and all risks minimised when museum objects are lent for exhibitions, agents should always:

• Keep details of lenders and loan-objects as well as all arrangements confidential
• Be experienced in the handling requirements for all objects
• Follow strict security procedures
• Be familiar with emergency procedures and abide by fire regulations
• Maintain vehicles, storage areas and equipment to the highest standard
• Keep up-to-date documentation of movements of objects

Objects must be covered by a comprehensive ‘nail to nail’ insurance policy before packing and shipping takes place. The agent or subcontractor must be informed of when the policy takes effect or they can refuse to handle a consignment.

An agent may subcontract a particular element of the contract to a specialist company if they are unable to provide the service themselves, for example, moving a large sculpture that requires heavy-lifting equipment.

In addition, the agent may act as a broker only, without providing any resources themselves, but instead subcontracting all services, e.g. packing, transportation, airport supervision, etc.

In both instances, the exhibition maker has a contractual arrangement only with their agent, and it is the agent that must ensure all requirements be met by the subcontractors. The exhibition maker has the right to inspect invoices from subcontractors or international agents so as to make informed decisions relating to costing. Trust is, of course, the valuable basis of the relationship between museum and agent.

Agents often use highly-skilled subcontractors, or do a lot of business with a international agent, and they can therefore obtain advantageous rates from them. Otherwise, the organiser might consider employing the subcontractor directly, to avoid the commission costs of an agent acting as an intermediary.

Contracts for exhibition transport, like contracts for facilities maintenance and security, may fall within your organisation’s procurement rules or the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015).

The exhibition maker will have to identify the precise requirements of an exhibition before starting discussions with agents. These requirements usually depend on the content, the type of lender and their wishes, the specifics of a potential tour, the resources available and other parameters.

The exhibition maker will then ask the agents for estimates of costs for packing, transport, perhaps installation/ de-installation, hotel accommodation and per diem rates for couriers, storage of crates and for any other necessary tasks – or any one of these tasks if they are not undertaking them all. At the earliest stages of the organisation of the exhibition, the estimates are for budget purposes only, as they often lack detailed information about loans, lenders or routes. Later – the exact timing varies significantly and depends on the administrative processes of an organisation – the organiser will supply the agent with a list of exhibits as complete as possible (including medium, dimensions and packing requirements), contact details of lenders and confirmation of sharing of costs between the possible tour partners. The last point is particularly significant if the agent is required to invoice the other partners directly for specific costs, e.g. their share of crating. Options for transport (air, road, sea) and desirable routes will also need to be discussed and a timetable agreed. This time the estimate will have the more definite character of a quotation.

Below are listed the most common services required from an agent for a temporary or touring exhibition, and the considerations that the exhibition maker should make for packing, transport, storage and installation before commissioning an agent. It is by no means an exhaustive list. The organiser must always keep in mind the guidelines Storage provided in agreements with lenders, in the Government Indemnity Scheme and other similar schemes, and/or in the commercial insurance policy.

Packing:

• Type of wrapping/travel frame/box or crate
• Specification of the organiser and/or the lenders
• Risks depending on method of transport and length of journey
• Documentation, e.g. crate labelling, packing lists
• Instructions for tour venues e.g. the loading and unloading arrangements, and the capacity to deal with heavy crates which require a laid-lift truck and/or movement using a fork-lift truck
• Particular circumstances, e.g. packing of a newly finished painting or of a multimedia installation

Transport and customs documentation:

• Air-ride suspension, environmental control and tail-lift for vehicles
• Security requirements for indemnified loads
• Communication with CB radio, mobile phones and/or satellite tracking
• Height of vehicle (for access to loading areas) and load capacity
• Drivers who are trained art handlers
• Requirements for couriers, e.g. overseeing loading/unloading, supervising palletisation/ depalletisation, travelling on the vehicle, escort to and from hotels, assistance with hand- carries, etc.
• Access to airline warehouse and air-side supervision for airfreights
• Arrangements for part-loads, if desirable
• Route and length of journey and overnight arrangements
• Preparation of customs documentation
• Provision of export/import licenses
• Availability of agent at port of entry/exit for customs clearance
• Availability of bonded storage at port of entry/ exit
• Collection/delivery timetable

Storage

• Security and emergency arrangements
• Environmental control
• Provision for access
• Volume of storage space
• Length of storage
• Other objects in store

Installation/dismantling

• Number of staff required
• Equipment required
• Handling guidelines for all types of exhibits
• Lenders’ requirements, e.g. presence of courier
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Timetable

The exhibition maker will select the agent on the basis of:

• A quotation of costs
• Attention to detail
• Proven ability to liaise with sensitive lenders
• Thoughtful consideration of all options given the requirements
• Ability to measure and meet sustainability requirements

The agent’s good working relationship with any tour partners will also play an important role.

A good communication channel must always be open between the two sides. This will facilitate the smooth organisation of the exhibition and management of the tour.

A golden rule for the successful organisation of an exhibition is to involve the agent at the earliest possible stage. Good planning enables the agent to fit the exhibition maker’s demands with other commitments. Also, discussion of the requirements and the associated cost estimates means that the agent will be familiar with a big part of the job by the time it is assigned to them. Inadequate information, lack of specific instructions and tasks added at the last minute all contribute to cost increases.

It is always a good idea to confirm all requirements and costs in writing upon entering into a contract. When extra costs are incurred, the agent should inform the organiser in writing, who should confirm acceptance in writing too.

Upon fulfilment of a contract, evaluation must take place. Within or outside a framework agreement, a procedure must be established by which feedback is given to the agent by the organiser, and vice versa. If necessary, the exhibition maker and tour venues should put any criticisms or praises in writing. Most agents would recognise that a good reputation can guarantee the success of their business and they will take steps to safeguard it.

Written by Nickos Gogolos (2005), updated by Charlotte Dew (2015) and Dana Andrew (2025).