All In, Arts Council England

All In, Arts Council England: All In project

About Arts Council England

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. They help people in every corner of the country to experience and benefit from creativity. They do this by investing in artists and organisations that make and deliver exceptional, inspirational work for communities.

The challenge

Previously, there was no standardised way for disabled users to securely share access needs with venues like theatres, galleries and festivals.

The project

Arts Council England created All In, a pioneering access scheme designed to improve accessibility in the UK and Ireland’s creative and cultural sector for deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent individuals. The system enables disabled users to securely share access needs with venues like theatres, galleries, and festivals. The initiative aims to eliminate barriers by launching the UK’s first Accessibility Standards for creativity and culture, alongside a Digital Membership System.

To deliver All In, Arts Council England undertook a series of well-planned procurements informed by research and engagement. For example, to shape the Accessibility Standards, four expert disability consultants were commissioned for foundational research.

A strong emphasis was placed on social value across all procurement phases. While smaller procurements incorporated it during scoping, larger ones included it in the formal evaluation criteria. Arts Council England’s Access Changemaker helped define and assess social value, ensuring independence and fairness. Suppliers were evaluated not only on technical merit but also on their social contributions.

The most significant procurement involved the Digital Membership System, awarded to software developer Calvium. This contract included clear social value deliverables, including a commitment from Calvium to become a Disability Confident Employer. Another key supplier, HdK, was tasked with enhancing the All In website’s accessibility tools—improvements they now implement across their wider client base.

Arts Council England required suppliers to demonstrate how lived experience of disability informed their teams and proposals, without breaching competitive tender rules. This led to a diverse range of bids, including those from disability-led organisations and partnerships with lived experience consultants, ensuring real-world relevance and impact.

The result

Even before national roll out, All In is having an impact on Arts Council England’s work on procurements. Their suppliers have adopted long-term inclusive practices, such as becoming Disability Confident Employers, and they have demonstrated in an arm’s length government body how integrating accessibility into procurement creates crucial change. Using All In as an example, Arts Council England is also working to better embed social value within procurements, demonstrating the commitment of a disability led project in the organisation.

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