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Swale Leisure Centres Contract

Swale Borough Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

07 Oct 2026 at 11:10

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

18 Jul 2025 at 09:49

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

28 May 2025 at 14:15

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Swale Borough Council procured the management and operation of its leisure centres in Swale, Kent. The facilities covered were Swallows Leisure Centre in Sittingbourne and Sheppey Leisure Complex in Sheerness, including Sheppey Healthy Living Centre and Sheerness Swimming Pool. The larger lot also included Faversham Swimming Pool, with indoor and outdoor pools; the alternative lot covered Swallows and Sheppey only. This is leisure and recreational services work, covering day-to-day facility operations rather than construction. The contract is intended to manage the council’s existing leisure facilities, with the Faversham pools included in the larger package. Delivery is in Swale, Kent.

The procurement is complete and an award has been made for the lot covering Sheppey, Swallows and Faversham. Sports and Leisure Management Ltd was selected on 6 October 2026, at an awarded value of £7,326,045.39 excluding VAT (£8,791,254.40 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2037, with the council able to extend it by up to five years. The other lot, covering Swallows and Sheppey only, has no recorded award. The selective competitive flexible procedure used staged participation, tendering and dialogue or negotiation before final tenders. Price counted for 40% of the evaluation and quality for 60%. Bidders needed sound financial capacity, relevant operating examples and safeguarding capability.

This award shows demand for an experienced leisure operator able to manage several wet and dry facilities as one service, including swimming pools and community leisure provision. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need evidence of delivering comparable leisure-centre contracts, robust safeguarding arrangements and the financial resilience to cover operating costs and meet insurance requirements. The council assessed quality more heavily than price, so a strong offer would need to demonstrate service delivery and operational management, not simply competitive cost. The package included older buildings and plant, making capability in maintenance, lifecycle planning and managing facility-condition risks commercially relevant. The market engagement also raised investment, energy use and carbon reduction, participation, health and wellbeing, and social value as topics for the service. The contract allowed for additional or repeat purchases and an extension option.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Swale Leisure Centres Contract

Notice Description

Swale Borough Council - Leisure Service Provision in Swale, Kent. The contract will involve Management & Operation of the Swale Leisure Facilities for the contract term. Swale Borough Council currently owns two wet and dry leisure facilities, Sheppey Leisure Complex, Sheerness (incorporating Sheppey Healthy Living Centre and Sheerness Swimming Pool) and Swallows Leisure Centre, Sittingbourne. There were two lots, Lot 1 - both facilities plus the addition of Faversham Swimming pool (indoor and outdoor pools). Lot 2 - Swallows and Sheppey Leisure Complex only.

Lot Information

Sheppey, Swallows and Faversham

Options: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to directly award additional or repeat, goods, works or services in accordance with Schedule 5, paragraph 8 of the Act.

Renewal: The council may extend the contract by up to 5 years.

Swallows and Sheppey

Options: The Contracting Authority reserves the right to directly award additional or repeat, goods, works or services in accordance with Schedule 5, paragraph 8 of the Act.

Renewal: The council may extend the contract by up to 5 years.

Planning Information

Swale Borough Council (SBC) conducted a soft market testing exercise to explore potential management options for its leisure facilities from April 2027. We invited organisations to participate in this process. Feedback was sought on a number of points: 1. Would you be interested in tendering for the new Leisure Operating Contract at SBC? 2. Would the inclusion of Faversham Pools enhance the overall value of the contract? 3. Would you be interested in a contract of 10 years + up to a potential 5-year extension? If not, please state the duration that you feel would be appropriate and of interest to the market. 4. What is your view on further investment in the facilities? a. a contract comprising improved facilities decided by SBC, with the potential to have some input when the facility mix decision is taken; or, b. a contract with the opportunity to be a development partner and be involved in determining the facility mix for the sites; or Views in respect of any investment opportunities are also sought. 5. Please confirm the minimum contract period you would consider. 6. What are your views and experience on achieving net Carbon Zero in facilities? 7. SBC seeks your view regarding any transfer of risk, particularly in the aftermath of Covid19 and its operational impact on such matters as maintenance, lifecycle, utilities, National Insurance (NI), Real Living Wage etc 8. What is your view on Utility Benchmarking – does it need to be included in the contract? 9. One of the key user groups at Swallows Leisure Centre is a swimming club which currently delivers some of the swimming lessons offered up to Grade 8. In a similar vein , Faversham Pools also has a swimming club which is a key user and which delivers some swimming lessons. What impact, if any, would these have on the contract structure including pricing model and programme? 10. Car parking charges are currently refunded at Swallows and Sheppey. What is your perspective on the potential removal of parking refunds for facility users? How might car parking charges impact user behaviour, facility attendance, or overall financial performance? 11. Are there examples of best practice that could help ensure parking policies support both accessibility and revenue objectives? 12. The Procurement Act 2023 requires Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to be built into the contract. The following are the suggested KPIs, what is your view on these and would you suggest any amendments or additions? a. KPI 1 – Participation targets b. KPI 2 – Annual Quest accreditation c. KPI 3 – Annual Health and Well-being Development Plan targets d. KPI 4 – Energy consumption statistics e. KPI 5 – GP referral statistics f. KPI 6 – Holiday Play Scheme attendance g. KPI 7 – Encourage balanced programme of use h. KPI 8 – Breakdown of number of members for all membership types including concessionary use by user type i. KPI 7 – Social Value Reporting The engagement was advertised on the ProContract Portal from 02/01/2025 - 14/01/2025.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0527ff
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094603-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

CPV Codes

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£23,750,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£23,750,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£7,326,045 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Oct 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Jul 2025Expired
Award Date
6 Oct 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2037 Over 5 years
Recurrence
2035-07-14

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active, Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Swale Borough Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SITTINGBOURNE, KENT
Postcode
ME10 3HT
Postcode Area
Rochester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ43 Kent Thames Gateway
Delivery Location
TLJ4 Kent
Local Authority
Swale
Electoral Ward
Roman
Westminster Constituency
Sittingbourne and Sheppey

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Sports and Leisure Management Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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