Planning

Main Works Contract for Belfast Stories

BELFAST CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

24 Sep 2025 at 10:58

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

23 Sep 2025 at 09:00

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

13 Jun 2025 at 09:00

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

12 Jun 2025 at 08:42

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Belfast City Council is planning the Main Works Contract for the Belfast Stories project, focusing on building construction work within the region. This procurement process, tagged as planningUpdate, is currently in the pre-market engagement stage, with the council seeking insights from the marketplace to understand supplier capabilities and generate competition. Interested parties must register their interest by 3.00 pm on Friday, 26th September 2025, to participate in the engagement activities. The total contract value is anticipated to be around £70 million (gross £84 million), and the planned start date for the contract is 4th January 2027, ending by 31st March 2031. The procurement method is competitive and flexible, necessitating electronic submissions via eSourcing NI.

This tender opportunity presents significant growth potential, particularly for businesses specialising in building construction work and capable of providing early contractor involvement. With a substantial budget and lengthy contract duration, companies with expertise in large-scale construction projects and those capable of demonstrating high-quality delivery with a focus on social value will be well-suited to compete. The process encourages competition and capacity building, making it ideal for contractors looking to expand their market presence within Northern Ireland through a significant public sector partnership. Business users should leverage this opportunity to build rapport with Belfast City Council and showcase their capabilities in providing best-value services for major infrastructure projects.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Main Works Contract for Belfast Stories

Notice Description

Belfast City Council the sponsoring body (BCC) is currently preparing to initiate a procurement process to establish a contract with a contractor to provide early contractor involvement, and subject to planning and agreement of costs, undertake construction of the Belfast Stories project. The potential scale and scope of this service is such that it offers a significant opportunity to bidders.

Planning Information

Pre Market Engagement for the Belfast Stories – Main Contracts Works. The Council is carrying out the PME to engage with the marketplace to understand current offering, supplier capacity and capability, generate competition and manage expectations. To register your interest to participate in the PME and obtain a Questionnaire to complete, please send an email to belfaststories@belfastcity.gov.uk at the latest by 3.00 pm on Friday 26th September 2025 The pre market engagement exercise will take the form of an initial questionnaire and will help the Council better understand the levels of competition, capability and capacity within the market to plan and deliver the requirement. It is anticipated that online follow up meetings, demonstrations, presentations etc will be offered to discuss the responses. If you have any questions about this requirement, please send them to belfaststories@belfastcity.gov.uk. We will endeavour to respond as quickly as possible. All information returned as part of this PME exercise will assist in the procurement route selection, development of the specification; evaluation criteria, pricing model; and contract award options to ensure this tender opportunity delivers a high quality service and best value for money for the ratepayers of Belfast. The Council reserves the right to contact any or all organisations who responds to this PME engagement to further discuss the next steps to follow. The Council cannot guarantee that all organisations will be contacted who submit interest. The intention would then be to either advertise the tender opportunity to the market or via an appropriate framework. The Council uses eSourcing NI as its etendering platform. If you are not yet registered with eSourcing NI we would suggest you do so without delay. Whilst the Council will endeavour to keep any respondents to this PME exercise informed on developments of the tender process, the Council cannot guarantee this. Organisations are advised to register with eSourcing NI in order to see any advertised tender opportunities as well as regularly checking the Council's website for opportunities. The Council reserves the right to discontinue any discussions or tender procedures at any time and are not liable for any costs incurred by suppliers associated with participating in this PME exercise.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05473b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059206-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Works
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

45 - Construction work

CPV Codes

45210000 - Building construction work

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£70,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£70,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Sep 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
3 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
28 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
4 Jan 2027 - 31 Mar 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BELFAST CITY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
pmu@belfastcity.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT2 8DJ
Post Town
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Belfast South and Mid Down

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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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