Planning

Preliminary Market Engagement for Leeds City Centre Christmas Market Operator

LEEDS CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

03 Nov 2025 at 14:00

Summary of the contracting process

Leeds City Council is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process to find an operator for the Leeds City Centre Christmas Market. The contract, valued at £250,000, is set to start in September 2026 and last until September 2029. This opportunity falls within the services industry category, particularly event services and cultural event organisation. Interested businesses must complete a market engagement questionnaire accessible through YORtender by 24th November 2025. The Christmas Market will be hosted in City Square, Leeds city centre, and aims to provide a wide variety of artisan stalls and festive experiences.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in event management, cultural events, and hospitality services. SMEs and VCSEs are encouraged to participate, making it an inclusive opportunity for smaller organisations to expand their market presence and establish a reputation within the Leeds community. The procurement is primarily designed for those with expertise in planning and executing large-scale, public-facing events. Business growth can be realised through the visibility and commercial opportunities associated with operating a high-profile event within Leeds city centre, attracting a diverse audience during the festive period.

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Notice Title

Preliminary Market Engagement for Leeds City Centre Christmas Market Operator

Notice Description

Leeds City Council (The Council) is looking to undertake a procurement process to appoint an experienced operator or operators to deliver a Christmas Market in City Square in Leeds city centre. This will include the provision of artisan market stalls, a hospitality offer and other associated festive animation. This preliminary market engagement exercise is being undertaken in order to obtain views of suppliers and provide advance information for our Christmas Market Operator tender and subsequent contract.

Planning Information

A market sounding exercise is being undertaken via a questionnaire, which will be published on YORtender. Suppliers are required to be registered on YORtender in order to access the questionnaire. Once logged in, please search for the opportunity using reference 104874. Please complete the PME document and submit via the YORtender portal before the closing date (12 noon on Monday 24th November 2025). Clarification questions should be raised via the YORtender portal prior to the deadline. Interested parties should note that if this market sounding exercise identifies that the market is extremely limited or there is a lack of understanding regarding the subject matter, the council reserves the right to seek authorisation through its governance procedure to enter into a contract with an organisation that satisfies the criteria, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the questionnaire. If more than one organisation satisfies the requirements of the criteria, the service will be subject to a formal competitive tendering exercise.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d903
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070468-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

79952000 - Event services

79952100 - Cultural event organisation services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£250,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Nov 20253 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
24 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 1 Sep 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LEEDS CITY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Mariam Mehmood
Contact Email
mariam.mehmood@leeds.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LEEDS
Postcode
LS1 1UR
Post Town
Leeds
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE4 West Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE42 Leeds
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Leeds
Electoral Ward
Little London & Woodhouse
Westminster Constituency
Leeds Central and Headingley

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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