Notice Information
Notice Title
Cafe Concession - Kielder Castle
Notice Description
Forestry England are seeking an organisation to operate the Cafe Concession at Kielder Castle. The operator will be required to serve hot and cold food and beverages to members of the public visiting Kielder Forest. Kielder Water & Forest Park is the largest Forestry England landholding at 62,500 hectares of forest, with the overall area attracting an estimated 500,000 visits per year from the north England, south Scotland and further afield. The Kielder Castle Cafe is located within the ground floor of Kielder Castle. The Cafe will have indoor seating capacity for approximately 60 covers and an area of outdoor seating to the front of the castle. Indoor covers are split between the main cafe area and the additional seating area, both fall part of the lease boundary. Currently we anticipate the lease period being 10 years in duration, the lease Heads of Terms will be available in the tender documents which we expect to be published March/April 2026. The total value of the lease opportunity over the term is expected to be in the region of PS3,000,000 We are seeking an operator to commence the lease from Summer 2026 with the concession opening to the public late Summer/ early Autumn 2026 subject to the completion of the refurbishment works and operator fit out.
Planning Information
As part of the Cafe Concession opportunity, we will be holding a scheduled site visit for prospective suppliers to view the cafe premises on the 11th March 2026. Suppliers wishing to attend must register their interest. The purpose of the visit is to engage with the market and gather general feedback on the opportunity, this may included proposed layout ideas and potential fit out considerations, proposed lease plan and indicative timelines. This preliminary market engagement is intended to help us better understand market interest and practical considerations ahead of the formal tender process. Expressions of Interest Expressions of interest should be submitted via email to alexis.lintott@forestryengland.uk. Following consideration of the initial expressions of interest, Forestry England may wish to engage in further soft market testing with respondents. Therefore, at this stage the scope of the lease and lease duration is still subject to change based on feedback from the market. This prior information notice does not commit Forestry England to any future procurement or any subsequent decisions based on the output of the market sounding exercise. Forestry England reserves the right not to proceed to a formal procurement process.
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-06567b
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014502-2026
- 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
55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
-
- CPV Codes
55330000 - Cafeteria services
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- £3,000,000 £1M-£10M
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- Not specified
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 17 Feb 20265 days ago
- Submission Deadline
- Not specified
- Future Notice Date
- 16 Mar 20263 weeks to go
- Award Date
- Not specified
- Contract Period
- 13 Jul 2026 - 17 Dec 2036 Over 5 years
- Recurrence
- Not specified
Notice Status
- Tender Status
- Planning
- Lots Status
- Planning
- Awards Status
- Not Specified
- Contracts Status
- Not Specified
Buyer & Supplier
Contracting Authority (Buyer)
- Main Buyer
- FORESTRY COMMISSION
- Contact Name
- Not specified
- Contact Email
- commercial.services@forestryengland.uk
- Contact Phone
- 0300 067 4000
Buyer Location
- Locality
- BRISTOL
- Postcode
- BS16 1EJ
- Post Town
- Bristol
- Country
- England
-
- Major Region (ITL 1)
- TLK South West (England)
- Basic Region (ITL 2)
- TLK5 West of England
- Small Region (ITL 3)
- TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
- Delivery Location
- TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England)
-
- Local Authority
- South Gloucestershire
- Electoral Ward
- Stoke Park & Cheswick
- Westminster Constituency
- Filton and Bradley Stoke
Further Information
Notice Documents
-
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014502-2026
17th February 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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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