Operator for Kirkleatham Walled Garden Catering and Events Facility

REDCAR AND CLEVELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

23 Jun 2026 at 14:17

Planning

18 May 2026 at 08:21

Planning

23 Feb 2026 at 15:48

Summary of the contracting process

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is in the process of tendering for the operation, management, and commercial development of the Kirkleatham Walled Garden facility, located in Redcar, UKC12. This active tender, with an end date for tender submissions set on 31st July 2026, invites interested parties to enter a competitive flexible procurement procedure. The contract encompasses a concession agreement with an initial duration of five years, starting on 22nd March 2027, with an optional five-year extension based on performance and business need. With a total contract value of £17,000,000 GBP, this tender covers various services including meal-serving, bar management, event services, and facilities management. The procurement process has been segmented into two stages, starting with invitation to tender and evaluation, followed by the appointment of a preferred bidder and negotiation phase.

This tender presents a unique opportunity for businesses involved in hospitality, catering, event management, and facility operations to expand their footprint. Suitable enterprises, particularly SMEs, with expertise in managing multifaceted service environments, will be well-positioned to leverage this opportunity to cater to high-standard catering, events, and retail services within a historic horticultural setting. With potential future growth from the visitor attraction industry and the heritage nature of the site, the concession model allows enterprises to innovate and introduce tailored visitor experiences. Companies that can demonstrate strong financial capacity, engage in effective communication strategies, and showcase tailored service methodologies will be competitive in securing this high-value contract.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Operator for Kirkleatham Walled Garden Catering and Events Facility

Notice Description

The Council is looking to appoint one organisation for the operation, management and commercial development of the Kirkleatham Walled Garden facility, including visitor attraction activities, admissions, catering, retail, weddings, events and venue hire. This is a concession contract with an initial duration of 5 years plus an optional 5 year extension available.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 1 x 60 month optional extension period. Extensions will be exercised at the sole discretion of the Contracting Authority, subject to satisfactory contractor performance and continued business need.

Planning Information

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council are inviting suitably qualified and experienced operators to take part in a Market Engagement exercise, ahead of an anticipate Procurement exercise to appoint an operator for the Kirkleatham Walled Garden catering, training and events facility. The engagement will provide information on the Council's proposed service specification, strategic objectives, and anticipated procurement process. It will also give suppliers the opportunity to provide feedback on delivery models, risk allocation, commercial arrangements, and innovation opportunities. Tender documentation is expected to be issued in April 2026. One-to-one provider engagement sessions are available on 10th and 13th March 2026, these sessions are 60-minute appointments to be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. Where appropriate, anonymised or summary feedback from the engagement exercise may be shared with all interested parties to support transparency and equal treatment. The Council will ensure that information obtained during engagement is managed fairly and that no participant receives an unfair competitive advantage. Providers wishing to register attendance must do so in writing to procurement@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk no later than 17:00 on Friday 6 March 2026. Please provide your organisation's name and name of those wishing to attend, along with email addresses. If you are unable to attend on the dates provided but would like to discuss the forthcoming opportunity with the Council, please email and we will endeavour to arrange a call to discuss. Participation in this preliminary market engagement exercise is voluntary. Participation does not guarantee inclusion in any subsequent procurement process. Non-participation will not disadvantage any potential bidder. All bidders in the future procurement will have equal access to relevant information. Information submitted as part of this engagement will be used solely for the purpose of informing the procurement process and will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065a59
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059055-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

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

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services


CPV Codes

55320000 - Meal-serving services

55410000 - Bar management services

79952000 - Event services

79993100 - Facilities management services

92500000 - Library, archives, museums and other cultural services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£5,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£17,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Jun 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
31 Jul 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
30 Jun 20265 days to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
22 Mar 2027 - 21 Mar 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
REDCAR AND CLEVELAND 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
REDCAR
Postcode
TS10 1RT
Post Town
Cleveland
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC3 Tees Valley
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC32 South Teesside
Delivery Location
TLC12 South Teesside

Local Authority
Redcar and Cleveland
Electoral Ward
Coatham
Westminster Constituency
Redcar

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Mobilisation",
                            "description": "Please describe your proposed approach to mobilising the contract to ensure a successful relaunch of the site from 22 March 2027. Your response should include the following: * Your approach to mobilising the contract from receiving final confirmation of award through to service commencement date, including details of key mobilisation activities, milestones & timelines - 4% * Your approach to staff recruitment, including temporary and permanent staff and volunteers, to ensure appropriate staffing levels for the relaunch - 4% * Details of how you will identify and manage risks in the mobilisation stage and work with relevant stakeholders to ensure a smooth and successful relaunch of the site - 2%",
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                            "description": "Please describe your methodology for delivery of this contract. Your response should include the following: * Your approach to the catering offer for the facility, including daytime and evening offer for all areas of the facility, this should include proposed menus for cafe & events including weddings - 5% * A proposed events programme for the first 2 years of the contract to maximise the events space and your approach to delivering Wedding and Events to a high standard, meeting customer expectations - 4% * Your approach to maintaining the Horticultural area/Gardens to a consistent high standard, throughout the year - 2% * Details of how you will utilise the retail space, including your proposed product range, to complement the wider visitor experience - 3% * Your proposals for dealing with fluctuations in demand across all elements of the facility, including details of the proposed operating hours of the facility - 4% * Details of how you will achieve, maintain and exceed quality standards, including operational and maintenance procedures, and your approach to managing fixtures and fittings - 2%",
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            "features": "The Contracting Authority intends to follow the process set out below in this Procurement : The Authority will operate a two-stage process comprising: - Stage 1 - Invitation to Tender and Tender Evaluation; and - Stage 2 - Preferred Bidder Appointment and Negotiation. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to vary the procedure and timeframes of the Procurement as set out in this ITT. Reasons for this may include, but are not limited to, supporting continued competition, avoiding unnecessary bidding cost and adhering to subsequent technical or legal guidance. Stage 1 - Invitation to Tender and Tender Evaluation At Stage 1, Suppliers are invited to submit a Tender response in accordance with the requirements of this ITT. The initial Tender responses shall include: - Procurement Specific Questionnaire - Business Plan Pricing Model - Award Questionnaire - ITT - Appendix B - Commercially Sensitive Information (To be returned if your Tender submission includes information considered by you to be confidential/commercially sensitive under the Freedom of Information Act 2000) - ITT - Appendix E - Form of Tender - ITT - Appendix F - Certificate of Non-Canvassing & Non-Collusion - ITT - Appendix G - Parent Company Declaration The Authority will evaluate Tenders in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in this ITT and associated documents Only those Tenders that satisfy the Conditions of Participation as per the Procurement Specific Questionnaire will be subject to full evaluation. Following evaluation, the Authority will: - identify the highest scoring Tenderer based on the award criteria; and select that Tenderer as the Preferred Bidder. The Authority reserves the right not to appoint a Preferred Bidder where it considers that no Tender sufficiently meets its requirements. The Authority reserves the right to award following initial tenders without negotiation. Stage 2 - Preferred Bidder Appointment and Negotiation Following Stage 1, the Authority intends to enter into a period of negotiation with the Preferred Bidder. The purpose of the negotiation is to: - refine and finalise the business plan pricing model and pricing assumptions, including TUPE and FFE Maintenance implications - agree the detailed contractual terms, provided that such refinements do not materially alter the basis on which Tenders were evaluated - confirm all aspects of the Preferred Bidder's Tender to enable contract award. Negotiations will be limited to clarifying, refining and confirming the Preferred Bidder's Tender, including commercial, financial and contractual matters, provided that such negotiations do not: - materially alter the basis on which Tenders were evaluated; - introduce new award criteria; or - result in unequal treatment between Tenderers. At the conclusion of this stage, the Authority will either: - confirm the Preferred Bidder as the successful Supplier and proceed to Contract Award; or - where agreement cannot be reached, discontinue engagement with the Preferred Bidder and: - either abandon the Procurement; or - at its discretion, enter in to negotiations with the next highest ranked supplier, in accordance with the above. Without prejudice to its obligations under the Procurement Act 2023, the Authority reserves the right to: - amend the timetable or structure of the Procurement; - seek clarification or additional information from any Tenderer; - refrain from appointing a Preferred Bidder; - conduct engagement or negotiation with more than one Tenderer; and/or - award the Contract without undertaking the negotiation stage."
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