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Southsea Castle Catering and Events Concession Opportunity - Portsmouth 2026

Portsmouth City Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

02 Oct 2026 at 08:27

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

24 Jul 2026 at 13:40

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

22 Jun 2026 at 16:41

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

24 Feb 2026 at 17:06

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Portsmouth City Council has procured a concession operator to run catering and event services at Southsea Castle in Portsmouth. The historic castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and visitor attraction, as well as a museum, restaurant, wedding venue and events location. The operator is responsible for the catering offer and supporting events, working with the Council to improve the visitor experience, develop commercial opportunities and engage local communities. Delivery must protect the Castle’s heritage significance while maintaining public access. The services cover restaurant and café operations, food and drink service, and event catering and delivery (CPV 55500000).

The procurement is complete. The Council selected Seasoned Venues Limited under Lot 1, the five-year initial-term concession, with an option for the Council to extend by up to five years. The award was made on 1 October 2026, and the contract is scheduled to run from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2032, with a possible extension to 31 January 2037. The awarded concession value is £16 million excluding VAT (£19.2 million including VAT). The open competitive flexible procedure used two alternative term lots; the Council awarded the contract under Lot 1. Evaluation weighted quality at 60% and the financial proposal at 40%, covering the catering and events offer, delivery, staffing, business plan and income to the Council.

This award demonstrates demand for an experienced hospitality operator able to run a visitor-facing food and drink business alongside weddings and other events at a heritage attraction. Credible competitors would need evidence of restaurant or café operations, event catering and bar management, with the capacity to provide a capable management team and operational staff. The buyer assessed strategic vision, catering and events delivery, mobilisation, risk and resilience, marketing, supply chain, financial planning and performance reporting, so operators need robust proposals across both service quality and commercial management. Experience working with local communities and stakeholders, supporting social value objectives, and balancing revenue generation with heritage protection and public access is relevant. The concession model also calls for a sustainable business plan that addresses operating costs, investment and revenue-sharing with the Council.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Southsea Castle Catering and Events Concession Opportunity - Portsmouth 2026

Notice Description

AWARD & STANDSTILL PERIOD Following receipt of tenders on 21st August 2026 the Council has concluded the assessment process and issued assessment summaries to the successful and unsuccessful suppliers as required under Section 50 of the Procurement Act 23 (the 'Act'). The Council reserves the right to amend (extend)the Standstill Period if needed; if this right is exercised, the Contract Award Notice will be updated and affected suppliers will be notified accordingly. After the Standstill Period has expired, and provided no legal challenge has been made by the end of the Standstill Period or any agreed extension, the Council intends to enter into contracts with the Successful Supplier. Following this, the Council also intends to publish a Contract Details Notice. Procurement description Portsmouth City Council (the Council) has awarded a concession contract for the provision of catering and events services at Southsea Castle. The contract will operate under a long-term commercial arrangement incorporating a lease together with a revenue-sharing mechanism between the operator and the Council. The contract has been awarded under Lot 1, comprising an initial term of five years with the option to extend by up to a further five years at the Council's discretion. Southsea Castle is a historic Scheduled Ancient Monument and visitor attraction located on Portsmouth's seafront. The site operates as a visitor destination, museum, restaurant, wedding venue and events location, attracting significant visitor numbers throughout the year and playing an important role in the city's tourism, heritage and cultural offer. The successful operator will be responsible for delivering catering services and supporting a programme of events from the site, whilst working collaboratively with the Council to maximise visitor experience, increase commercial opportunities and support community engagement. Delivery of the contract will be undertaken in a manner that recognises and protects the historic significance of the Castle while balancing commercial operation with public access and heritage requirements. The contract includes performance measures relating to customer experience, event delivery, catering quality, commercial performance, compliance and partnership working. The Council also expects the operator to support its social value objectives and work collaboratively with stakeholder organisations and local communities. The Council recognises that local government structures and service delivery arrangements may evolve during the life of the contract. Any future changes arising from local government reorganisation, devolution arrangements or other changes in public sector governance will be managed in accordance with the contract provisions and applicable legislation. The Council has identified the following known risks & opportunities that may occur during the duration of the term of the contract and may positively or negatively impact the scope, scale, value, timescales, end user demand, etc. related the contract: * Development and changing demographics of Portsmouth area which could impact positively or negatively on operator revenues * Marco and micro environmental impacts on utilities and other costs which could impact operator costs * Changes to VAT levels and other impacts of taxation which could impact operator costs * Local Government Review impacts including for assignment of contract to successor unitary authority and any new requirements / objectives of the new authority which may require alterations to the technical scope, contractual and commercial structure of the arrangements * Unforeseen maintenance requirements which could increase operator costs and impact revenues if closures are required * Inflation and other cost of living impacts which could increase or decrease operator revenues and costs * Changes to National Living Wage, National Insurance and other factors which could impact operator employment costs * Increased or decreased competition from other public or privately run facilities or attractions which could impact operator revenues * Introduction of new technologies, systems and processes which could reduce operator costs and / or increase revenues as well as impacting technical scope * Introduction of new activities through market innovations that could open up new operator revenue opportunities and impact technical scope * Changes to relevant government policy / legislation which could increase or decrease operator revenues & costs, as well as potentially mandating changes to the technical scope * An endemic or pandemic event similar to Covid 19 which could increase costs and / or reduce demand. The Council has identified the risks and opportunities above associated with the delivery of this contract. In accordance with Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Council reserves the right to modify the contract, without initiating a new procurement procedure, should any of these risks materialise during the contract term. Award Notice Clarification: The lot description below has been carried forward from the original tender notice and is reproduced for completeness. Full details of the procurement, service requirements and concession arrangements are contained within the original tender notice. The final contract value reported within this Contract Award Notice differs from the estimated value stated in the tender notice, reflecting the commercial proposal and financial forecasts submitted by the successful bidder as part of its tender response. The value published in this notice therefore represents the Council's assessment of the anticipated value of the awarded concession contract based on the successful tenderer's submission.

Lot Information

Standard Term Concession (5 + 5 years)

Options: The Council reserves the right to engage the next placed highest scoring Operator (ranked 2nd) to deliver the contract in the event that any of the following events occur during the award, mobilisation and delivery of the services during the initial base term as well as during any extension periods: * The Council is unable to agree and execute terms of contract with the preferred bidder identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders * The preferred bidder identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders fails to mobilise and commence the services in line with the agreed programme, or is significantly delayed in meeting programme milestones and is highly likely to not commence services in line with the agreed programme * The contract with the preferred bidder identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders is terminated due to: o Material breach o Non-material persistent breach o Failure to meet service levels and KPIs o Not meeting Conditions of Participation - Exclusion grounds, insurance, financial standing, accreditations, etc. o Inability to agree price increases in line with terms o Inability to agree price changes, specification changes, event in the event of materialisation of identified known risks The next placed Operator will only be engaged at the Council's discretion and subject to the Operator evidencing ability to: * Meet all Conditions of Participation * Deliver the requirements as set out in the specification including for any updates made by the Council * Honour the terms & conditions included within the original procurement * Deliver the service delivery proposals included within their original tender submission as a minimum * Honour the pricing elements included for within their original tender submission, subject to reasonable application of relevant CPI indices, as a minimum with a requirement to mitigate any increases where possible In the event that the Council is unable to reach agreement with the next placed Operator the Council may, at its sole discretion engage with the Operator that ranked immediately below the next placed Operator (ranked 3rd) from the evaluation process to deliver the contract subject to the requirements set out above. In the event that agreement cannot be reached with the 3rd ranked Operator the council may engage with the 4th ranked Operator and so forth at its discretion for delivery of the contract.

Renewal: Under Lot 1 - The contract will be awarded for an initial term of five years thereafter the council will have the option to extend the term by a period(s) of up to a maximum of five years. Any period(s) of extension will be at the council's sole discretion. The maximum allowable term is 10years. Under Lot 2 - The contract will be awarded for an initial term of seven years thereafter the council will have the option to extend the term by a period(s) of up to a maximum of three years. Any period(s) of extension will be at the council's sole discretion. The maximum allowable term is 10 years.

Extended Term Concession (7 + 3 years)

Options: The Council reserves the right to engage the next placed highest scoring Operator (ranked 2nd) to deliver the contract in the event that any of the following events occur during the award, mobilisation and delivery of the services during the initial base term as well as during any extension periods: * The Council is unable to agree and execute terms of contract with the preferred bidder identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders * The preferred bidder identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders fails to mobilise and commence the services in line with the agreed programme, or is significantly delayed in meeting programme milestones and is highly likely to not commence services in line with the agreed programme * The contract with the preferred bidder identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders is terminated due to: o Material breach o Non-material persistent breach o Failure to meet service levels and KPIs o Not meeting Conditions of Participation - Exclusion grounds, insurance, financial standing, accreditations, etc. o Inability to agree price increases in line with terms o Inability to agree price changes, specification changes, event in the event of materialisation of identified known risks The next placed Operator will only be engaged at the Council's discretion and subject to the Operator evidencing ability to: * Meet all Conditions of Participation * Deliver the requirements as set out in the specification including for any updates made by the Council * Honour the terms & conditions included within the original procurement * Deliver the service delivery proposals included within their original tender submission as a minimum * Honour the pricing elements included for within their original tender submission, subject to reasonable application of relevant CPI indices, as a minimum with a requirement to mitigate any increases where possible In the event that the Council is unable to reach agreement with the next placed Operator the Council may, at its sole discretion engage with the Operator that ranked immediately below the next placed Operator (ranked 3rd) from the evaluation process to deliver the contract subject to the requirements set out above. In the event that agreement cannot be reached with the 3rd ranked Operator the council may engage with the 4th ranked Operator and so forth at its discretion for delivery of the contract.

Renewal: Under Lot 1 - The contract will be awarded for an initial term of five years thereafter the council will have the option to extend the term by a period(s) of up to a maximum of five years. Any period(s) of extension will be at the council's sole discretion. The maximum allowable term is 10years. Under Lot 2 - The contract will be awarded for an initial term of seven years thereafter the council will have the option to extend the term by a period(s) of up to a maximum of three years. Any period(s) of extension will be at the council's sole discretion. The maximum allowable term is 10 years.

Planning Information

INTRODUCTION Portsmouth City Council (the Council) is undertaking a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise to inform the future procurement strategy for catering and event services at Southsea Castle. To ensure effective engagement with organisations, and in the interests of transparency and fair and equal treatment set out within the Procurement Act 23, the Council has instigated this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) process via issue of a PME Notice on the Central Government Find a Tender Service / Central Digital Platform. Through the PME exercise suitably qualified and experienced operators will have the opportunity to participate in a site tour of the premises on 10th March at 16:30 - 19:00 and take part in 1-1 discussions with key Council officers. The 1-1 meetings will generally be held on-line via Microsoft Teams between 10th - 18th March, although the Council may also be able to offer in person meetings at the Council's Civic Offices. The Council currently has 4 1.5-hour meeting slots available which will be allocated on a first come first served basis to operators who can meet the minimum experience requirements detailed below. If more than 4 qualifying operators express interest in 1-1 meetings the council will endeavour to make further meeting slots available but cannot provide any guarantees, as such interested operators are encouraged to submit formal expressions of interest as a matter of urgency. Where meeting slots cannot be allocated the Council will give operators an opportunity to provide written feedback. The feedback gained through this process will inform the development of the operational, commercial and contractual positions taken by the Council when the formal procurement process is undertaken, as well as informing the design and programme for the actual procurement process. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PROCESS & PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS Attendance at the site visit, and participation in any subsequent one‑to‑one meetings, will be limited to Operators who have completed and submitted the accompanying Expression of Interest (EOI) form via In‑tend using the correspondence function . In the first instance, interested Operators must complete the EOI form and return it via In‑tend, confirming their interest in taking part in the site visit and the 1‑to‑1 discussions. The EOI form requests operators to provide the following information for up to two case studies, which must be in relation to current operations or operations that have ceased within the last 12 months: • Daily restaurant or café operations of a minimum of 30 covers • Event catering delivery of a minimum of 100 covers • Bar operation and management These minimum requirements are expected to form part of the pass/fail Conditions of Participation in the subsequent procurement process. Operators who are unable to evidence the stated level of relevant experience will not be eligible to take part in this PME process or bid for the future opportunity. The expression of interest form requests Operators to provide the following information: • General company information • Details of previous experience managing a hospitality business; whether a café, restaurant or catering company • Availability for meetings on: o Slot 1 - Tuesday 10th March - Either 11:00 - 12:30 or 11:30 - 13:00 o Slot 2 - Wednesday 11th March - 09:30 - 11:00 o Slot 3 - Thursday 12th March - Either 15:00 - 16:30 or 15:30 - 17:00 o Slot 4 - Wednesday 18th March 13:00 - 14:30 • Names of delegates who will attend the site visit and/or the 1-2-1 meetings, including their role and email address. In addition to submission pf the EOI operators will also be required to complete and submit a Conflict of Interest (COI) Statement using the form provided. Further information in respect of Conflict of Interest is included within the further documentation accessible via the Council's e-sourcing solution In-tend. NB: Operators should note that there is no obligation to take part in this exercise and that if they do not take part, it will not preclude them from any subsequent related procurement process. Engaging Operators will not receive preferential treatment in the subsequent procurement process, and this is in no way an indication of the selection of any organisation or a guarantee of future work. COUNICL TEAM The key Council officers who will attend the 1-1 meetings are as follows: • Claire Looney - Partnership and Commissioning Manager - PCC Culture Leisure and Regulatory Services • Jacqueline Braks - Events and weddings manager, Southsea Castle - PCC Culture Leisure and Regulatory Services • Richard Lock - Assistant Director Procurement - PCC Finance and Resources • Simon Courtney - Senior Procurement Professional - PCC Finance and Resources • Shannon Penfold - Trainee Procurement Professional - PCC Finance and Resources PME & PROCUREMENT ADMINISTRATION The Council will administrate the preliminary market engagement and future formal procurement process using its e-sourcing system In-Tend which will be used for: • Access to and issue of information and documentation • Clarification requests and response • Expression of interest submission • Allocation of 1-1 meeting slots • Issue of tender documentation • Submission of tender responses • Issue of Award Decision notification The In-tend system can be accessed for free using the following link: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home PME SUPPORTING INFORMATION The following documents have been included as part of the PME Briefing pack via In-tend: • Southsea Castle - PME Brief (this document) • Southsea Castle - PME 1-1 EOI • Castle Website: https://southseacastle.co.uk/ • Conflict of Interest Statement • Conflicts of Interest Declaration Form • Intend Guidance, Supporting Information & Clarification Process. PME FEEBACK AREAS As the council explores options for the new catering arrangements for Southsea Castle, it is keen to seek input from the market in respect of interest, ambitions, vision, commercials, contract, maintenance, procurement strategy, etc. to inform the future formal procurement process. Through undertaking 1-1 discussions with operators the Council will seek information on and input into the following headline areas, further detail on these discussion points are included within the PME Brief document accessible via In-tend: 1. Experience, Capacity & Growth Ambitions 2. Vision for the Catering Offer 3. Opportunities for Weddings, Corporate Events & Private Hire 4. Community, Cultural and Local Partnerships 5. Marketing, Communications & Customer Service - Launch and Ongoing Strategy 6. Investment, Building Improvements & Maintenance 7. Commercial Viability & Business Model Options 8. Partnership Working, Performance Reporting & Contract Management Expectations 9. Procurement Process, Mobilisation & Transition Planning 10. Contractual Parameters and Limitations CONFLICTS ASSESSMENT The Procurement Act 2023 requires the Council to identify and keep under review actual and potential conflicts of interest. The Council must also mitigate conflicts of interest and address circumstances which the Council considers are likely to cause a reasonable person to wrongly believe there to be a conflict or potential conflict of interest. A conflict of interest arises when an individual's personal interests, relationships, or activities have the potential to interfere with their impartiality or the integrity of the procurement process. This may include financial, personal, familial, or business interests that could improperly influence, or be perceived to influence, their decisions or actions. Operators should refer to Conflicts of Interest Declaration Form accessible via In-tend for further details of the Council's duty regarding conflict of interests. Operators should complete and submit one conflict of interest declaration per organisation in word format.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065b89
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093085-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

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

CPV Codes

55310000 - Restaurant waiter services

55320000 - Meal-serving services

55330000 - Cafeteria services

55400000 - Beverage-serving services

55500000 - Canteen and catering services

79952000 - Event services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£8,200,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£8,200,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£16,000,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Oct 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
21 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
13 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
1 Oct 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Feb 2027 - 31 Jan 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
2036-04-01

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Portsmouth City 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
PORTSMOUTH
Postcode
PO1 2AL
Postcode Area
Portsmouth
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ31 Portsmouth
Delivery Location
TLJ31 Portsmouth
Local Authority
Portsmouth
Electoral Ward
Charles Dickens
Westminster Constituency
Portsmouth South

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Seasoned Venues Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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