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Cafe Concession - Gisburn

FORESTRY COMMISSION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

23 Jul 2026 at 10:25

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Forestry Commission is in the planning stage of procuring a concession for a café operator in Gisburn Forest, located in the Forest of Bowland National Landscape. The planned tender, set to open around late August or early September 2026, seeks a food and beverage service provider under the industry category of restaurant and food-serving services. The procurement process, identified by ID 069590-2026, will follow a tender initiation type, allowing for potential registration through the Panacea tendering portal. Interested parties should note the milestone engagement due by 21 August 2026, along with the contract period commencing on 1 November 2026 and running until 31 October 2036. The milestone date highlights the importance of notifying interested parties and registering their interest promptly.

This forthcoming tender presents significant opportunities for businesses, especially SMEs and organisations within the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sectors, to expand into the service sector of a popular visitor location. With Gisburn Forest attracting approximately 80,000 visitors annually and hosting diverse events, the café operation can tap into a steady and varied customer base. The potential contract value up to £3,000,000 underscores this opportunity. Businesses proficient in high-volume customer service operations and innovative food offerings would be particularly well-positioned to thrive in this competitive bidding process, contributing to both community engagement and business growth.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Cafe Concession - Gisburn

Notice Description

Forestry England are looking for a food and beverage operator to manage Gisburn Forest Cafe. Gisburn Forest is located within the Forest of Bowland National Landscape and is managed by Forestry England attracting visitors from Blackburn, Burnley, Preston and further afield. The forest has a growing recreational offer including 18 miles of mountain bike trails some more challenging than others, 10 miles of walks in the forest and access to a further 8 miles around the neighbouring Stock reservoir. It welcomes 80,000 visitors a year and hosts an wide variety of events from yoga, mountain bike races, outdoor music evenings, crafting days and accessibility conferences. Gisburn Forest cafe offer will play a central role in welcoming visitors walk, bike and relax in the forest. We anticipate the tender will be live towards the end of August/beginning of September 2026. Interested parties should register on the Panacea tendering portal via this link in anticipation of the tender going live - https://app.panacea-software.com/ForestryCommission/Login.aspx

Planning Information

The purpose of the engagement is to notify potentially interested parties that the tender process is imminent and to register their interest.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d19d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069590-2026
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

55300000 - Restaurant and food-serving services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
24 Aug 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Oct 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
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

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
Not specified
Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Stoke Park & Cheswick
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

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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