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Appointment of an Operating Partner for a Leisure Services Contract

Ards and North Down Borough Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

19 Aug 2026 at 10:21

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

19 Aug 2026 at 09:38

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Ards and North Down Borough Council is preparing to appoint an operating partner to manage and operate its leisure services. The scope principally covers Bangor Aurora Aquatic and Leisure Complex and Queens Leisure Complex, excluding the community centre footprint at Queens Leisure Complex, together with an Active Communities Programme for sport, physical activity development and community outreach. The operator will run, maintain and manage the facilities, support customer experience and engagement, and contribute to inclusive and accessible leisure, active communities, effective partnerships and environmental sustainability. Services include facility operations, statutory compliance, maintenance, booking and data systems, fitness and leisure provision, community outreach, and improvements supporting energy efficiency and net zero objectives. Delivery is in the Ards and North Down area of Northern Ireland.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is not yet an invitation to tender. The Council is carrying out preliminary market engagement to refine its requirements, participation conditions, award criteria and procurement approach, and intends to use a Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. The Council intends to hold a virtual information session on 2 September 2026; suppliers should express interest in attending by 12 noon on 28 August 2026 and submit the completed engagement questionnaire by 12 noon on 11 September 2026. Site visits may be arranged during the engagement period. The Council expects to issue the next notice on 28 September 2026. The planned contract is above threshold, with an indicative term from 1 April 2028 to 31 March 2038 and a possible extension to 31 March 2048.

The planned arrangement will suit established leisure, sport and aquatic operators able to take operational responsibility for substantial public facilities and deliver community-focused programmes. Suppliers should prepare for responsibility for staffing, training and accreditation, safeguarding, health and safety, customer service, statutory testing, reactive maintenance and planned preventative maintenance. The operator will need to employ a dedicated Active Communities officer as a minimum and work with the Council to reach inactive and under-represented groups. Relevant capability also includes ICT, booking and data management systems, capital investment planning, fitness equipment and facility upgrades, minor refurbishment, customer-experience improvements and energy-efficiency projects. Financial and commercial capacity will be important because the operator is expected to fund or contribute to staffing, systems, maintenance and agreed capital proposals. Participation in the engagement will help capable suppliers inform the developing requirements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Appointment of an Operating Partner for a Leisure Services Contract

Notice Description

Ards and North Down Borough Council (the Council) is currently preparing to initiate a procurement process to appoint an Operating Partner for a Leisure Services contract. Prior to initiating the procurement, the Council is undertaking a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) Exercise. The Council is currently preparing a scope of requirements for the appointment of an Operator to manage and operate its leisure facilities, principally the Bangor Aurora Aquatic and Leisure Complex (AULC) and Queens Leisure Complex (QLC) (excluding the community centre footprint at QLC), together with the delivery of an Active Communities Programme encompassing sport and physical activity development and community outreach. The project aims to deliver six core Strategic Objectives spanning Active and Healthy Communities, Inclusive and Accessible Leisure for All, Active Opportunities Across the Life Course, Strong and Effective Partnerships, Enhanced Customer Experience and Engagement, and Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero Contribution. Prior to initiating any procurement, the Council wishes to involve suppliers in a preliminary market engagement. Revenue The scope of the arrangement includes but is not limited to the operation, maintenance and management of the specified sport and leisure facilities. Responsibilities The responsibilities of the Operator will include, but not be limited to: * Operating and maintaining the Facilities to a high standard in accordance with the Services Specification and Minimum Opening Hours; * Employing, training and managing sufficient suitably qualified staff, including safeguarding, health and safety and customer service compliance across all roles; * Delivering the Active Communities Programme in partnership with the Council, targeting inactive and under-represented groups, and employing a dedicated Active Communities officer to lead its outreach work as a minimum requirement; * Funding and delivering reactive maintenance and planned preventative maintenance (including statutory compliance and testing) under an agreed annual schedule, with the Council retaining funding and strategic control of lifecycle and capital maintenance works; * Proposing and delivering capital investment over the contract term, aligned to the condition and lifecycle requirements of the Facilities, which may include fitness equipment replacement and upgrades, ICT and digital systems, energy efficiency improvements, minor facility improvements and refurbishments, customer experience enhancements and programme-enabling infrastructure; * Supporting delivery of the Council's carbon reduction targets and sustainability objectives, including proposing energy efficiency investments where identified. Costs Subject to commercial terms to be agreed between the parties, the Operator will fund and/or contribute to: (i) staffing, training and accreditation costs; (ii) reactive maintenance and planned preventative maintenance, excluding lifecycle and capital maintenance works which will be funded by the Council; (iii) ICT, booking and data management systems; and (iv) capital investment proposals as set out in the Operator's Capital Investment Plan. This preliminary market engagement is being conducted pursuant to section 16 of the Procurement Act 2023 for the purposes of: (a) developing the Council's requirements and approach to the procurement; (b) designing conditions of participation and award criteria; (c) preparing the tender notice and associated tender documents; and (d) identifying suppliers capable of performing the proposed contract.

Planning Information

Any interested suppliers are required to submit their response through the eTendersNI secure messaging area of the Call for Tender (CfT) Ref: 6684495. All correspondence in relation to this Pre-Market Engagement exercise will be communicated via the CfT secure messaging area on eTendersNI. Suppliers are required to submit their completed Questionnaire no later than 12noon, Friday 11 September 2026. The pre-market engagement is intended to facilitate high-level conversations to identify potential interested suppliers and capabilities to inform the Council's procurement approach. A summary of the opportunity is detailed in the brochure that can be found with the Documents area for the CfT Ref: 6684495 on eTendersNI. To register on eTendersNI and access both the brochure and the questionnaire, please use the following link: https://etendersni.gov.uk The Council intends to invite interested suppliers to a virtual information session on 2 September 2026. Council officers and advisors will discuss the forthcoming opportunity and process. Interested suppliers are also asked to complete a questionnaire. The Council would request that suppliers express their intent to attend the virtual pre-market engagement information session before 12noon on 28 August 2026 by sending a confirmation message via the CfT Ref: 6684495 messaging area on the eTendersNI platform. Please include the following details in your message: • Full Name • Contact details (E-mail and phone number) The Council will also facilitate site visits at the relevant facilities for prospective suppliers during the PME period, if requested. If a site visit is requested during the PME phase, please highlight this via the messaging area of the Call for Tender (CfT) Ref: 6684495 on eTendersNI. The Council's intention is to commence a competitive tender process using the Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 through eTendersNI. Interested suppliers will not be advantaged or prejudiced by participation or non-participation in the pre-market engagement. In accordance with section 82 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Council will take all reasonable steps to ensure that no conflict of interest puts any supplier at an unfair advantage or disadvantage in relation to this procurement. To ensure a level playing field for all parties and without breaching commercial confidentiality, all relevant information shared or gathered during this engagement will be made available to all potential suppliers as part of the forthcoming competitive tender process. This market engagement process does not commit the Council to any course of action and is not a formal part of the tender process that will follow. The Council has prepared a conflicts assessment in accordance with section 83 of the Procurement Act 2023 and will keep this under review throughout the procurement process pursuant to section 81 of the Act. This Notice is for information purposes only. In conducting this procurement, the Council will have regard to the procurement objectives set out in section 12 of the Procurement Act 2023, including delivering value for money, maximising public benefit, sharing information for transparency, and acting with integrity. The Council will keep records of all communications and material decisions made during this preliminary market engagement in accordance with section 98 of the Procurement Act 2023.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e71d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078827-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

50 - Repair and maintenance services

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

50000000 - Repair and maintenance services

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
28 Sep 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2028 - 1 Apr 2038 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
Ards and North Down 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
BANGOR
Postcode
BT20 4BT
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN09 Ards and North Down
Delivery Location
TLN09 Ards and North Down
Local Authority
Ards and North Down
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
North Down

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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