---
title: "Operation of the Watford Colosseum"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04afc3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04afc3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04afc3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04afc3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Watford Borough Council"
published: "2024-10-21"
---

# Operation of the Watford Colosseum

Buyer: Watford Borough Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04afc3

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## Summary

The Watford Borough Council has completed the procurement process for the operation of the Watford Colosseum, situated in Hertfordshire. This contract, valued at £37,500,000, was awarded on 30th September 2024 to Ansco Music Club Ltd. The procurement is classified under the CPV code 92000000, which pertains to recreational, cultural, and sporting services, within the services category. The goal is to appoint an operator for approximately 25 years, encompassing the full management and maintenance of the venue. This project reached the 'Award' stage on 21st October 2024, highlighting the full refurbishment and modernisation efforts to maximise the venue's performance.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses involved in event management, cultural services, and facility operations. The selected operator will deliver a varied programme of events, manage the extensive facilities of the venue, and assume responsibility for asset and utility management. Businesses adept at managing large-scale cultural or entertainment venues, those with a strong business plan for commercial success, and those capable of providing a varied public events programme would be well-suited to compete for similar future opportunities. The competitive dialogue procurement method used underlines the importance of quality, social value, and financial robustness in the selection process.

## Notice

Procurement of an operator for the Watford Colosseum for a period of up to c. 25 years. This will be on the basis of a lease and/or operating contract of the facility.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Watford Borough Council is seeking the appointment of an operator for the Watford Colosseum, to have full responsibility for managing and maintaining the venue for an operating period of c.25 years delivering a varied events programme for the benefit of the residents of Watford and wider area. The Council has a number of objectives for new Watford Colosseum operational management contract, including: -to operate the Watford Colosseum to eliminate any need for a subsidy for the facility and to provide a positive management fee payment or income to the Council -for the appointed operator to provide a commercially successful, balanced and varied public events and arts programme -to achieve greater daytime use of the Watford Colosseum, which could include use for conferences, corporate events and weddings -to provide opportunities for community and cultural use of the Watford Colosseum -transfer of risk on asset management (repair, maintenance and lifecycle replacement) to be transferred to the appointed operator. This will be achieved through a full repairing and maintenance lease and/or operating contract; and -for the appointed operator to be responsible for all utility costs and any other charges linked to the operation of the Watford Colosseum for the whole contract period (BID levy and business rates). The building facilities include: -main auditorium which has a 1,280 seat capacity and 2,440 seated and standing (2,000 standing on the event floor (440 balcony seats), 600 banquet, 420 cabaret) -cafe bar and Forum Restaurant -the Grand Lobby and a number of smaller bars -office accommodation and staff meeting room -changing rooms. The Council is currently heavily investing in the building and carrying out a full refurbishment of the interior and building systems to bring it up to modern standards and to seek to maximise its performance as a commercial venue, including reconfiguration of the bars, creation of space for selling merchandise and installation of advertising hoardings on the exterior

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033997-2024 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive dialogue |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Sep 2024 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £37,500,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Watford Borough Council |
| Locality | WATFORD |
| Postcode area | Watford |
| Postcode | WD17 3EX |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLH27 South West Hertfordshire |
| Local authority | Watford |
| Electoral ward | Park |
| Westminster constituency | Watford |
| Delivery location | TLH23 Hertfordshire CC |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Ansco Music Club Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 45 - Construction work
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

### Codes

- 45212000 - Construction work for buildings relating to leisure, sports, culture, lodging and restaurants
- 45212322 - Theatre construction work
- 79993000 - Building and facilities management services
- 92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services
- 92300000 - Entertainment services
- 92320000 - Arts-facility operation services

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2024 at 16:05 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033997-2024

## Notice URLs

- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=892665213
- https://www.watford.gov.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04afc3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04afc3.json.