---
title: "Active Life - Kingsmead Leisure Centre ~ Catering Tender"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04c1c4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04c1c4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04c1c4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04c1c4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "ACTIVE LIFE – KINGSMEAD LEISURE CENTRE"
published: "2024-12-03"
---

# Active Life - Kingsmead Leisure Centre ~ Catering Tender

Buyer: ACTIVE LIFE – KINGSMEAD LEISURE CENTRE  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04c1c4

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## Summary

Active Life, operating out of Kingsmead Leisure Centre in Canterbury, invites tenders for a catering concession contract to commence in April 2024. The contract, valued at £2,375,000, targets the provision of catering services within the recently refurbished leisure centre. This procurement, classified under CPV code 55520000, follows a two-stage restricted procedure; initial submissions are due by 20 December 2024, with selected candidates invited to tender from 13 January 2025. The centre, located in the UK South East region (Kent), boasts high footfall and a strategic location that includes a café accessible to both leisure and non-leisure visitors.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses, particularly SMEs, to engage in a lucrative operation within a high-footfall area. With a five-year minimum contract term and potential for extension, businesses can ensure long-term growth and stability. Ideal candidates include local entrepreneurs, regional catering firms, and broader-reaching organisations with the capability to meet diverse customer needs, provide a balanced menu, and deliver high-quality service. The contract also includes opportunities to cater for events at the centre, adding further business potential. Companies adept at innovative catering solutions and strong partnership capabilities will find this an excellent growth opportunity.

## Notice

Active Life, a leading Leisure service provider, are targeting the appointment of an outsourced caterer to commence in April 2024 to take on an operating lease/ concession at Kingsmead Leisure Centre. In order to work to this timescale, we are following a two stage restricted tender process (SQ submissions by all interested parties then shortlist suppliers for the Invitation to Tender (ITT)).

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The successful Supplier will be required to provide catering services in a catering concession at Kingsmead Leisure Centre in Canterbury. The Leisure centre has just been refurbished with in excess of PS10million invested. Kingsmead has a footfall between 40k and 50k per month with a market leading daytime group exercise programme attendees and a large swim school, which both drive footfall throughout each day. Pre- refurbishment, the cafe was self-operated and generated significant revenues upon which good net margins were consistently achieved. There are no existing employees designated for catering and therefore TUPE is not expected to apply. The cafe is situated pre barrier - meaning it can be accessed additionally by non-leisure users and has a small terrace outside facing onto gardens and the centre carpark. The cafe has been significantly redesigned and upgraded as can be seen in the attached photos, but will require inward investment from the caterer in terms of refrigeration, prime cooking, further tables and chairs to find the optimum layout and further display materials and signage. Due to the cafe's location it is possible to inspect the area to get a feel for possibility without appointment, however there will be a formal site visit and bidders meeting for those shortlisted for the main Invitation to tender (ITT) when full details of the opportunity within the ITT will be explained. The expectation is that the catering operation will function only within the centre opening times, and be a complementary service adding value to the loyal members and visitors. The minimum expectation for contract term will be five years, and the ITT will allow for proposals to go beyond that term (subject to satisfactory performance and mutual agreement to allow longer depreciation of contractor assets). It is anticipated that the ITT will look for bidders to propose basic annual fixed tenure fees, with additional royalty % on achievement of sales levels to help. To enable this, open book accountancy practices will be followed. Services, notably Electricity, Gas and Water will all be metered and chargeable to the successful bidder on consumption at agreed market rates. The rent and royalty arrangement offered via the tender and payment for services are expected to be the only external charges applicable. Alongside operation of the cafe, the agreement with the preferred cater will have the opportunity to cater to events within the centre, which could be promoted by the centre themselves or promoted by the catering operator. Any additional service points via vended offers for out of hours will be defined in the main ITT specification these may well be out of scope). Active Life, the client, will consider all applications from local entrepreneurs and SME's alongside regional and wider reaching catering organisations and expect the ITT process to find a trustworthy and long-term concession partner to develop the service in a number of ways: *To find ways of understanding/interpreting and meeting the differing needs of customers at different times of the day - from coffee/healthy & treat snacking, to proteinous and carbohydrate loading through the day, to options for parents and kids before or after swim school *A balance of popular fayre and healthy options (to help promote healthier lifestyles) *A menu offer that is attractive, seasonal and seen as value for money *Increased skills and confidence in the catering team and ongoing effort in building partnership with the client *Better communication with centre staff, members and visitors to develop trust by addressing all aspects of the customer journey, from card loading, menu presentation, marketing/ promotion and merchandising to point of sale See SQ document for further information Additional information: To respond to this opportunity please click here: https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/F58P6A87A4

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038884-2024 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Restricted procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Dec 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 20 Dec 2024 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2025 - 31 Mar 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £2,375,000 |
| Lots value | £2,375,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Active |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ACTIVE LIFE – KINGSMEAD LEISURE CENTRE |
| Locality | CANTERBURY |
| Post town | Canterbury |
| Postcode | CT2 7PH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ44 East Kent |
| Local authority | Canterbury |
| Electoral ward | Northgate |
| Westminster constituency | Canterbury |
| Delivery location | TLJ4 Kent |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services

### Codes

- 55520000 - Catering services

## Release History

- 3 Dec 2024 at 12:05 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038884-2024

## Notice URLs

- https://litmustms.co.uk/respond/F58P6A87A4
- https://litmustms.co.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Canterbury:-Catering-services./F58P6A87A4
- https://www.kingsmeadleisurecentre.co.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-04c1c4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04c1c4.json.