---
title: "The Appointment of a Managing Agent for Sunderland City Council Business Centres"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-059e7b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-059e7b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059e7b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059e7b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SUNDERLAND CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-05-01"
---

# The Appointment of a Managing Agent for Sunderland City Council Business Centres

Buyer: SUNDERLAND CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-059e7b

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## Summary

Sunderland City Council has completed the procurement process to appoint a Managing Agent for its Business Centres, including Evolve Business Centre, Sunderland Software Centre, and Washington Business Centre. This contract is within the services industry and is located in Sunderland, UK (Region UKC23). The procurement stage is noted as complete, with the contract awarded to the North East Business and Innovation Centre Limited, starting from 1st May 2026 and spanning an initial term of five years, with the possibility of extension up to a total of ten years. The procurement followed a selective method through a Competitive Flexible Procedure, aligning with the legal basis provided by the UKPGA 2023/54.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for companies specialising in strategic and operational management services, marketing and leasing, ICT services, as well as maintenance and development. Businesses equipped to offer comprehensive property management and business development support will find this contract ideally suited to their expertise. The £4.9 million contract can provide a substantial platform for businesses aiming to expand their presence and capabilities in the public sector, particularly service providers already versed in managing business facilities or those in pursuit of collaboration with local government to foster economic growth in the region. The procurement structure supports the engagement of SMEs, enhancing opportunities for smaller enterprises with innovative approaches to business centre management.

## Notice

Sunderland City Council ("the Contracting Authority" and/ or "the Council") is intending to appoint a Managing Agent to provide a range of key services at its Business Centres ("the Centres") namely, Evolve Business Centre, Sunderland Software Centre, and Washington Business Centre. The Managing Agent will be required to deliver all the services for the Council in relation to the Centres as more particularly described within the Specification as included in the procurement documents (together "the Services"). The contract shall operate for an initial term of five years, with the option to thereafter extend the contract (at the Council's absolute discretion) for a further period or periods up to a maximum of five years.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The Council at its discretion, may consider the inclusion of additional requirements over the duration of the agreement with the Managing Agent, including the potential provision of additional management services in relation to the Centres and/or the potential incorporation into the contract at a future date of other properties owned by the Council and/or its subsidiary companies.

Renewal: The Council is anticipating entering into a contract with the Managing Agent for an initial term of five years, with the option to extend the contract (at the Council's absolute discretion) for a further period or periods up to five years.

### Planning Information

As part of this exercise Sunderland City Council would welcome feedback regarding the draft Specification and other relevant information as outlined within the Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire.
The purpose of this preliminary market engagement is to gather pre-procurement supplier insight regarding this proposed opportunity, including the draft Specification, the procurement timetable and the general delivery model under the potential appointment.
Draft documentation and a Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire is available via the Open System by the following reference:
https://www.open-uk.org/
Open Project Number - Project # OPEN20251574
Important Notes
Please note that the draft Specification and any information provided by the Council as part of this engagement (including without limitation this Questionnaire and the draft timetable) is indicative only and of a preliminary nature only. 
The Council shall not be bound by any information provided as part of this engagement and reserves the right to revise and update any information, documents and the timetable prior to the commencement of the subsequent procurement process.
Similarly, any information provided by Suppliers as part of this engagement will be treated as indicative only and will not form part of any subsequent evaluation under the formal procurement process.
Suppliers will not be bound by any information submitted in response to this Questionnaire.
To ensure a fair, open, and transparent competition at a future date, any market insights gathered during this engagement may be shared in an anonymised and summary form as part of the subsequent procurement process.
Completed questionnaires must be returned electronically via Open.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040683-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 31 Oct 2025 |
| Future notice date | 6 Oct 2025 |
| Award date | 24 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 30 Apr 2026 - 30 Apr 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £5,000,000 |
| Lots value | £5,000,000 |
| Awards value | £4,932,825 |
| Contracts value | £4,932,825 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SUNDERLAND CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | SUNDERLAND |
| Post town | Sunderland |
| Postcode | SR1 3AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC44 Sunderland |
| Local authority | Sunderland |
| Electoral ward | Millfield |
| Westminster constituency | Sunderland Central |
| Delivery location | TLC23 Sunderland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | NORTH EAST BUSINESS AND INNOVATION CENTRE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 48 - Software package and information systems
- 50 - Repair and maintenance services
- 70 - Real estate services
- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 48200000 - Networking, Internet and intranet software package
- 50300000 - Repair, maintenance and associated services related to personal computers, office equipment, telecommunications and audio-visual equipment
- 50700000 - Repair and maintenance services of building installations
- 70300000 - Real estate agency services on a fee or contract basis
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

## Release History

- 1 May 2026 at 14:52 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040683-2026
- 24 Feb 2026 at 17:33 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016676-2026
- 8 Oct 2025 at 18:49 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063497-2025
- 19 Sep 2025 at 16:35 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058277-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040683-2026
  1st May 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016676-2026
  24th February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063497-2025
  8th October 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058277-2025
  19th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.open-uk.org/
  The opportunity can be accessed via the NEPO eTender system, Open. Suppliers wishing to be considered for this Contract must register their expression of interest and submit the PSQ through the Open eTendering System. If not already registered, suppliers should register on the NEPO eTendering System at https://www.open-uk.org/ PSQ responses must be submitted using the link above. Responses submitted via postal or email methods will not be accepted. If you need technical assistance from the Open Support team, this can be requested via open.support@nepo.org The Contracting Authority reserves the right to vary, amend, update and supplement any aspect of the associated tender documents and final details and versions of the associated tender documents will be provided via the Open eTender system to those suppliers who are successful in being selected to participate in the subsequent tender stage of the procurement process.

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.open-hub.org/training
- https://www.openhub.org/training

## 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-059e7b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059e7b.json.