---
title: "Spinnaker Tower Operator"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05e0a1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05e0a1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05e0a1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05e0a1.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-07-16"
---

# Spinnaker Tower Operator

Buyer: PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05e0a1

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## Summary

Portsmouth City Council has awarded a contract for the management of the Spinnaker Tower, a landmark located at the Gunwharf Quays shopping centre in Portsmouth, UK. The procurement process, carried out through a competitive flexible procedure, resulted in the selection of Gunwharf Quays Limited as the successful supplier. This tender, part of the public authority's initiative per Section 8 of the UK's Procurement Act 2023, seeks a 25-year contract commencing on 11th October 2026, following an evaluation of bids in July 2026. Key dates include the standstill period from 16th July to 27th July 2026 and the contract's estimated value, which could significantly increase from the current estimate of £90 million turnover over 25 years. The procurement spans various industry categories, including entertainment building construction, retail trade services, and commercial property management services.

The award presents extensive opportunities for business growth, requiring the operator to maintain the Tower as a vibrant tourist attraction. Businesses with expertise in hospitality, leisure, and facilities management could benefit from this opportunity to expand their portfolios or enter this lucrative sector. With responsibilities ranging from visitor attraction management to implementing diverse revenue streams such as dining, retail, and cultural events, the tender enables operators to leverage Portsmouth’s considerable visitor traffic for substantial revenue potential. The Council encourages innovative proposals, particularly those that can enhance visitor experience and operational efficiency while fostering local economic growth and community engagement. This is an ideal opportunity for operators with proven experience in running high-footfall visitor attractions, and those who excel in dynamic marketing and customer experience strategies.

## Notice

Portsmouth City Council - the 'Council - has sought tenders from suitably qualified and experienced operators for the operation of the Spinnaker Tower - the 'Tower' - on a long term mutually incentivised concession partnership basis. Following completion of the tender assessment process the Council has issued assessment summaries to the successful and unsuccessful suppliers as required under Section 50 of the Procurement Act 23 (the 'Act'). Issuing of this Award Notice will now instigate the statutory Standstill Period which will not be less than eight-working days in accordance with section 51 of the Act. The Council reserves the right to amend (extend) the Standstill Period if needed. If this right is exercised, the Contract Award Notice will be updated and affected suppliers will be notified accordingly. After the Standstill Period has expired, and provided no legal challenge has been made by the end of the Standstill Period, the Council intends to finalise terms and enter into contract with the Successful Supplier. Following execution of contract the Council will issue a further Contract Details Notice in accordance with Section 53 of the Act. The Spinnaker Tower is located on the waterfront within Gunwharf Quays shopping centre and is a prominent landmark offering views of the city, the Solent and the Isle of Wight. Under the new contract the primary function of the Tower must remain a public viewing tower, to be open in line with hours set out within the Council's specification. Following finalisation of terms and execution of contract the Successful Supplier will be required to seamlessly commence operations under a lease with associated concession arrangement from 11th October 2026 following expiry of the lease held with the current incumbent operator on 10th October 2026. The lease and associated concession contract will be let on a 25-year basis.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The Council reserves the right to engage the next placed highest scoring Supplier (ranked 2nd) to deliver the Concession Contract in the event that any of the following events occur during the award, mobilisation and delivery of the services during the term of the contract: * The Council is unable to agree and execute terms of Concession Contract with the preferred Supplier identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders * The preferred Supplier identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders fails to mobilise and commence the services in line with the agreed programme, or is significantly delayed in meeting programme milestones and is highly likely to not commence services in line with the agreed programme * The Concession Contract with the preferred Supplier identified through evaluation of the submitted tenders is terminated due to: o Material breach. o Non-material persistent breach. o Failure to meet service levels and KPIs. o Not meeting Conditions of Participation - Exclusion grounds, insurance, financial standing, accreditations, etc. o Inability to agree price increases in line with terms. o Inability to agree price changes, Specification changes, event in the event of materialisation of identified known risks. The next placed supplier will only be engaged in accordance with PA 2023 and subject to the supplier evidencing ability to: * Meet all Conditions of Participation. * Deliver the requirements as set out in the Specification including for any updates made by the Council. * Honour the terms & conditions included within the original procurement. * Deliver the service delivery proposals included within their original tender submission as a minimum. * Honour the pricing elements included for within their original tender submission, subject to reasonable application of relevant CPI indices, as a minimum with a requirement to mitigate any increases where possible.

### Planning Information

PME Documentation
The following documents are available via the Council's e-sourcing solution In-Tend:
• Spinnaker Tower Operator PME Brief (this document)
• Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth - Teaser Brochure - November 2025
• For 1:1 meetings - 
o Expression of Interest Form 
o Conflict Assessment Form
PME Key Agenda Points 
The Council is keen to discuss and seek views from occupiers on the following broad points through the 1-1 meetings. The list of items is non-exhaustive and will be developed within the 1-1 meetings through open collaborative dialogue. 
The Council is also likely to adapt the discussion points following review of operational experience & business activity information included within submitted EOIs to ensure that the points raised are relevant and make the best use of time for all parties. 
Occupiers are encouraged to put forward their own items for discussion at the meeting, ideally providing this in advance either in their expression of interest form or subsequently via In-tend correspondence in advance of the 1-1 meeting. 
• Relevant experience, capacity & interest
• Options for development of the visitor offer, site uses & continuing position as a key landmark of the wider Solent region
• Promotion & marketing
• Options for operating models, roles & responsibilities, legal structures & partnership working
• Commercial options, investment, funding, return & risk 
• Competitive bidding options, process & programme
1-1 Slots, Booking Requirements & Briefing Pack
The Council is inviting suitably qualified & experienced operators to take part in exploratory 1-1 on-line Teams meetings which will take place between 24th-28th November 2025. The Council has 10 1-hour slots available. The 1-1 slots available are set out below and will be allocated on a first come first served basis to operators. 
• Meeting slot 1 - Monday 24th November 9.30 - 10.30
• Meeting slot 2 - Monday 24th November 11.00 - 12.00
• Meeting slot 3 - Monday 24th November 13.30 - 14.30
• Meeting slot 4 - Monday 24th November 15.00 - 16.00
• Meeting slot 5 - Tuesday 25th November 14.00 - 15.00
• Meeting slot 6 - Wednesday 26th November 9.30 - 10.30
• Meeting slot 7 - Wednesday 26th November 11.00 - 12.00
• Meeting slot 8 - Thursday 27th November 15.00 - 16.00
• Meeting slot 9 - Friday 28th November 9.30 - 10.30
• Meeting slot 10 - Friday 28th November 11.00 - 12.00
Interested occupiers are required to complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) and Conflict of Interest (COI) forms accessible via the council's e-sourcing system In-tend in order to book a 1-1 slot. The link to the e-tendering system can be found here - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home
The Expression of Interest and Conflict Assessment Form documents should be submitted via In-tend by no later than Friday 21st November 17:00. However, as access to 1-1 slots is limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis interested occupiers are encouraged to submit applications asap in advance of the deadline to help ensure that their 1-1 time slot preferences can be accommodated. 
Operators are required to state which meeting slots they are able to attend and state ranked order of preference for the dates and times available within their completed EOI form. Operators will be allocated their preferred slots wherever possible, but priority will be given on a first come first served basis. 
If none of the slots which are available can be accommodated by an Operator the Council may be able to make further slots available, however due to time and resource pressures this cannot be guaranteed. In the unlikely event that it is not possible to organise a 1-1 meeting, affected occupiers will be given the opportunity to provide written feedback to ensure that no interested parties are excluded from inputting into this PME exercise. 
The Council will confirm which slot has been allocated within a target lead in of 3 working days before 1-1 meeting via In-tend correspondence, dependent upon whether operators submit expressions of interest in advance of the deadline. Following confirmation by both parties the Council will issue a Teams link to the Organisation's attendees / delegates at least 1 working day before the 1-1 meeting. 
Occupiers will only be invited to attend a 1-1 meeting and receive the further documentation where: 
1) no conflicts are declared which cannot be mitigated; 
2) where the EOI form has been fully completed - including for slot preferences, business & contact information and self-certification of meeting all stated minimum business activity & experience requirements stated within the EOI form and later in this document. 
Should Operators have any questions in respect of the participation requirements, process or any other matters these must be addressed to the Council via it's e-sourcing system In-tend using the correspondence function. 
Operators should note that there is no obligation to take part in this preliminary market engagement exercise and that if they do not take part, it will not preclude them from any subsequent related competitive bidding processes. Similarly, engaging Operators will not receive preferential treatment in any competitive bidding process.
Expression of Interest
As part of their completed Expression of Interest form operators are to provide case study details of one to three relevant sites. 
Operators are encouraged to provide 3 relevant case studies, if possible, but can use just 1 case study as long as this case study meets all of the essential experience & business activity requirements set out below. Conversely providers may include for 2-3 contract case studies which individually do not meet all of the essential requirements but collectively address all of the requirements. 
Ideally case study examples put forward should relate to operational sites but planned or in-development sites can also be proposed on the condition that the operator can demonstrate that they have secured future operations. 
Similarly, case study examples should ideally also relate to sites that the operator is involved in directly delivering, however operators may also put forward sites that they are not operating on the condition that they can demonstrate that they now employ staff who in their previous employment had a key role in managing operational delivery at the site. 
The essential experience / business activity requirements that Operators will need to demonstrate within their expression of interest applications and be booked onto a 1-1 meeting are as follows:
• Operation of a regionally significant visitor / leisure attraction
• Operator day to day site operations, FM & maintenance responsibilities
• Operator customer experience responsibilities
• Operator budget formulation & management responsibilities
• Operator site 'offer' development, marketing & promotion activities
• Operator sales & demand risk 
As set out in the EOI form, case study information can be provided via links to relevant web pages or pre-existing material rather than producing necessarily producing bespoke new material for this PME exercise.
Where minimal information is provided and the application is purely on a self-certification basis, the Council may request further information prior to confirming and / or conducting the 1-1 session.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067477-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 5 Jun 2026 |
| Future notice date | 7 Apr 2026 |
| Award date | 12 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 10 Oct 2026 - 10 Oct 2051 |
| Recurrence | 2050-10-06 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £168,161,103 |
| Lots value | £168,161,103 |
| Awards value | £106,000,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | PORTSMOUTH |
| Post town | Portsmouth |
| Postcode | PO1 2AL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ31 Portsmouth |
| Local authority | Portsmouth |
| Electoral ward | Charles Dickens |
| Westminster constituency | Portsmouth South |
| Delivery location | TLJ31 Portsmouth |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | GUNWHARF QUAYS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 45 - Construction work
- 50 - Repair and maintenance services
- 51 - Installation services (except software)
- 55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
- 63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services
- 70 - Real estate services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services
- 92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services
- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 45212170 - Entertainment building construction work
- 45212310 - Construction work for buildings relating to exhibitions
- 45212350 - Buildings of particular historical or architectural interest
- 45212421 - Restaurant construction work
- 45212423 - Cafeteria construction work
- 45212500 - Kitchen or restaurant conversion
- 45213112 - Shop units construction work
- 45262700 - Building alteration work
- 45330000 - Plumbing and sanitary works
- 45350000 - Mechanical installations
- 45420000 - Joinery and carpentry installation work
- 45432100 - Floor laying and covering work
- 45442110 - Painting work of buildings
- 45442121 - Painting work of structures
- 45442180 - Repainting work
- 45442300 - Surface-protection work
- 45443000 - Facade work
- 45451000 - Decoration work
- 45452000 - Exterior cleaning work for buildings
- 45453100 - Refurbishment work
- 50750000 - Lift-maintenance services
- 50850000 - Repair and maintenance services of furniture
- 50882000 - Repair and maintenance services of restaurant equipment
- 51100000 - Installation services of electrical and mechanical equipment
- 55300000 - Restaurant and food-serving services
- 55400000 - Beverage-serving services
- 55900000 - Retail trade services
- 63513000 - Tourist information services
- 63514000 - Tourist guide services
- 70332200 - Commercial property management services
- 79340000 - Advertising and marketing services
- 90911200 - Building-cleaning services
- 90911300 - Window-cleaning services
- 92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services
- 98350000 - Civic-amenity services

## Release History

- 16 Jul 2026 at 20:33 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067477-2026
- 5 May 2026 at 20:58 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041264-2026
- 20 Apr 2026 at 17:02 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035839-2026
- 7 Apr 2026 at 17:44 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031677-2026
- 31 Mar 2026 at 16:40 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030036-2026
- 13 Nov 2025 at 15:10 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073620-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067477-2026
  16th July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041264-2026
  5th May 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035839-2026
  20th April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031677-2026
  7th April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030036-2026
  31st March 2026 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073620-2025
  13th November 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home

## Notice URLs

- https://www.adventureattractions.co.uk/
- https://www.landsec.com/en
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-05e0a1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05e0a1.json.