---
title: "Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for a Framework for Fitness Companies and/or Pool Based Fitness Companies to deliver exercise classes and other sessions in Leisure Facilities and Community Settings within County Durham"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-04-01"
---

# Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for a Framework for Fitness Companies and/or Pool Based Fitness Companies to deliver exercise classes and other sessions in Leisure Facilities and Community Settings within County Durham

Buyer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d.json)

## Summary

Durham County Council is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process for creating a framework designed to engage fitness companies, including both gym-based and pool-based providers, to deliver exercise classes and sessions in leisure facilities and community settings across County Durham. This initiative, under the preliminary market engagement phase, aims to consolidate informal agreements into a formal framework to improve consistency and quality. The procurement aligns with the industry category of "Sporting services" as per CPV classification 92600000. Key dates include a deadline of 24th April 2026 for responding to written questions, and the formal tender submissions are anticipated to begin on 15th May 2026. The framework is scheduled to commence on 1st August 2026 and conclude by 31st July 2030.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs). With a planned framework value estimated at £960,000 over four years, it provides a lucrative opportunity for fitness companies to expand their offerings within County Durham. Businesses specialising in sporting services, keen on delivering high-quality exercise programmes in community and leisure settings, will be well-suited to participate in this tender. The engagement phase allows these providers to offer feedback and suggestions that could influence the final tender, ensuring that future offers are well-aligned with market needs and expectations.

## Notice

The Council are inviting suppliers to participate in preliminary engagement to gain insight from the market with the purpose of making any potential future framework opportunity well framed, feasible, focused and of likely interest to the market. We are seeking interest from fitness companies, including gym based and pool based, who are interested in delivering exercise classes within our Leisure Facilities and Community Settings across County Durham. A variety of informal agreements are currently in place across the Council. We now intend to formalise these arrangements by establishing a new framework that will support improved consistency and quality. This notice forms part of our preliminary market engagement, offering you the opportunity to share feedback and comments before the framework is released for formal tender submissions. Please note the contract value is based on the total framework value over a 4 year period and is expected to include a range of providers, so this opportunity is particularly suitable for SMEs.

### Planning Information

Interested providers can access the written response questions, free of charge, by registering with open-uk.org
The deadline for completed responses is Friday 24th April 2026 at 12 noon.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030604-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 15 May 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £800,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | DURHAM |
| Post town | Durham |
| Postcode | DH1 5WB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham |
| Local authority | County Durham |
| Electoral ward | Framwellgate and Newton Hall |
| Westminster constituency | City of Durham |
| Delivery location | TLC14 Durham |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

### Codes

- 92600000 - Sporting services

## Release History

- 1 Apr 2026 at 16:16 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030604-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030604-2026
  1st April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.durham.gov.uk/
- 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-067b3d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067b3d.json.