Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Capital Playground Scheme - Herne Bay

Authority: Canterbury City Council (Local council)

WorksBelow threshold - open competitionBelow thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£225,000≈ £180k / year · £270,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 13 Nov 202612:00 GMT · 16 days left
Clarification cut-off 8 Nov 202617:00 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 1 yr 3 moends 31 Mar 2028 · starts 1 Jan 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Canterbury City Council wishes to select and appoint 1 suitable supplier for the delivery of 3 Playground Refurbishment Schemes in 2027/28 and invites tenderers to submit a tender to meet the Council’s requirements. The Council will be evaluating the headline scheme and will award the contract on the outcome of this evaluation. The remaining schemes form part of the awarded contract and details regarding the design will be issued at a later point in 2026. The First Playground will be evaluated using the scoring evaluation matrix. The company achieving the highest score will be awarded the tender (a single company). All 3 schemes are required to be delivered and completed between March 2027 and end March 2028. Herne Bay Seafront play area scheme is to be delivered prior to June 2027. Collins Road and Honeysuckle Way play areas to be delivered between July 2027 and March 2028. Tendering companies must explain how they will manage delivery of the schemes in the set period. The total budget for the 3 schemes is £225,000. Herne Bay Seafront play area headline scheme is £120,000, Collins Road play area scheme is £60,000, Honeysuckle Way play area scheme is £45,000. Pre tender public consultation has been carried out for the 3 schemes. There will be no public consultation included as part of this procurement. The specific requirements for the above are detailed within the Invitation to Tender documents. It should be noted that by submitting a tender, you confirm that you understand and can meet these requirements. It is a condition of the Invitation to Tender that all Suppliers attend an accompanied site visit which is expected to take approx 2 hours. Any contractor who does not attend one of these site visits will be disqualified from the tender process. Important Notice: Suppliers should in the first instance register themselves on the Kent Business Portal by following registration instructions. After registering suppliers are asked to express their interest in this opportunity, after which suppliers will be able to access and download all the required documents attached to this notice. Please ensure you download all documents and complete according to instructions contained. Attachments: Instructions to Suppliers: Expressions of interest will only be accepted via the Kent Business Portal (www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk ↗). Note that in order to successfully submit your interest you will first need to register for an account on the portal. After registration is complete and you've received your login details you should return to the advert for the opportunity and express your interest. You will then receive an email giving you a link to the documentation provided and be able to access the tender documents. The tender documents are required to be completed and submitted electronically via the Kent Business Portal by no later than 12:00 on Friday 13 November 2026 Questions and Communication: Please direct all questions and communication through the Kent Business Portal via the message facility (once registered).

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Canter… ↗

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/respond/K8KW6GNGYU ↗

CPV: Landscaping work for playgrounds · Park and playground equipment · Playground climbing apparatus · Playground equipment · Playground merry go rounds · Playground swings

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1 1 yr 3 moSMEPublished value£225,000
Contract period: 1 Jan 2027 – 31 Mar 2028 (1 yr 3 mo)Value: £225,000 exc. VAT · £270,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: South EastEligibility: SME eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£360,230/yr≈ 2× annual value

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored
Quality: 100%
Published sub-criteria (1)
  • Criterion 1: 100%
Published award criteria (1)
  • Criterion 1

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

What this means for your bid
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £360,230 (twice the annual value).

Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Canterbury City Council buys Playground equipment (CPV 3753), and who usually turns up

Canterbury City Council’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Playground equipment (CPV 3753) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerCanterbury City Council · all categories
The marketPlayground equipment (CPV 3753) · South East England
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 63 of 65 known-size awards · market: CPV 3753 · South East England, n=17
97%100%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in South East England.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 50 of 86 known-location awards · market: CPV 3753 · South East England, n=28
58%50%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 13 decided notices · market: CPV 3753 · South East England, n=15
26 days28 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 26 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 28 of 91 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 3753 · South East England, n=28
31%21%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyer22 lots with bid counts · all categories
9% had one bid
The market15 lots with bid counts · CPV 3753 · South East England
7% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid9% / 7%
Buyer: 2 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 1 of 15 lots with published bid counts.
2–323% / 33%
Buyer: 5 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 5 of 15 lots with published bid counts.
4–632% / 53%
Buyer: 7 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 8 of 15 lots with published bid counts.
7+36% / 7%
Buyer: 8 of 22 lots with published bid counts. Market: 1 of 15 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyer12 lots with estimate and award · all categories
58% below estimate
The market12 lots with estimate and award · CPV 3753 · South East England
33% below estimate
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate58% / 33%
Buyer: 7 of 12 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 4 of 12 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%25% / 42%
Buyer: 3 of 12 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 5 of 12 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate17% / 25%
Buyer: 2 of 12 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 3 of 12 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 451115 monthsSME suitablePublished estimate£225k

This lot is listed as CPV 4511. The table above uses the notice category.

Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

4expected bids7% chance of a single bid
similar past contests in this category: 7
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid7%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 7%. This is a forecast.
2–316%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 16%. This is a forecast.
4–664%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 64%. This is a forecast.
7+13%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 13%. This is a forecast.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

Based on 5 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

£219k3% below estimate
5 comparable awards
Forecast compared with the buyer’s estimate
Middle 50%£204k–£225k
Half of likely prices fall between £203,580 and £225,000.
Estimate£225k
The buyer published an estimate of £225,000 for this lot.
A 23% chance the award lands exactly on the estimate.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

SupplierThis buyer’s earlier contractLotAward valueWhy listed
Play innovation LtdWorked for this buyerHersden Playzone (MUGA) – Refurbishment and Minor Groundworksruns to Mar 2027—£174kSimilar wording and category

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
8 wins in South East England4 panel places
£6.2m71 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago14 live · £3.1m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

at estimate n=17
1 win in South East England2 panel places
£1.4m8 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago2 live · £184k
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

at estimate n=4
1 win in South East England
£343k2 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago1 live · £174k
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

12% above n=2
2 panel places
£651k9 awards in 36m · last 8 months ago1 live · £60k
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

2% below n=3
4 wins in South East England3 panel places
£4.6m43 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago5 live · £446k
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

at estimate n=11
About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Below threshold - open competition
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Below threshold
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST
Last source update
2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-093210
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Landscaping work for playgroundsPark and playground equipmentPlayground climbing apparatusPlayground equipmentPlayground merry go roundsPlayground swings
Delivery area
South East (UKJ4)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077f6c Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via ProContract (Due North)
Submission portal named on this notice: ProContract (Due North) · Who buys & how to bid on ProContract
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowed
Access & registration note: Free · short registration with manual review; public opportunity list
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Tender submission deadline
13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
8 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £225,000 excludes VAT (£270,000 including VAT).

Timeline

2 Oct 2026 → 1 Jan 2027 · 4 dates
  1. Tender notice published25 days ago
    2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST
  2. Today
    27 Oct 2026
  3. Clarification questions byin 11 days
    8 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
  4. Submission deadlinein 16 days
    13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  5. Contract startsin 65 days
    1 Jan 2027

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST
    UK4

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Canterbury City Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PXJX-9843-DLGM 14 Rose Lane, Canterbury, South East, CT1 2URContact email, phone

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender