Official UK procurement notice
HBC NB Hastings Leisure Management Services (ESPH749)
Authority: Hastings Borough Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionHastings Borough Council is committed to securing Summerfields Leisure Centre, Falaise Gym, and White Rock Gardens for the long-term, creating a sustainable and vibrant future for leisure facilities, sport, physical activity, and active wellbeing services in Hastings.
The Council's Leisure Management Contract is for the management of the three facilities. The Council aim to enhance the leisure offer, improving health and wellbeing by reaching more people, encouraging participation from those who are less active. The Council will explore an exciting opportunity to extend the contract to include an additional space within White Rock Gardens unlocking potential for new investment to complement and enrich the leisure experience.
The Council are seeking a partner who shares our ambition to transform user experiences, promote active lifestyles, and deliver best value while reducing environmental impact, creating a modern, accessible, and financially resilient leisure service that truly reflects the pride and potential of Hastings.
The contract will be for a duration of ten years with the option to extend for a further two periods of up to five years each.
The contract will be based on a traditional, Sport England contracting model. The Council reserve the right to transition to an agency contract model during the contract term in agreement with the Supplier.
Variant bids are included in this tender. Tenderers are required to submit a tender for each variant:
- Initial Tender Base Bid: includes capital investment proposal(s) which are to be funded by the supplier.
- Mandatory Variant Bid 1: as Base Bid with Council funded facility investment.
- Mandatory Variant Bid 2: As Base Bid with Council / Lawn Tennis Association funded padel board / Tennis Facility.
Service start date is 1 October 2027. Contract start date is estimated 1 April 2027 to allow for a sufficient mobilisation period.
To aid Suppliers in deciding whether to submit a Stage 1 response, the Council has set out the award criteria for Stage 2 tenders. However, Suppliers should note that the Council reserves the right to refine the award criteria during the Procurement Process, in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023.
The Council expects to confirm details of the additional funding, delivery arrangements, and operational management of the facility during the clarification period of Stage 1 of the tender procedure or with the final solution reflected in the tender requirement for Stage 2 of the tender procedure.
The Council have right to award on the basis of initial tender’s bids, in this case the highest rank bidder becomes the preferred bidder and the Council will proceed with the award process and notices without negotiations and/or material amendments.
- How the procedure runs: The Authority is using a Competitive Flexible Procedure, (Section 20 PA23). A staged procedure has been devised consisting of up to two stages. Stage One of the process comprises a combined Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and Invitation to Submit Initial Tender (ITT). The Authority will assess the Initial Tenders and reserves the right, at its sole discretion and subject to receiving a satisfactory Initial Tender Base Bid in response to the ITT, to award the Contract at this stage. Notwithstanding the Authority’s right to award the Contract, on the basis of an Initial Tender Base Bid, following assessment of Initial Tenders the Authority may consider that negotiation is necessary in order for the Authority to receive the best and most comprehensive proposals from the Bidders. If this is the case a maximum of three Eligible Bidders will be progressed to Stage Two. If there are fewer than three Eligible Bidders the Authority reserves the right to proceed with any number less than that. Pursuant to Section 24 PA2023, the Authority reserves the right to refine the award criterion for this procurement, as set out in the ITT, as part of this competitive flexible procedure, and this may include refining the indication of the relative importance of the award criteria. The Authority may also modify the procurement in accordance with the provisions of Section 31 PA 2023. The Council reserves the right to amend and / or refine the evaluation criteria or methodology during the tendering process for stage 2. The Council reserves the right to amend the price scoring model for the Revised Tender Stage 2 in the event that the Mandatory Variant Bid option is selected as the basis of the Revised Tender Stage2 requirements. The Council have right to award on the basis of initial tender’s bids, in this case the highest rank bidder becomes the preferred bidder and the Council will proceed with the award process and notices without negotiations and/or material amendments. In the event of a single bid being received at initial tender stage the Council have the right to award the contract on any basis (variant).
CPV: Recreational, cultural and sporting services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£40,000,000
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published sub-criteria (12)
- Contract and Risk Management: 5%
- Facility Development: 10%
- Asset Management: 5%
- Staffing, Training and Development: 5%
- Service Quality and Performance Monitoring: 5%
- Programme Development and Innovation: 5%
- Active Wellbeing Service: 5%
- Customer Service: 5%
- Marketing and Pricing: 5%
- Cost / Management Fee: 40%
- Social Value: 5%
- Sustainability: 5%
Published award criteria (12)
- Contract and Risk Management
- Facility Development
- Asset Management
- Staffing, Training and Development
- Service Quality and Performance Monitoring
- Programme Development and Innovation
- Active Wellbeing Service
- Marketing and Pricing
- Customer Service
- Sustainability
- Social Value
- Cost / Management Fee
- Price carries 45 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4.5 points. Quality carries 45 of 100: the paper moves it further than the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Concession
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 24 Sept 2025, 14:35 BST
- Last source update
- 19 Jun 2026, 11:55 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Mar 2027
- Authority reference
ESPH749- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-057986- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a12fFind a Tender
- How it runs
The Authority is using a Competitive Flexible Procedure, (Section 20 PA23). A staged procedure has been devised consisting of up to two stages.
Stage One of the process comprises a combined Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and Invitation to Submit Initial Tender (ITT). The Authority will assess the Initial Tenders and reserves the right, at its sole discretion and subject to receiving a satisfactory Initial Tender Base Bid in response to the ITT, to award the Contract at this stage.
Notwithstanding the Authority’s right to award the Contract, on the basis of an Initial Tender Base Bid, following assessment of Initial Tenders the Authority may consider that negotiation is necessary in order for the Authority to receive the best and most comprehensive proposals from the Bidders. If this is the case a maximum of three Eligible Bidders will be progressed to Stage Two. If there are fewer than three Eligible Bidders the Authority reserves the right to proceed with any number less than that.
Pursuant to Section 24 PA2023, the Authority reserves the right to refine the award criterion for this procurement, as set out in the ITT, as part of this competitive flexible procedure, and this may include refining the indication of the relative importance of the award criteria. The Authority may also modify the procurement in accordance with the provisions of Section 31 PA 2023.
The Council reserves the right to amend and / or refine the evaluation criteria or methodology during the tendering process for stage 2.
The Council reserves the right to amend the price scoring model for the Revised Tender Stage 2 in the event that the Mandatory Variant Bid option is selected as the basis of the Revised Tender Stage2 requirements.
The Council have right to award on the basis of initial tender’s bids, in this case the highest rank bidder becomes the preferred bidder and the Council will proceed with the award process and notices without negotiations and/or material amendments.
In the event of a single bid being received at initial tender stage the Council have the right to award the contract on any basis (variant).
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 14 Sept 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
24 Sept 2025 → 1 Apr 2027 · 7 dates- Planning notice published399 days ago24 Sept 2025, 14:35 BST
- Market engagement383 days ago9 Oct 2025, 23:59 BST
The Council are at an early stage in development of its proposals for the Leisure Management Contract and seeks input from the market as to what might be the most advantageous way of packaging and scoping this future procurement opportunity. Prior to undertaking the formal procurement process, which is currently targeted for commencement in December 2025, the Council is seeking to undertake a preliminary market engagement exercise to review in summary:
i. Delivery of further external activities
ii. Contract length
iii. Views on procurement route
iv. Potential risk allocation
v. Potential investment schemes and funding options
vi. Views on Agency Model and how this might be explored through the tender process
vii. Views on potential variant bids
The Council wishes to engage with experienced leisure facility operators and service providers to inform the upcoming procurement process. The Council wishes to understand the current issues and opportunities facing the market in the delivery of these services.
The Council has issued a questionnaire for interested operators to complete and is available at the Council procurement portal here: in-tendhost.co.uk/esph/aspx/Home ↗
The deadline for submitting preliminary market engagement questionnaires is Friday 9th October 2025.
- Next notice expected330 days ago1 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published131 days ago19 Jun 2026, 11:55 BST
- Submission deadline44 days ago14 Sept 2026, 15:00 BST
- Today28 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 124 days1 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 154 days1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Sept 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published24 Sept 2025, 14:35 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published19 Jun 2026, 11:55 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £40,000,00019 Jun 2026, 11:55 BST
- Status changed to active19 Jun 2026, 11:55 BST
- Procurement method changed19 Jun 2026, 11:55 BST
- Deadline published: 14 Sept 2026, 15:00 BST19 Jun 2026, 11:55 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Documents available unrestricted and free of charge.
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender