Market Engagement on Southend-on-Sea Leisure Centres Contract

As part of this market engagement, Southend-on-Sea City Council (the Council) invite electronic responses from organisations who would be interested in discussing the future proposed interim contract for the provisioning of the Council’s leisure centres. The information and feedback the Council receives from the market engagement will be key in assisting the Council to further evaluate its options, validate gathered information, and assist in clarifying the type of procurement process which may be required in the future.

There are currently four leisure centres, which may be included as part of this future contract. The centres are listed below.
• Belfairs Swim Centre
• Chase Sports and Fitness Centre
• Shoeburyness Leisure Centre
• Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre

Specifically, this market engagement is seeking to help the Council gather information relating to the important technical and commercial elements which need to be addressed.
To do this, we are seeking further information, feedback and discussion with suitably experienced organisations, which have expertise managing, and successfully delivering, leisure centre services on a scale similar to those found in Southend-on-Sea.

Significant information and clarification relating to the nature and requirements of the preferred future contractual approach to the leisure centres is available via the Council’s electronic tendering facility (ETF). This significant information includes further information about the leisure centres which was not available as part of the market engagement we carried out earlier this year. It is offered to allow the organisations within the market to make an informed decision regarding this market engagement, but also to confirm the commitment of the Council to engage with the market in as open and transparent a manner as possible.

The further documentation relating to this notice and the very simple written submission required of any organisation looking to take part in this market engagement exercise, is available via:

https://procurement.southend.gov.uk/southend/portal.nsf/index.htm

Project Reference: DN738748

(For the avoidance of doubt this market engagement process is markedly different to the market engagement process we carried out earlier in the year (DN712372))

The deadline for receipt of clarification requests relating to this market engagement is: 14:00 on Friday 30 August 2024

The deadline for submission of expression of interests in regard this market engagement is: 14:00 on Friday 06 September 2024

The Council is undertaking market engagement advertised on the Find a Tender Service and on Contracts Finder. This market engagement notice is not a call for competition.