Selection of an Operator to manage the Council’s five Health and Leisure Centres on behalf of New Fo...

The Council is seeking to select and appoint an Operator with experience, know-how and track record in the delivery of the public sector strategic outcomes, day to day operational management of leisure facilities, asset maintenance and Active Lifestyle programme. The Council will procure this contract using the principles of the OJEU Competitive Procedure with Negotiation which consists of three phases:
• Phase 1 - EOI - Obtain expressions of interest from potential operators
• Phase 2 - ITN – Invitation to Negotiation process with shortlisted operators
• Phase 3 - BAFO – Invite final offers from operators post negotiation phase

New Forest District Council advertises contract opportunities via the South East Business Portal (ProContract) https://sebp.due-north.com/. Suppliers can register free of charge on the Portal. Interested parties should follow the links to New Forest District Council to register interest in the opportunity and download the information pack. If you have the experience we are looking for and are excited about our vision you can express interest by completing the EOI Supplier Self Declaration response form (which should be downloaded) and then upload to ProContract by the EOI close date of Friday 18th October at 12noon. Following the close date for Phase 1 - Expressions of Interest the Council will assess the Supplier Self-Declaration submitted by candidate(s) who have responded and short-list for Phase 2 Invitations to Negotiate.

Please see Project Brief attached to EOI for full details and timeline.

In looking to the future, we are keen to attract experienced health and leisure operators to the New Forest area who have the vision to help develop and support the local economy and improve service provision to residents and visitors. We wish to identify if there are any operators who share our vision and who can capitalise on the opportunities and deliver the most sustainable proposals.

We expect that the selected operator will have freedom to operate the facilities in line with its experience and knowledge of the leisure industry whilst maintaining a high level of service for the community. This is expected to include careful management of expenditure but also to pursue and maximise additional revenue streams based on its review of the opportunities available within the market and customer base.

Our current expectation is that the Operator’s headline responsibilities will include:
• Deliver leisure services that meet the needs of the local communities;
• Full facility management with responsibility for all operational aspects of the service including staff management and health and safety management;
• Responsibility for all income generation including programming, pricing and marketing;
• Responsibility for day-to-day running costs, including repair and maintenance;
• Public liability, employer’s liability and contents insurance responsibilities (in line with landlord/tenant arrangement);
• The transfer of all Health & Leisure staff in line with TUPE regulations;
• Options for one-off investment including possible spend-to-save projects funded by the Operator or jointly with the Council;
• Working with the Council to deliver better health and wellbeing outcomes.