Official UK procurement notice
All Weather 3G Surface Replacement
Authority: Cardiff University (Education)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionCardiff University is undertaking early market engagement to inform the development of its upcoming procurement for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a replacement 3G artificial turf pitch and warm-up area at the Cardiff University Sport Fields – Llanrumney (CF3 4JN)
The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that all elements of the installation are fit for purpose and suitable for intensive university, community and performance sport use.
The project will include the following elements, but not limited to:
- Removal and disposal of the existing artificial turf surface and associated materials.
- Potential inspection and assessment of the existing base construction and shockpad.
- Supply and installation of a replacement 3G Artificial Turf Pitch.
- Supply and installation of an associated 3G artificial turf warm-up area.
- Installation of all required sports line markings.
- Testing, certification and commissioning of the completed facility.
- Provision of warranties, maintenance guidance and operation manuals.
- Handover of all certification and compliance documentation.
The objectives for the engagement are:
- To establish the level of interest in the tender opportunity
- To gain an understanding of your experience of similar contracts, incorporating any lessons learnt to drive improvements.
- To listen, reflect and mitigate any foreseeable risks within the proposed contract tender exercise to ensure that the service delivered at Cardiff University remains customer centric, efficient and offers value for money.
- To inform the University’s final tender strategy, specification refinement, and commercial model.
The pre-market engagement event will be held on 12th August 2026 at Cardiff University Sport Fields. This will involve a guided tour of the facility that we are looking to resurface, with a brief overview provided of the whole site and insight into its normal operation
Suppliers interested in attending the pre-market engagement event must complete and return the registration form via the correspondence function on the Universities e-tender portal In-Tend.
in-tendhost.co.uk/cardiffuniversity/ ↗
Suppliers will be limited to 2 attendees. The deadline for registering attendance at the event is 12 Noon, 6th August 2026. Interested suppliers will be provided with a timeslot following the registration deadline. The University reserves the right to reject an application to attend sent after this time.
Following this presentation, a questionnaire will be published on the tendering portal to gain insights from suppliers. The deadline for returning this questionnaire is Friday 21st August 2026. The University reserves the right to reject a response sent after this time.
This stage does not formally commence a procurement process. Participation in this pre-market engagement is voluntary and will not provide any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent tender process.
The University anticipates refining the scope and commercial structure following this pre market Engagement. Insights gained will inform the final tender documentation.
CPV: Artificial grass · Landscaping work for sports grounds and recreational areas · Repair and maintenance work in connection with sports facilities · Repair work on sports fields · Sports fields maintenance services · Sports goods and equipment
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedPipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Cardiff University buys Building demolition and wrecking work and earthmoving work (CPV 4511), and who usually turns up
Cardiff University’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Building demolition and wrecking work and earthmoving work (CPV 4511) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means registered in Wales (Cymru).
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside Wales (Cymru).
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 42 days of the bid deadline.
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.
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.
1 bid9% / 38%
2–347% / 25%
4–635% / 25%
7+9% / 13%
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.
Below estimate54% / 33%
Within ±2%13% / 33%
Above estimate33% / 33%
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.
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 4511Published estimate£240k
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. The bar shows 118 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid14%
2–338%
4–634%
7+14%
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.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
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.
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.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
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.
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.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
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- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Works
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- 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
- 29 Jul 2026, 16:34 BST
- Last source update
- 29 Jul 2026, 16:34 BST
- Authority reference
CU.2245.GD- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-071876- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d6e5Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
29 Jul 2026 → 23 Feb 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published84 days ago29 Jul 2026, 16:34 BST
- Market engagement61 days ago21 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
Cardiff University is undertaking early market engagement to inform the development of its upcoming procurement for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a replacement 3G artificial turf pitch and warm-up area at the Cardiff University Sport Fields – Llanrumney (CF3 4JN)
The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that all elements of the installation are fit for purpose and suitable for intensive university, community and performance sport use.
The project will include the following elements, but not limited to:
- Removal and disposal of the existing artificial turf surface and associated materials.
- Potential inspection and assessment of the existing base construction and shockpad.
- Supply and installation of a replacement 3G Artificial Turf Pitch.
- Supply and installation of an associated 3G artificial turf warm-up area.
- Installation of all required sports line markings.
- Testing, certification and commissioning of the completed facility.
- Provision of warranties, maintenance guidance and operation manuals.
- Handover of all certification and compliance documentation.
The objectives for the engagement are:
- To establish the level of interest in the tender opportunity
- To gain an understanding of your experience of similar contracts, incorporating any lessons learnt to drive improvements.
- To listen, reflect and mitigate any foreseeable risks within the proposed contract tender exercise to ensure that the service delivered at Cardiff University remains customer centric, efficient and offers value for money.
- To inform the University’s final tender strategy, specification refinement, and commercial model.
The pre-market engagement event will be held on 12th August 2026 at Cardiff University Sport Fields. This will involve a guided tour of the facility that we are looking to resurface, with a brief overview provided of the whole site and insight into its normal operation
Suppliers interested in attending the pre-market engagement event must complete and return the registration form via the correspondence function on the Universities e-tender portal In-Tend.
in-tendhost.co.uk/cardiffuniversity/ ↗
Suppliers will be limited to 2 attendees. The deadline for registering attendance at the event is 12 Noon, 6th August 2026. Interested suppliers will be provided with a timeslot following the registration deadline. The University reserves the right to reject an application to attend sent after this time.
Following this presentation, a questionnaire will be published on the tendering portal to gain insights from suppliers. The deadline for returning this questionnaire is Friday 21st August 2026. The University reserves the right to reject a response sent after this time.
This stage does not formally commence a procurement process. Participation in this pre-market engagement is voluntary and will not provide any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent tender process.
The University anticipates refining the scope and commercial structure following this pre market Engagement. Insights gained will inform the final tender documentation.
- Tender notice expected28 days ago23 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 124 days23 Feb 2027
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published29 Jul 2026, 16:34 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender