Ashton Town Centre - Development Partner Procurement

Link to brochure - procontract.due-north.com/Advert ↗

Link to questionnaire - forms.office.com/r/Bx73bViuc4 ↗

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council ("the Council"), supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority ("GMCA"), Homes England and Transport for Greater Manchester ("TfGM"), intends to procure a long-term private sector Development Partner capable of supporting

the Council to deliver the Vision and Project Goals through a Contractual Joint Venture (also known as a Master Development Agreement).

The programme envisages:

Plot-by-Plot drawdown of land once planning, funding and construction conditions are satisfied.

The creation of mixed tenure residential neighbourhoods, employment space, leisure, health and community assets.

The Council proposes to utilise a Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. The process will be lean, transparent and dialogue-led, seeking a best-in-class partner with the requisite financial standing, expertise and alignment with the Council's Vision and Project Goals.

The Council are undertaking this preliminary market engagement to consult with potential Development Partners to inform approach. This will not be defined as dialogue or negotiation and any future tender process will remain a competitive process.

The preliminary market engagement is being carried out under the provisions of Regulation 16 of the Procurement Act 2023.

Involvement in this preliminary market engagement will not preclude any organisation from participating in any future tender process.

Objectives

The primary objectives of this preliminary market engagement:

Inform the market of the upcoming opportunity

Gain insight and feedback in to:

• The scale of opportunity and land categories
• The significance of shopping centre acquisitions
• Delivery structures
• Developer working capital and early-stage funding
• Public sector financial support
• Procurement process
• Risks & dependencies
• Next steps

The Council will, where appropriate, use the information gathered to inform the tender documentation in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

The Council are seeking responses to 8 questions as part of this preliminary market engagement to be completed and returned by 17:00 on Friday 19th September. Please refer to the Soft Market Testing brochure for further details, available via the Chest - procontract.due-north.com/Advert ↗

The questionnaire can be accessed here: forms.office.com/r/Bx73bViuc4 ↗