Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Capital Playground Scheme - Herne Bay

Authority: Canterbury City Council (Local council)

WorksBelow threshold - open competitionBelow thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£225,000≈ £180k / year · £270,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 13 Nov 202612:00 GMT · 42d 1h left
Clarification cut-off 8 Nov 202617:00 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 1 yr 3 mostarts 1 Jan 2027
Bids per lot · this authority 5all categories · n=24 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Canterbury City Council wishes to select and appoint 1 suitable supplier for the delivery of 3 Playground Refurbishment Schemes in 2027/28 and invites tenderers to submit a tender to meet the Council’s requirements. The Council will be evaluating the headline scheme and will award the contract on the outcome of this evaluation. The remaining schemes form part of the awarded contract and details regarding the design will be issued at a later point in 2026. The First Playground will be evaluated using the scoring evaluation matrix. The company achieving the highest score will be awarded the tender (a single company). All 3 schemes are required to be delivered and completed between March 2027 and end March 2028. Herne Bay Seafront play area scheme is to be delivered prior to June 2027. Collins Road and Honeysuckle Way play areas to be delivered between July 2027 and March 2028. Tendering companies must explain how they will manage delivery of the schemes in the set period. The total budget for the 3 schemes is £225,000. Herne Bay Seafront play area headline scheme is £120,000, Collins Road play area scheme is £60,000, Honeysuckle Way play area scheme is £45,000. Pre tender public consultation has been carried out for the 3 schemes. There will be no public consultation included as part of this procurement. The specific requirements for the above are detailed within the Invitation to Tender documents. It should be noted that by submitting a tender, you confirm that you understand and can meet these requirements. It is a condition of the Invitation to Tender that all Suppliers attend an accompanied site visit which is expected to take approx 2 hours. Any contractor who does not attend one of these site visits will be disqualified from the tender process. Important Notice: Suppliers should in the first instance register themselves on the Kent Business Portal by following registration instructions. After registering suppliers are asked to express their interest in this opportunity, after which suppliers will be able to access and download all the required documents attached to this notice. Please ensure you download all documents and complete according to instructions contained. Attachments: Instructions to Suppliers: Expressions of interest will only be accepted via the Kent Business Portal (www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk). Note that in order to successfully submit your interest you will first need to register for an account on the portal. After registration is complete and you've received your login details you should return to the advert for the opportunity and express your interest. You will then receive an email giving you a link to the documentation provided and be able to access the tender documents. The tender documents are required to be completed and submitted electronically via the Kent Business Portal by no later than 12:00 on Friday 13 November 2026 Questions and Communication: Please direct all questions and communication through the Kent Business Portal via the message facility (once registered).

Read the full description (284 more characters)

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Canterbury:-Playground-equipment./K8KW6GNGYU

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/respond/K8KW6GNGYU

CPV: Landscaping work for playgrounds · Park and playground equipment · Playground climbing apparatus · Playground equipment · Playground merry go rounds · Playground swings

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1 1 yr 3 moSMEPublished value£225,000
Contract period: 1 Jan 2027 — 31 Mar 2028 (1 yr 3 mo)Eligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: South EastTurnover guideline: ~£360,230/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£225,000 exc. VAT · £270,000 inc. VAT
37535200 Playground equipment37535210 Playground swings37535220 Playground climbing apparatus37535230 Playground merry go rounds43325000 Park and playground equipment45112723 Landscaping work for playgrounds

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids are scored
Quality: 100%
Published sub-criteria (1)
  • Criterion 1 — 100%

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Canterbury City Council buys Playground equipment (CPV 3753) — and who usually turns up

Canterbury City Council’s own published record, next to the South East England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Playground equipment (CPV 3753) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

Canterbury City Council

contract notices in 36 months: 2 in CPV 3753 · 2 in division 37 · 48 in all categories (2 without competition)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 24 lots. 12 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 5.5) and 12 from older notices (bids received, middle 4.5).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

5all categories · 36m · n=24 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 24 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

8%all categories · 36m · n=24 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 13 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

4% belowall categories · 36m · n=13 pairs
Deadline → award date
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.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 12 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

22dall categories · 36m · n=12 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 108 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=108 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 48 notices.

Last 36 months.

4%all categories · 36m · n=48 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=24
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 24 lots on 24 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 8%
  • 2–3 21%
  • 4–6 38%
  • 7+ 33%

Middle value 5 · 24 lots on 24 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=13
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 13 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 54%
  • Within ±2% 23%
  • Above estimate 23%

13 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · delivery region

South East England · Playground equipment (CPV 3753)

contract notices delivered in South East England in 36 months: 64 in CPV 3753 (60 competed, 3 route not published) · 104 in division 37 (88 competed, 6 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 3753), last 36 months: 23 lots. 22 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 1 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4CPV 3753 · 36m · n=23 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 3753), last 36 months: 23 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

4%CPV 3753 · 36m · n=23 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 3753), last 36 months: 15 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 3753 · 36m · n=15 pairs
Deadline → award date
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.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 3753), last 36 months: 22 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

35dCPV 3753 · 36m · n=22 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 3753), last 36 months: 22 lots.

Last 36 months.

98%CPV 3753 · 36m · n=22 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 3753), last 36 months: 27 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

93%CPV 3753 · 36m · n=27 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=23
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 23 lots on 23 contested notices · CPV 3753, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 4%
  • 2–3 39%
  • 4–6 52%
  • 7+ 4%

Middle value 4 · 23 lots on 23 contested notices · CPV 3753.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=15
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 15 lot pairs · CPV 3753, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 33%
  • Within ±2% 40%
  • Above estimate 27%

15 lot pairs · CPV 3753.

robust · n=13
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 13 lots (all categories), applied to the £225,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

The middle award in Canterbury City Council (all categories, n=13 pairs) lands 4% below: on this notice’s £225,000 that is about £215,550. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Below threshold - open competition
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Below threshold
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST
Last source update
2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Landscaping work for playgroundsPark and playground equipmentPlayground climbing apparatusPlayground equipmentPlayground merry go roundsPlayground swings
Delivery area
South East (UKJ4)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077f6c Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via ProContract (Due North)
Submission portal named on this notice: ProContract (Due North) · Who buys & how to bid on ProContract
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowed
Access & registration note: Free · short registration with manual review; public opportunity list
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
8 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £225,000 excludes VAT (£270,000 including VAT).

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedjust passed
    2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 37 days
    8 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
  3. Submission deadlinein 42 days
    13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Contract startsin 91 days
    1 Jan 2027, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    2 Oct 2026, 11:06 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Canterbury City Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PXJX-9843-DLGM 14 Rose Lane, Canterbury, South East, CT1 2UR [email protected] 01227862000

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender