Find a TenderClosedTender notice
Published 15 Jul 2026, 10:28 BST

Official UK procurement notice

EKC Group Ashford College - Phase 3.

Official notice

Authority: East Kent Colleges Group (Education)·On behalf of: THE WOODLEY COLES LLP

WorksOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£6,500,000≈ £3.3m / year · £7,800,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 14 Aug 2026
Contract term 2 yrsends 30 Sept 2028 · starts 5 Oct 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The project will deliver a new block on the Elwick Road campus, building on earlier phases to provide a three-storey extension. Phase 3 will provide circa 1,700m2 gross internal floor area to accommodate a new junior college, a Student Union 'rec room', classrooms, IT suites, staff rooms and associated ancillary space, together with two additional first-floor workshop spaces connecting into the existing Phase 2 plumbing and electrical training facilities.

The existing Student Union facilities within Phase 1 will be consolidated within the new ground-floor accommodation, with a direct relationship to a covered external area overlooking the campus grounds and memorial gardens. A simple 'grab and go' food and beverage provision is proposed within this space.

EKC Group require a Main Contractor to deliver the above scope across RIBA Stages 4 - 7.

CPV: Building construction work

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1 2 yrsSMEPublished value£6,500,000
Contract period: 5 Oct 2026 – 30 Sept 2028 (2 yrs)Value: £6,500,000 exc. VAT · £7,800,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: South EastEligibility: SME eligible
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Economic and Financial Standing:

    • Minimum turnover of £20m.
    • Professional indemnity insurance of £10m.
  • Technical & professional ability

    Technical and Professional Ability

    • Provide two relevant case studies of FE experience of a similar nature project/client organisation.
    • Demonstrate experience of and ability to deliver in Kent.
    • Confirm commitment to be able to deliver against project timescales as noted in Contract Duration

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 were scored
Quality: 50%Price: 40%Social value: 10%
Published sub-criteria (3)
  • Technical quality: 50%
  • Price: 40%
  • Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
  • Technical quality
  • Social Value
  • Price
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Economic and Financial Standing:

    • Minimum turnover of £20m.
    • Professional indemnity insurance of £10m.
  • Technical & professional ability

    Technical and Professional Ability

    • Provide two relevant case studies of FE experience of a similar nature project/client organisation.
    • Demonstrate experience of and ability to deliver in Kent.
    • Confirm commitment to be able to deliver against project timescales as noted in Contract Duration
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Closed
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
15 Jul 2026, 10:28 BST
Last source update
15 Jul 2026, 10:28 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 15 Aug 2026
Authority reference
ACP3
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-066609
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Building construction work
Delivery area
South East (UKJ)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06cba3 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
14 Aug 2026, 09:30 BST
Electronic submission
Not allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

This is the initial expression of interest stage for this contract.

Expressions of Interest must be submitted electronically to the Employer's Agent, Woodley Coles, using [email protected].

  • Provide two relevant case studies of FE experience of a similar nature project/client organisation.
  • Demonstrate experience of and ability to deliver in Kent.
  • Confirm commitment to be able to deliver against project timescales as noted in Contract Duration.

Expressions of Interest will be reviewed against the Conditions of Participation. A shortlist of no more than 6 contractors will be selected to proceed to tender stage.

The conditions of participation are;

  1. Minimum turnover of £20m
  2. Professional indemnity insurance of £10m
  3. Two relevant case studies for further education construction experience of a similar nature and scale of the proposed scheme.
  4. Kent experience.
  5. Confirmation commitment to be able to deliver against project timescales - construction start December 2026 for completion by September 2028.

Timeline

15 Jul 2026 → 5 Oct 2026 · 4 dates
  1. Tender notice published104 days ago
    15 Jul 2026, 10:28 BST
  2. Submission deadline74 days ago
    14 Aug 2026, 09:30 BST
  3. Award decision expected by73 days ago
    15 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Contract starts23 days ago
    5 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    15 Jul 2026, 10:28 BST
    UK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

East Kent Colleges Group

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PYPY-4814-DDBH · GB-UKPRN: 10006570 Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs, South East, CT10 1PNContact name, email

Other public bodies

  • THE WOODLEY COLES LLPProcess contact pointProcuring entityEmployers agentGB-COH: OC304717GB-PPON: PMQH-6282-TPPH London, LondonContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender