Elmstead New Community Centre

1. Description: Following an extensive process over more than a decade, Elmstead Parish Council is now in a position to seek a construction contract with a reputable and experienced firm to build a new community centre. Setting: Elmstead is a rural village a few miles east of Colchester, Essex, in the district of Tendring. With the village having doubled in size over the last decade, the current community centre has served the parish well, with the main building being over a century old, but limitations caused by increasing maintenance and a constrained site with minimal parking means a new, modern community centre is very much needed. Conveniently an agreement was reached with a housing developer to secure more than sufficient property just across the road from the old community centre to build a new facility with surrounding land that can be utilized for other community uses. Intro: Despite delays during the pandemic causing an initial planning application to expire, the Parish Council is now in a position where it owns the site with direct highway access being in a position to begin immediately once a contract is agreed. The Parish Council is in an excellent position to minimize risk and ensure minimal problems during the construction process and would welcome a construction partner to take full advantage of this exciting opportunity for the community. Planning Permission: Alongside our architect the Parish Council has obtained planning permission from Tendring District Council for a single-story building with around 700 sqm floor space, adjacent 54 space car park and surrounding landscaping. [24/01281/FUL] The building will be a single storey brick and block construction with prefabricated timber roof trusses supporting an artificial slate roof. Comprehensive plans are included in the attached design documents. With our architect acting as lead designer alongside a team of structural and mechanical engineers the building regulation application has been submitted, we are in an advanced stage of design while we hope to have left sufficient flexibility to best work with the successful tenderer to create the best community centre possible. While we have completed much of RIBA stage 4, we have waited to finalise some elements of the technical design to work with our chosen builder on the best solutions, with the construction contract to focus on RIBA stages 5 - 6. To ensure we meet the requirements of public works contracts for a council of our size, we have employed a quantity surveyor to produce bills of quantities which the tender applicants are to use to form a detailed costing breakdown. As a Parish Council we are obligated to minimize risk when making decisions so examples of previous experience constructing comparable public buildings such as other community centres, council buildings, healthcare facilities, schools and libraries is required. To ensure the best use of public money spent on the project we expect to work with our architect, quantity surveyor and builder to best value engineer the project in the lead up to construction. The new community centre project has adopted an ethos of accessibility, functionality, future proofing and best serving the diverse needs of the local community, and we would encourage tender applicants to consider the same principles in their submission. With a degree of flexibility in additional sources of funding we estimate the construction cost to be around £1,600,000 but are optimistic the final cost could be under this budget to allow additional spending on the outdoor facilities around the new community centre. With the tender duration ending in late November, we hope to have decided a successful tender applicant by Christmas and finalise contracts at the start of the new year with the intention to start building in spring with a construction timeframe of around a year. Enquiries concerning the tender: Due to tender regulations, all communication regarding the tender must be addressed solely to Angela Baxter (Parish Clerk) via email at clerk@elmsteadparishcouncil.gov.uk. Communications regarding the tender must not take place with any councillor. The site of the new community centre is publicly accessible, so in the interests of fairness we are not arranging site viewings but would encourage applicants to visit the site independently if they wish. 2. Tender Submission: Your tender should include the following information as a minimum however we would encourage more detailed proposals. • Fully priced bills of quantities. • Proposed construction programme. • Confirmation and details of insurance and liability cover provided. • Confirmation and details of availability to commence construction in 2026. • Confirmation and details of relevant experience of community buildings. 3. Procurement Timetable (c. to f. may need to be amended by the Parish Council) a. Tender Notice Issued: 17th October 2025 b. Tender Return: 20th November 2025 5.00pm c. Tender Evaluation and Questions: Late November 2025 d. Tender Confirmation: Between 4th - 18th December 2025 e. Contract Start date: February 2026 f. Contract End date: On completion of RIBA stage 6 (expectation of contract completion early 2027) 4. Inconclusive Outcomes The Parish Council withholds the right to not accept any of the submitted tender responses. 5. Financial Standing & Resources The Parish Council wishes to ensure that suppliers have the necessary financial standing and resources to meet their obligations throughout the duration of this contract. The Parish Council may undertake a credit check on all organisations who submit a tender. 6. Freedom of Information Act The Freedom of Information Act 2000 applies to all the activities of Elmstead Parish Council. As a Tenderer providing services to the Parish Council, you should be aware of the Parish Council's obligations and its responsibilities under the Act to provide on request access to recorded information held by it. One of the consequences of these statutory responsibilities is that information which the Parish Council holds about your organisation may be subject to disclosure, in response to a request, unless the Parish Council decides that one of the various statutory exemptions applies. 7. Disclaimer All information contained in this document together with any subsequent statements howsoever conveyed, in respect of this Tender process, is provided in good faith and given to assist you. However, the Parish Council will not accept any liability in respect of the preparation or execution of your proposals, or any penalties / costs that you may incur thereof. 8. Modifications to Tender Any modifications to the tender notice will be published at least 5 working days before the Tender End Date and shall be issued as an addendum to, and shall be deemed to constitute part of the invitation to Tender. If necessary, the Council shall revise the Tender Date in order to enable this requirement. Except under exceptional circumstances no extension of time and date by which the Tender must be submitted will be granted. Total Value £1,600,000 (estimated exclusive of VAT) Regulated below threshold Contract dates (estimated) 16th February 2026 to 19th February 2027 1 year Main procurement category Works Participation Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation General Conditions a. Costs: Elmstead Parish Council will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by the Tenderer in connection with either the preparation or delivery or in the evaluation of the Tender. b. Validity of Tender: All details of the Tender, including prices are to remain valid for acceptance for 90 days from the Tender Return date. c. Treatment of Tender: Elmstead Parish Council does not undertake to accept the lowest tender, or part, or all of any Tender, and the acknowledgement of receipt of any submitted Tender shall not constitute any actual or implied agreement between the Parish Council and the Tenderer. The Parish Council reserves the right to accept any part or all of any Tender or Tenders at its sole discretion. d. Data Protection, Security, Ownership & Use of Data: All Parish Council data must remain in the control of the Parish Council and the services supplied must comply with the Data Protection Act (2018) and maintain confidentiality and security of data. Any reports, notes of meetings, outputs, data, information and research finding will be the property of the Parish Council, all the rights pertaining thereto. Potential Suppliers must confirm in writing that they accept this ownership as part of their Tender submission. e. Combined Liability Insurance: It is a requirement of this Contract that the appointed Tenderer should be insured against Professional Indemnity Insurance - with a minimum Limit of Indemnity of £2,500,000. Particular suitability Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) ________________________________________ Submission Enquiry deadline 13th November 2025, 5:00 pm Tender submission deadline 20th November 2025, 5:00pm Submission address and any special instructions Parish Council website: https://www.elmsteadparishcouncil.gov.uk/ Email to send tenders to is: clerk@elmsteadparishcouncil.gov.uk Tenders may be submitted electronically Yes Languages that may be used for submission English Award decision date (estimated) 11 December 2025