Official UK procurement notice
Innovation Centre Operator: Innovation Martlesham
Authority: Suffolk County Council (Local council)·On behalf of: BT GROUP PLC
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionInnovation Martlesham, located at Adastral Park, Suffolk, was launched by BT in 2000. In partnership with BT, we are now appointing a new provider to take over the management of the Innovation Martlesham Business Club and to drive the future development of the cluster.
The advertised value here is £324,000 inclusive of VAT.
The VAT included is 20% Standard Rate however in some circumstances VAT may be exempt or chargeable at a different rate.
CPV: Business and management consultancy and related services · Membership organisation services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£324,000
- Economic & financial standing
Financial
The Council will undertake the following assessment of Tenderers' economic and financial standing:
- Tenderer's identity verified against Companies House/Growth Flag
- Credit score of 50 or above on Growth Flag (if a Tenderer's score is below 50 we reserve the right to check your score with other credit reference agencies)
- From the accounts provided, is the business ailing or insolvent
- Is the Tendering business currently facing any form of striking off or insolvency action or has it been subject to such action in the last 3 years
Legal
The successful provider will be required to enter into a Services Agreement and a Licence to Occupy with BT.
Confirmation of acceptance is a mandatory Condition of Participation.
Insurance
Already has, or can commit to obtain, the insurance requirements prior to the award of the contract.
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Quality: 60%
- Commercial: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Commercial
- Quality
- Social Value
- Economic & financial standing
Financial
The Council will undertake the following assessment of Tenderers' economic and financial standing:
- Tenderer's identity verified against Companies House/Growth Flag
- Credit score of 50 or above on Growth Flag (if a Tenderer's score is below 50 we reserve the right to check your score with other credit reference agencies)
- From the accounts provided, is the business ailing or insolvent
- Is the Tendering business currently facing any form of striking off or insolvency action or has it been subject to such action in the last 3 years
Legal
The successful provider will be required to enter into a Services Agreement and a Licence to Occupy with BT.
Confirmation of acceptance is a mandatory Condition of Participation.
Insurance
Already has, or can commit to obtain, the insurance requirements prior to the award of the contract.
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 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
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- 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
- 27 Oct 2025, 14:39 GMT
- Last source update
- 21 Sept 2026, 12:34 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 21 Sept 2026
- Authority reference
PA0029- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-058861- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d451Find a Tender
- Risks
Suffolk County Council has joined the government's Devolution Priority Programme (DPP), a fast-track programme towards devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR).
Under the DPP it is proposed that:
a) a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) for Norfolk and Suffolk is established, with strategic powers and headed by an elected mayor ("Devolution").
b) the existing two-tier council structure in Suffolk is abolished and replaced with three unitary councils covering the current geographical boundary of Suffolk ("LGR").
These changes are declared as known risks as we do not yet know the implications of Devolution and/or LGR.
As a result of LGR and Devolution, contract modifications may be necessary to novate, transfer or disaggregate the contract from the one you entered into to one or more successor authorities or the MCAA. Impacts could include changes to geographical boundaries, significant increases and/or decreases in the goods and/or services required due to the change in size/scope of any successor authority or the MCAA. This may also change the scope of the contract.
Interested Parties should refer to the Invitation to Tender and Contract Terms for the Known Risks:
Contract novation, transfer or disaggregation to one or more Successor Authorities or the MCAA within the current geographical boundary of Suffolk.
Contract novation, transfer or disaggregation to one or more Successor Authorities or the MCAA outside the current geographical boundary of Suffolk.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 21 Jul 2026, 11:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 8 Jul 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
27 Oct 2025 → 4 Jan 2027 · 11 dates- Planning notice published362 days ago27 Oct 2025, 14:39 GMT
- Market engagement309 days ago19 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
We are seeking input from independent business support and innovation specialists with the knowledge and experience to deliver this exciting new programme. We will use your input to help gauge market interest, shape the service specification, plan the procurement process, and inform the type of contract that we use. It is anticipated that our pre-market engagement process will include:
- An introductory/Q&A event at Adastral Park including a tour of the facilities (date TBC shortly).
- A briefing pack with our proposals for the service and the procurement process. This will include a summary of the issues we would like feedback on.
- An opportunity for one-to-one meetings to discuss the feedback.
- An invitation to submit feedback in writing
To register your interest in this opportunity and receive an invitation to the initial briefing event, please email [email protected] by Friday 7th November.
- Next notice expected267 days ago30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published123 days ago23 Jun 2026, 11:28 BST
- Clarification questions by108 days ago8 Jul 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline95 days ago21 Jul 2026, 11:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent34 days ago21 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published33 days ago21 Sept 2026, 12:34 BST
- Award decision expected by33 days ago21 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Standstill ends24 days ago30 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 71 days4 Jan 2027
Notice history
8 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 27 Oct 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published27 Oct 2025, 14:39 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published23 Jun 2026, 11:28 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active23 Jun 2026, 11:28 BST
- Procurement method changed23 Jun 2026, 11:28 BST
- Deadline published: 21 Jul 2026, 11:00 BST23 Jun 2026, 11:28 BST
- Contract award notice published21 Sept 2026, 12:34 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete21 Sept 2026, 12:34 BST
- Contract signature expected1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Public Sector Ltd4 Jan 2027 – 3 Jan 2030 | £270,000 | 2 Sept 2026standstill to 30 Sept 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4final-stage tenders · 6 at stage one | 4 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- BT GROUP PLCProcuring entityEvaluation panel members
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Spirit Public Sector LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender