Official UK procurement notice
Leisure Services Operating Contract
Authority: Cumberland Council (Local council)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Authority is seeking to procure a specialist leisure operator to operate, maintain and deliver leisure services, as set out in the Tender Notice, Specification, Contract and supporting procurement documents provided on the procurement portal.
The Authority is seeking Suppliers with suitable experience to operate and maintain the facilities on behalf of the Authority. This is an exciting opportunity for an innovative and strategic organisation to develop a vision for the further enhancement to the delivery of leisure services in Cumberland.
The Authority's expectation is that this opportunity will suit sector specialists with the capability of self-operating all required elements of the service (e.g., sport and leisure service delivery and technical and facilities management) but will be prepared to consider and assess any mixed economy bid that may involve sub-contracting certain elements with the Authority's consent.
The Council is seeking bids at Initial Tender ('ISIT') stage through appropriately qualified and experienced operators of facilities that can deliver community health and wellbeing outcomes through the operation of services. This Tender is split into two Lots and Suppliers must bid for both lots.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Apr 2035, 23:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: Stage 1 - Conditions of Participation After checking supplier's eligibility, based on their supplier information supplied on the Central Digital Platform, and Part 1 & 2 of the PSQ, Part 3 of the PSQ will be used to evaluate a Suppliers suitability to meet the council's conditions of participation. Only eligible suppliers that meet the conditions of participation will be invited to the second stage. Stage 2 - Competitive Tendering Process Following the conclusion of Stage 1 PSQ, eligible suppliers will be invited to participate in this stage. This stage will encompass an invitation to submit an initial tender (ISIT), which will involve evaluating suppliers based on an assessment of both cost and non-cost factors, to find the most advantageous initial tenders. The Council will negotiate with the 3 (three) highest ranked suppliers based on the evaluation of the initial tender submissions prior to a request for final tenders. In the event of a tied scoring, the Authority reserves the right to negotiate with more than 3 (three) suppliers.
CPV: Sports facilities operation services
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£1,000,000 together) · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1LOT B Operation of Services proposals.AwardedRenewalPublished value£250,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
Please see PSQ and associated documents
- Technical & professional ability
Please see PSQ and associated documents
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Evaluation of the PSQ stage will determine those suppliers taken through to the Invitation to Submit an Initial Tender (ISIT) stage. Details of the evaluation criteria used for the PSQ stage is detailed in the PA23_Procurement_Specific_Questionnaire Information and Guidance document. Those meeting the criteria of the PSQ stage will be invited to submit an Initial Tender and the evaluation criteria used at this stage is described in the ISIT document. The Council will negotiate with the 3 (three) highest ranked suppliers based on the evaluation of the initial tender submissions prior to a request for final tenders. In the event of a tied scoring, the Authority reserves the right to negotiate with more than 3 (three) suppliers. We reserve the right to refine any specific award criteria during the Procurement in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023.
Lot #2LOT A Operation of Services proposals.AwardedRenewalPublished value£750,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
Please see PSQ and associated documents
- Technical & professional ability
Please see PSQ and associated documents
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Evaluation of the PSQ stage will determine those suppliers taken through to the Invitation to Submit an Initial Tender (ISIT) stage. Details of the evaluation criteria used for the PSQ stage is detailed in the PA23_Procurement_Specific_Questionnaire Information and Guidance document. Those meeting the criteria of the PSQ stage will be invited to submit an Initial Tender and the evaluation criteria used at this stage is described in the ISIT document. The Council will negotiate with the 3 (three) highest ranked suppliers based on the evaluation of the initial tender submissions prior to a request for final tenders. In the event of a tied scoring, the Authority reserves the right to negotiate with more than 3 (three) suppliers. We reserve the right to refine any specific award criteria during the Procurement in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023.
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: 45%
- Commercial: 50%
- Social Value: 5%
Published award criteria (3)
- Commercial: Please see Tender documents for a breakdown of the award criterion. We reserve the right to refine any specific award criteria during the Procurement in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023.
- Quality: Please see Tender documents for a breakdown of the award criterion. We reserve the right to refine any specific award criteria during the Procurement in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023.
- Social Value: Please see Tender documents for a breakdown of the award criterion. We reserve the right to refine any specific award criteria during the Procurement in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023.
- Economic & financial standing
Please see PSQ and associated documents
- Technical & professional ability
Please see PSQ and associated documents
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Evaluation of the PSQ stage will determine those suppliers taken through to the Invitation to Submit an Initial Tender (ISIT) stage. Details of the evaluation criteria used for the PSQ stage is detailed in the PA23_Procurement_Specific_Questionnaire Information and Guidance document. Those meeting the criteria of the PSQ stage will be invited to submit an Initial Tender and the evaluation criteria used at this stage is described in the ISIT document. The Council will negotiate with the 3 (three) highest ranked suppliers based on the evaluation of the initial tender submissions prior to a request for final tenders. In the event of a tied scoring, the Authority reserves the right to negotiate with more than 3 (three) suppliers. We reserve the right to refine any specific award criteria during the Procurement in accordance with section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023.
- Price carries 50 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible 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
- Yes · next expected 1 Apr 2035
- First published
- 9 Jan 2026, 08:35 GMT
- Last source update
- 1 May 2026, 16:33 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 7 Jan 2026
- Authority reference
DN765091- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-031056- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04e91dFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
Please refer to Tender documentation
- How it runs
Stage 1 - Conditions of Participation
After checking supplier's eligibility, based on their supplier information supplied on the Central Digital Platform, and Part 1 & 2 of the PSQ, Part 3 of the PSQ will be used to evaluate a Suppliers suitability to meet the council's conditions of participation. Only eligible suppliers that meet the conditions of participation will be invited to the second stage.
Stage 2 - Competitive Tendering Process
Following the conclusion of Stage 1 PSQ, eligible suppliers will be invited to participate in this stage. This stage will encompass an invitation to submit an initial tender (ISIT), which will involve evaluating suppliers based on an assessment of both cost and non-cost factors, to find the most advantageous initial tenders. The Council will negotiate with the 3 (three) highest ranked suppliers based on the evaluation of the initial tender submissions prior to a request for final tenders. In the event of a tied scoring, the Authority reserves the right to negotiate with more than 3 (three) suppliers.
- Risks
Please refer to Tender documentation
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 4 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 4 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 27 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
The documents are available via The Chest - www.the-chest.org.uk ↗
For support using the chest please contact Proactis, using the supplier support area.
For clarifications, please ensure all correspondence is via The Chest using the message area.
Suppliers wishing to express an interest and obtain access to the tender documents should go to www.the-chest.org.uk ↗ and click on current opportunities from the navigation area on the left of the screen. On the next screen enter the contract Reference (DN765091) in the box labelled 'contains' then click search.
Click on the Blue link for the contract title to view the opportunity.
To express an interest you will need to login. If you are not already
registered on the www.the-chest.org.uk ↗ you will need to return to the home page and click on Register. Register FREE link in the navigation area on the left of the screen. Registration is free of charge and your username and password will be emailed to you.
Cumberland Council is fully supportive of all aspects of diversity including ethnicity, race, religion, age, disability and sexual orientation. In this respect Cumberland Council welcomes expressions of interest from ethnic minority, disabled and other diverse business communities and the voluntary sector.
Economic operators are therefore required to fully comply with all statutory obligations/applicable legislation and there will be a requirement to participate in the Authority's supplier audits on all aspects of diversity.
The Contracting Authority expressly reserves the right:
(i) not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; and
(ii) to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering competition; and in no circumstances will the Contracting Authority be liable for any costs incurred by the candidates. Any expenditure, work or effort undertaken prior to contract award is accordingly a matter solely for the commercial judgement of potential suppliers.
The contracting authority reserve the right to use any electronic portal during the life of the agreement.
The value provided in this notice is only an estimate. details of how the contract will be costed is detailed in the tender documents.
The initial contract term is for 10 years, with an optional extension of up to a further 5 years, at the discretion of the Council.
The Invitation to Submit an Initial Tender (ISIT) and additional documentation is provided for information only at the PSQ stage. Only those invited to participate following the PSQ stage will be required to submit an ISIT.
Timeline
3 Mar 2025 → 1 May 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published3 Mar 2025, 17:22 GMT
- Market engagement14 Mar 2025, 23:59 GMT
Background information:
In shaping a healthier and more active future for our residents. It is now necessary for the Council to procure an Operating Partner to operate the Council owned Facilities within the former Copeland and Allerdale Borough Council areas with effect from the 1st of April 2026. It is intended that the procurement and resultant contract will be procured in such a way to allow flexibility over the term of the contract, for instance building in the possibility to include the Carlisle contract when it ends in December 2032.
The Facilities in scope include:
Former Allerdale Area – contract ends 31st March 2026
- Workington Leisure Centre;
- Cockermouth Leisure Centre;
- Keswick Leisure Centre (only the gym is open / pool is closed); and
- The Wave, Maryport.
Former Copeland Area – contract ends 31st March 2026
- Whitehaven Leisure Centre;
- Copeland Pool and fitness centre; and
- Cleator Moor Activity Centre.
In addition to the above facilities, the Council is due to commence construction of a new Facility in Millom in 2025. This facility will also form part of the Facilities that will be included in the scope of the Leisure Operating Contract.
For clarity, the Council owned Facilities operated by Better Leisure within the Carlisle leisure contract are not in scope from the commencement in April 2026 but could be become integrated at the end of the current contract period, include:- Former Carlisle Area - contract ends 6th December 2032
- The Sands Centre;
- The Sheepmount; and
- Bitts Park Tennis Courts.
Supplier engagement:
The Council will be carrying out an online session on Monday 10th March at 10am to further outline the opportunity. This will be available for all prospective partners. To book a place on this session, please see the details on the chest DN764109 - Leisure Services Operating Contract - Soft Market Testing (questionnaire & online session) to respond. Closing date 7th March 5pm.
A prospectus with a questionnaire is also on the above chest opportunity to be responded by 5pm Friday 14th March.
Please note this notice is not a call for competition. Participation in the supplier engagement event is voluntary and not a requirement for the subsequent procurement process
- Tender notice published9 Jun 2025, 16:26 BST
- Clarification questions by27 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
- Submission deadline4 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by289 days ago7 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent288 days ago9 Jan 2026
- Standstill ends276 days ago20 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts206 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published175 days ago1 May 2026, 16:33 BST
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 3 Mar 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published3 Mar 2025, 17:22 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published9 Jun 2025, 16:26 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published9 Jan 2026, 08:35 GMTUK6
- Contract signature expected30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published1 May 2026, 16:33 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across several lots1 award | |||
| Sports & Leisure Management Ltd1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2036 · up to 1 Apr 2041Extensions: Option to extend by 5 years | £2,980,000 | 6 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Leisure Services Operating Contract · Sports & Leisure Management Ltd
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £2,980,000
- Period
- 2 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2036 · up to 1 Apr 2041 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- The contract to operate and maintain the facilities will be for an initial period of 10 years commencing on 1st April 2026 with an option to extend by up to a further 5 years at the discretion of the Authority.
No agreed KPIs: The contract is below £5m
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · LOT B Operation of Services proposals. | 2final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 · LOT A Operation of Services proposals. | 2final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Sports and Leisure Management LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (7)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: The documents are available via The Chest - https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ Ref : DN765091
- Technical specifications The documents are available via The Chest - https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ Ref : DN765091
- Bidding documents and specifications The documents are available via The Chest - https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ Ref : DN765091
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- 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