Official UK procurement notice
Mersey Ferries Catering Concession Contract Lot 1B - Seacombe Ferry Terminal Café
Authority: Merseytravel (Public body)
What is being bought3 lots · detail below
Published requirement description1B
This Lot is a concession contract. Management of the busy newly refurbished Seacombe Terminal café serving ferry customers, commuters, the local community and 100,000 annual visitors to the Eureka Science & Discovery Museum. Operators must create a welcoming and efficient café with strong customer service, varied menu range, family-friendly offers and a consistent experience throughout long operating hours using on-site kitchen facilities. The successful Supplier will pay all utilities and business rates.
- How the procedure runs: The Contracting Authority is undertaking this procurement using a Competitive Flexible Procedure. The process will consist of the following stages: 1. Selection Stage - Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ) Interested suppliers are required to complete and submit a Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ). The PSQ will be assessed in accordance with the stated pass/fail criteria and any minimum requirements. Bidders who meet all mandatory selection requirements will be invited to participate in the next stage. 2. Invitation to Tender (ITT) Stage All bidders who successfully pass the PSQ stage will be issued with the Invitation to Tender (ITT). At this stage, bidders will be required to submit detailed responses to: Quality questions, addressing the technical and service-related requirements; and Commercial requirements, including pricing information and any supporting financial documentation. All submissions will be evaluated in accordance with the published evaluation methodology. Following evaluation and internal moderation, the highest-scoring bidders will be shortlisted. 3. Presentation and Product Evaluation Stage Shortlisted bidders will be invited to attend a presentation and product evaluation session. As part of this session, bidders will be requested to provide a selection of food products chosen in advance by the project team. These products will be evaluated against a strict and pre-defined evaluation criterion, which may include quality, taste, presentation, innovation, and suitability for the required service. Scores from the presentation and product evaluation will be combined with the ITT scores to determine the final ranking of bidders. 4. Contract Award Following completion of all stages and final moderation, the Contracting Authority will identify the most economically advantageous tender and proceed to award the contract in line with the procurement regulations.
CPV: Alcohol · Beverage-serving services · Canteen and catering services · Event services · Restaurant and food-serving services
Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure
3 lots · all with a published value (£6,720,000 together) · a supplier may bid for at most 2 and win at most 2 of them · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1On Board Café & Bar (Main Ferry Services)AwardedRenewalPublished value£2,184,000
An onboard café and bar operation on our ferries - serving hot drinks, snacks, light meals, and alcoholic beverages, for daytime cruises and our evening scheduled cruises covering both the Snowdrop (capacity for 350) passengers and the new vessel (with capacity for up to 480 passengers).
Mersey Ferries currently operate 14 commuter services on weekday mornings, starting at 7:20 am from Seacombe and 11 commuter services on weekday evenings finishing at 6:40pm at Gerry Marsden. We do not operate the commuter service at weekends, bank holidays or during the Christmas holidays.
There are 7 River Explorer Cruises scheduled daily and we operate 9 River Explorer Cruises on Bank Holidays (except Christmas)
Mersey Ferries also currently operate a number of scheduled cruises that fall within this lot; the programme runs from April to October and is currently 8 Manchester Ship Canal (Premium) 34 Summer Evening Cruises, and 10 Liverpool Bay Cruises. Live entertainment as part of these cruise offers is provided by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
A comprehensive list of kitchen equipment is included in the appendices along with the vessel layout. Should, suppliers find that the provided equipment does not meet their requirements, negotiations regarding supplementation or exchange may be considered.
Utilities are not applicable for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
Financial Standing
State your annual turnover for the last financial year- we are expecting turnover of £200k or over:
Provide confirm you have audited accounts (Yes/No):
Do you have any outstanding tax liabilities (Pass/Fail):
- Technical & professional ability
Give a summary of your experience delivering catering and hospitality:
How many years' experience in catering and hospitality do you have:
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Bidders will need to complete an initial PSQ stage on a Pass/Fail basis.
Bidders who are successful will be invited to a ITT stage where they will be required to respond to Quality & Commercial questions they will need to submit.
We will then after moderation short list bidders to complete a presentation day where they will be required under controlled conditions present dishes to a evaluation panel for scoring
Lot #2On Board Events Management & CateringRenewalPublished value£2,016,000
A flexible, creative catering offer for our special pop-up cruises and events, private charter hires, and themed events - where food, drink and atmosphere help turn journeys into unforgettable experiences.
Mersey Ferries are looking for a partner to help design event packages for private boat and VIP area reservations, with options tailored to client needs or tiered packages. This applies to both the heritage and new vessels.
The Provider must hold all necessary licenses and permits to operate, including (where applicable): Food business registration, Alcohol license (Premises and Personal Licence Holder) Public Performance or Entertainment Licence (for music or events) Health & Safety certification.
Utilities are not applicable for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
Financial Standing
State your annual turnover for the last financial year- we are expecting turnover of £200k or over:
Provide confirm you have audited accounts (Yes/No):
Do you have any outstanding tax liabilities (Pass/Fail):
- Technical & professional ability
Give a summary of your experience delivering catering and hospitality:
How many years' experience in catering and hospitality do you have:
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Bidders will need to complete an initial PSQ stage on a Pass/Fail basis.
Bidders who are successful will be invited to a ITT stage where they will be required to respond to Quality & Commercial questions they will need to submit.
We will then after moderation short list bidders to complete a presentation day where they will be required under controlled conditions present dishes to a evaluation panel for scoring
Lot #3Seacombe Terminal Café (Shore-Based Operation)AwardedRenewalPublished value£2,520,000
A shore side café in the busy and newly refurbished Seacombe, Wirral terminal - with potential to serve both ferry passengers and local residents, commuters, and visitors. The café also serves as the main food and beverage offer for visitors of Eureka Science and Discovery Museum, attracting a footfall of £100k per annum.
Seacombe Terminal current operating times are Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm , weekend and bank holiday times vary on seasonality, but broadly 9:30am to 4:30pm during low season October to April and 9:30am to 6:30pm during the summer cruise season. Provision to extend these opening times can be discussed to support summer evening cruises. 24/7 access can be arranged if required for food preparation via separate access.
Kitchen equipment provision for the Seacombe Café can be negotiated.
Utilities for the Seacombe Café for 24/25; Electricity £11k, Water £1k and Gas £3.5k for Kitchen use only.
Please note that the occupier of the premises is liable for associated business rates, we recommend that suppliers male independent enquiry with Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and Wirral Council.
How your Business Rates bill is calculated | wirral.gov.uk
- Economic & financial standing
Financial Standing
State your annual turnover for the last financial year- we are expecting turnover of £200k or over:
Provide confirm you have audited accounts (Yes/No):
Do you have any outstanding tax liabilities (Pass/Fail):
- Technical & professional ability
Give a summary of your experience delivering catering and hospitality:
How many years' experience in catering and hospitality do you have:
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Bidders will need to complete an initial PSQ stage on a Pass/Fail basis.
Bidders who are successful will be invited to a ITT stage where they will be required to respond to Quality & Commercial questions they will need to submit.
We will then after moderation short list bidders to complete a presentation day where they will be required under controlled conditions present dishes to a evaluation panel for scoring
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 award criteria (2)
- Quality
- Price
- Economic & financial standing
Financial Standing
State your annual turnover for the last financial year- we are expecting turnover of £200k or over:
Provide confirm you have audited accounts (Yes/No):
Do you have any outstanding tax liabilities (Pass/Fail):
- Technical & professional ability
Give a summary of your experience delivering catering and hospitality:
How many years' experience in catering and hospitality do you have:
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Bidders will need to complete an initial PSQ stage on a Pass/Fail basis.
Bidders who are successful will be invited to a ITT stage where they will be required to respond to Quality & Commercial questions they will need to submit.
We will then after moderation short list bidders to complete a presentation day where they will be required under controlled conditions present dishes to a evaluation panel for scoring
- 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
- 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
- Concession
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 22 Oct 2025, 21:21 BST
- Last source update
- 9 Mar 2026, 13:02 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Mar 2026
- Authority reference
DN798263- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-077499- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d204Find a Tender
- How it runs
The Contracting Authority is undertaking this procurement using a Competitive Flexible Procedure. The process will consist of the following stages:
- Selection Stage - Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ)
Interested suppliers are required to complete and submit a Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ). The PSQ will be assessed in accordance with the stated pass/fail criteria and any minimum requirements.
Bidders who meet all mandatory selection requirements will be invited to participate in the next stage.
- Invitation to Tender (ITT) Stage
All bidders who successfully pass the PSQ stage will be issued with the Invitation to Tender (ITT).
At this stage, bidders will be required to submit detailed responses to:
Quality questions, addressing the technical and service-related requirements; and
Commercial requirements, including pricing information and any supporting financial documentation.
All submissions will be evaluated in accordance with the published evaluation methodology. Following evaluation and internal moderation, the highest-scoring bidders will be shortlisted.
- Presentation and Product Evaluation Stage
Shortlisted bidders will be invited to attend a presentation and product evaluation session.
As part of this session, bidders will be requested to provide a selection of food products chosen in advance by the project team. These products will be evaluated against a strict and pre-defined evaluation criterion, which may include quality, taste, presentation, innovation, and suitability for the required service.
Scores from the presentation and product evaluation will be combined with the ITT scores to determine the final ranking of bidders.
- Contract Award
Following completion of all stages and final moderation, the Contracting Authority will identify the most economically advantageous tender and proceed to award the contract in line with the procurement regulations.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 12 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadline
- 12 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Bidders seeking to submit a response to this tender opportunity. We request that bidders please log on to their proactis tender portal website. Bidders will be able to see all 3 LOTS which are available for bidders to submit the relevant paperwork and documentation.
If you do not have a proactis account. Please follow the link below, where you will be able to register and then find the tender opportunity for you to respond to.
Timeline
22 Oct 2025 → 1 Apr 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published365 days ago22 Oct 2025, 21:21 BST
- Next notice expected344 days ago11 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Market engagement344 days ago11 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
There is no opt in process or any further action needed , other than registration on the tender portal at this stage. Once the tender is launched a notice will be put out for bidders to respond to.
We are in the process of completing the ITT documentation and full tender pack and we are expecting to launch the tender on or before the 11th November.
Bidders wishing to respond to this tender opportunity once it has launched. We would ask suppliers who are not registered with PROACTIS tender portal to visit below:
procontract.due-north.com/SupplierRegistration… ↗
This will allow you to register for free for not just this future tender opportunity but other public sector tender opportunities.
Once registered you will be able to when this tender launches, review the tender pack and respond and submit a bid.
- Tender notice published329 days ago27 Nov 2025, 09:23 GMT
- Submission deadline314 days ago12 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by234 days ago1 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent227 days ago9 Mar 2026
- Latest notice published227 days ago9 Mar 2026, 13:02 GMT
- Standstill ends216 days ago19 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts204 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
13 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Oct 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published22 Oct 2025, 21:21 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published27 Nov 2025, 09:23 GMTUK4
- Published value updated to £1,000,00027 Nov 2025, 09:23 GMTwas £0
- Status changed to active27 Nov 2025, 09:23 GMT
- Procurement method changed27 Nov 2025, 09:23 GMT
- Tender notice published27 Nov 2025, 09:27 GMTUK4
- Tender notice published3 Dec 2025, 10:49 GMTUK4
- Published value updated to £6,720,0003 Dec 2025, 10:49 GMTwas £1,000,000
- Contract award notice published9 Mar 2026, 12:42 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete9 Mar 2026, 12:42 GMT
- Procurement method changed9 Mar 2026, 12:42 GMT
- Contract award notice published9 Mar 2026, 13:02 GMTUK6
- Contract signature expected20 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Published amendments (2)
Update to tender name.
Change to number of LOTS a bidder can respond to. As they will be able to bid for all. Updated total contract value of the contract to reflect the full lifetime of contract
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2025-11: 2 releases · 27 Nov 2025, 27 Nov 2025
- 2025-10: 1 release · 22 Oct 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · On Board Café & Bar (Main Ferry Services)1 award | |||
| CROSBY FRESH LIMITEDSMEMersey Ferries Catering Concession Contract Lot 1A - Onboard Cafe &Bar29 Mar 2026 – 28 Mar 2029 · up to 28 Mar 2031Extensions: These are subject to ongoing viability & KPI's | £1,500,000 | 9 Mar 2026standstill to 19 Mar 2026 | Standstill |
| Lot 3 · Seacombe Terminal Café (Shore-Based Operation)1 award | |||
| CROSBY FRESH LIMITEDSME1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2029 · up to 30 Mar 2031Extensions: These extensions can be exercised by the contract manager. And are subject to viability checks and KPI monitoring. | £1,340,000 | 9 Mar 2026standstill to 19 Mar 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 · Seacombe Terminal Café (Shore-Based Operation) | 4final-stage tenders | 4 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- CROSBY FRESH LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (7)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender 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