Official UK procurement notice
Operator Solution - The Pencil Works, Stapleford
Authority: Broxtowe Borough Council (Local council)·On behalf of: Nottinghamshire County Council
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBroxtowe Borough Council (the Contracting Authority) require a supplier to operate The Pencil Works Enterprise Hub, Stapleford. The successful supplier will be required to:
- Manage and operate the facilities
- Drive occupancy and income generation
- Deliver business support, events and community programming
- Create an integrated and active environment across all uses
- Work in partnership with the Council to deliver long-term sustainability
The Pencil Works is a new enterprise hub currently under construction in Stapleford town centre. Broxtowe Borough Council (the Contracting Authority) has secured £6.2 million of funding from the UK Government's Towns Fund to deliver the project. Once complete, the hub will provide office, retail, makerspace, and creative facilities designed to support the growth of the creative, digital, and cultural sectors.
The Pencil Works aims to:
- Increase local skills and opportunities within Stapleford.
- Provide start up and scale up space for creative, digital and cultural enterprises.
- Deliver a central Creative Makers Space for individuals and sole traders to create, collaborate, and sell.
- Offer flexible office, retail, and events spaces for a range of business and community uses.
- Support wider economic regeneration of Stapleford Town Centre.
The Vision:
- Economic catalyst - The hub is designed to create jobs, providing flexible office space, maker spaces for artists, and retail/food units to support entrepreneurs and startups.
- Cultural & Industrial Heritage - Named to honour the town's history (F. Chambers & Co. Ltd pencil factory), the project brings the "spirit of making" back to the town centre.
- Community Integration - It includes a café, event space and a landscaped, accessible public realm designed to enhance the town centre's appearance and increase footfall.
- Wider programme - The project is part of a larger plan to redevelop the town centre, which has also included building a new car park on Derby Road to replace the lost parking space on Victoria Street, plus streetscape improvements, such as the development of Walter Parker Memorial Square.
Construction of the The Pencil Works is due to complete in October 2026.
The contract is expected to be for an intiial term of 5years with 3x24month optional extensions.
- How the procedure runs: Stage 1-Invitation to Participate Supplier Selection Stage 2-Invitation to Dialogue Stage 3-Invitation to Submit Final Tenders
CPV: Building and facilities management services · Business development consultancy services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£6,324,000
- Condition of participationshortlisting
PSQ inc. Conditions of Participation
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 (8)
- Vision and Operating Model: 24%
- Community Activation and Business Support: 16%
- Mobilisation & Delivery: 12%
- Partnership Working: 4%
- Occupancy Commercial Sustainability & Growth: 24%
- Net Financial Impact to the Council: 7.5%
- Social Value: 5%
- Financial Robustness & Sustainability: 7.5%
Published award criteria (8)
- Vision and Operating Model
- Occupancy Commercial Sustainability & Growth
- Community Activation and Business Support
- Mobilisation & Delivery
- Partnership Working
- Social Value
- Financial Robustness & Sustainability
- Net Financial Impact to the Council
- Condition of participationshortlisting
PSQ inc. Conditions of Participation
- Price carries 31.5 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3.1 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
- Closed
- 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
- 31 Mar 2026, 16:33 BST
- Last source update
- 25 Aug 2026, 13:35 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 2 Nov 2026
- Authority reference
DN826926- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-080855- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0679eeFind a Tender
- How it runs
Stage 1-Invitation to Participate
Supplier Selection
Stage 2-Invitation to Dialogue
Stage 3-Invitation to Submit Final Tenders
- Risks
Local Government Reorganisation
Estimated Contract Value and Potential Variation
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 21 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 21 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 7 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
31 Mar 2026 → 1 Dec 2026 · 8 dates- Planning notice published209 days ago31 Mar 2026, 16:33 BST
- Market engagement192 days ago17 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
Broxtowe Borough Council is seeking market insight through a supplier questionnaire, which interested organisations can access via the following link:
procontract.due-north.com/Advert ↗
The opportunity is now open, and completed responses may be submitted until 12:00 noon on 17 April 2026.
- Next notice expected147 days ago1 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published62 days ago25 Aug 2026, 13:35 BST
- Clarification questions by49 days ago7 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission deadline35 days ago21 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 6 days2 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 34 days1 Dec 2026
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 31 Mar 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published31 Mar 2026, 16:33 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published31 Mar 2026, 17:17 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published25 Aug 2026, 13:35 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £6,324,00025 Aug 2026, 13:35 BSTwas £5,000,000
- Status changed to active25 Aug 2026, 13:35 BST
- Procurement method changed25 Aug 2026, 13:35 BST
Published amendments (1)
Link to East Mids Tenders added
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- Nottinghamshire County CouncilProcess contact pointProcuring entityProcurment conducted on behalf of BBC
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender