Official UK procurement notice
Southsea Castle Catering and Events Concession Opportunity - Portsmouth 2026
Authority: Portsmouth City Council (Local council)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionAWARD & STANDSTILL PERIOD
Following receipt of tenders on 21st August 2026 the Council has concluded the assessment process and issued assessment summaries to the successful and unsuccessful suppliers as required under Section 50 of the Procurement Act 23 (the 'Act').
The Council reserves the right to amend (extend)the Standstill Period if needed; if this right is exercised, the Contract Award Notice will be updated and affected suppliers will be notified accordingly.
After the Standstill Period has expired, and provided no legal challenge has been made by the end of the Standstill Period or any agreed extension, the Council intends to enter into contracts with the Successful Supplier. Following this, the Council also intends to publish a Contract Details Notice.
Procurement description
Portsmouth City Council (the Council) has awarded a concession contract for the provision of catering and events services at Southsea Castle. The contract will operate under a long-term commercial arrangement incorporating a lease together with a revenue-sharing mechanism between the operator and the Council. The contract has been awarded under Lot 1, comprising an initial term of five years with the option to extend by up to a further five years at the Council's discretion.
Southsea Castle is a historic Scheduled Ancient Monument and visitor attraction located on Portsmouth's seafront. The site operates as a visitor destination, museum, restaurant, wedding venue and events location, attracting significant visitor numbers throughout the year and playing an important role in the city's tourism, heritage and cultural offer.
The successful operator will be responsible for delivering catering services and supporting a programme of events from the site, whilst working collaboratively with the Council to maximise visitor experience, increase commercial opportunities and support community engagement. Delivery of the contract will be undertaken in a manner that recognises and protects the historic significance of the Castle while balancing commercial operation with public access and heritage requirements.
The contract includes performance measures relating to customer experience, event delivery, catering quality, commercial performance, compliance and partnership working. The Council also expects the operator to support its social value objectives and work collaboratively with stakeholder organisations and local communities.
The Council recognises that local government structures and service delivery arrangements may evolve during the life of the contract. Any future changes arising from local government reorganisation, devolution arrangements or other changes in public sector governance will be managed in accordance with the contract provisions and applicable legislation.
The Council has identified the following known risks & opportunities that may occur during the duration of the term of the contract and may positively or negatively impact the scope, scale, value, timescales, end user demand, etc. related the contract:
- Development and changing demographics of Portsmouth area which could impact positively or negatively on operator revenues
- Marco and micro environmental impacts on utilities and other costs which could impact operator costs
- Changes to VAT levels and other impacts of taxation which could impact operator costs
- Local Government Review impacts including for assignment of contract to successor unitary authority and any new requirements / objectives of the new authority which may require alterations to the technical scope, contractual and commercial structure of the arrangements
- Unforeseen maintenance requirements which could increase operator costs and impact revenues if closures are required
- Inflation and other cost of living impacts which could increase or decrease operator revenues and costs
- Changes to National Living Wage, National Insurance and other factors which could impact operator employment costs
- Increased or decreased competition from other public or privately run facilities or attractions which could impact operator revenues
- Introduction of new technologies, systems and processes which could reduce operator costs and / or increase revenues as well as impacting technical scope
- Introduction of new activities through market innovations that could open up new operator revenue opportunities and impact technical scope
- Changes to relevant government policy / legislation which could increase or decrease operator revenues & costs, as well as potentially mandating changes to the technical scope
- An endemic or pandemic event similar to Covid 19 which could increase costs and / or reduce demand.
The Council has identified the risks and opportunities above associated with the delivery of this contract. In accordance with Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Council reserves the right to modify the contract, without initiating a new procurement procedure, should any of these risks materialise during the contract term.
Award Notice Clarification: The lot description below has been carried forward from the original tender notice and is reproduced for completeness. Full details of the procurement, service requirements and concession arrangements are contained within the original tender notice.
The final contract value reported within this Contract Award Notice differs from the estimated value stated in the tender notice, reflecting the commercial proposal and financial forecasts submitted by the successful bidder as part of its tender response.
The value published in this notice therefore represents the Council's assessment of the anticipated value of the awarded concession contract based on the successful tenderer's submission.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Apr 2036, 23:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: In respect of application of the Procurement Act 23, the Council's position is that the contract falls under the definition of a concession contract as set out within Section 8 of the Procurement Act 2023 and that therefore only the aspects of the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024 that apply to 'special regime' contracts are of relevance to this procurement process and management of the resultant contract. The council is using a single stage competitive flexible procedure for the procurement of this contract, which includes conditions of participation and detailed tender proposals to be submitted at the same time. The Council will run the procurement process to secure the Operator using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined within the Procurement Act 23. The Council has designed a process that includes for: • Pre Tender submission dialogue • Post Tender submission negotiation • Refinement of specification, contractual / lease terms and commercial model during the process • Site tours & bidders briefing • Post award finalisation of contract terms, lease & commercial arrangements • Due diligence including for take up of client references and visits to operator offices & operational sites, both pre and post award Preliminary Market Engagement Following the Council's Preliminary Market Engagement (PME), which informed the development of the procurement strategy, feedback from the market indicated varying preferences in relation to contract length, investment recovery periods and commercial delivery models. In particular, the PME highlighted that different operators adopt differing approaches to contract term depending on their business model, level of upfront investment, and appetite for revenue growth and operational risk. This included a distinction between operators preferring shorter initial terms with flexibility to extend, and those favouring longer initial terms to support investment and long-term planning. In response to this feedback, the Council has structured the procurement into two alternative lots - • Lot 1: Initial term of 5 years with the option to extend by up to 5 years • Lot 2: Initial term of 7 years with the option to extend by up to 3 years The split lot approach ensures that the procurement remains flexible and responsive to market capability, while allowing the Council to determine, through evaluation, the most appropriate contract term for the delivery of the service. Central Digital Platform Operators are required to register on the Central Digital Platform, and upload and/or check that their core Supplier information on the Central Digital Platform relating to their company information, Mandatory and Discretionary Exclusions, Connected Persons, and economic and financial standing is all up to date and accurate at the point of submitting both a Tender Response. Where relevant, Operators will also need to provide information concerning Associated Persons and intended Sub-contractors Should there be any inconsistency between this information and the information as submitted in response to this Procurement, the Operator will need to provide evidence as to the accuracy of their submission and failure to do so could result in the Operator being excluded for Improper Behaviour. Guidance on accessing the Central Digital Platform can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-short-guides/suppliers-how-to-register-your-organisation-and-first-administrator-on-find-a-tender-in-three-easy-steps-html Access to tender document and programme The Council will administrate the procurement using its e-sourcing system In-Tend, which will be used for: • Access to and issue of procurement information and documentation • Pre-tender submission clarification requests and response • Tender submission • Tender opening and access to responses • Post tender submission clarification requests and response • Award decision notification and feedback The In-Tend system can be accessed free of charge via the following web link: https://intendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home The Council are intending to follow the subsequent Procurement Programme - Issue of Tender Notice & Invitation to Participate in Dialogue - 22/06/26 Site Visit (condition of tendering) - 29/06/26 (17:00-19:00) 1-2-1 dialogue meetings - From 13/07/26 to 24/07/26 2026 Request for clarification deadline - 10/08/26 by 16:00 Tender proposals return - 21/08/26 by 12:00 Tender Evaluation - 24/08/26 to 11/09/26 Optional Operator Interviews - 7/09/26 to 11/09/26 Notification of award decision, issue of assessment summaries and publication of Contract Award Notice - 21/09/26 Standstill Period - 21/09/26 to 30/09/26 Preferred bidder secured and confirmation of contract award - 1/10/26 Contract Start - Monday 1st February 2027 Failure to meet the deadlines set out above may result in an Operator's submission not being considered. Mandatory Site Visit Attendance at the site visit is a mandatory requirement for any Operator wishing to submit a tender response. Operators who attended the site visit as part of the Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise will be deemed to have satisfied this requirement, however all Operators are permitted to attend. Failure to attend the scheduled site visit on Monday 19th June 2026 from 17:00 to 19:00 at Southsea Castle will result in the Operator being excluded from the procurement process. Dialogue TEAMS Meetings Operators who wish to engage in an online TEAMS 1-1 clarification meeting/s with the Council prior to submission of their tender return must register via InTend using the correspondence function by 12:00 on Wednesday 8th July 2026. Only Operators who have attended the site visit/were involved in the Preliminary Market Engagement will be able to attend the dialogue meetings. The 1-1 meetings will be held via TEAMS from Monday 13th July 2026 to Friday 24th July 2026. Operators may request up to 90 minutes of clarification meeting time with the Council which may be covered in one meeting or split between multiple (max 2) if required to accommodate diaries of particular Council and Operator project team members that may be required to attend to address particular clarification topics. In registering Operators must provide the following information: • Names, positions and contact details (email & telephone number) of delegates (max of 4 delegates may attend) • Preferred dates and times for meetings • Clarification questions, topics and themes The Council will minute the meetings and provide the notes promptly with the particular Operator via InTend. Where questions and responses are not commercially sensitive to an Operators particular approach they will be added to the Clarification Log and issued to all Operators via InTend. Tender evaluation principles The evaluation of responses takes place in two stages: • Evaluation of exclusion grounds and conditions of participation takes place first. Only when a Operator has satisfied these minimum requirements within the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) will evaluation proceed to the next stage. • Evaluation of award criteria takes place second and comprises evaluation of the responses to the Quality Assessment Questions (QAQ) and Pricing. Minimum requirements The PSQ Preliminary Questions focus on the following sections that will be assessed on a pass/fail basis - 1. Operator information 2. Grounds for exclusion 3. Relevant experience and contract examples 4. Financial capacity 5. Insurance 6. GDPR/ Data Protection 7. Health and Safety 8. Accreditations 9. Payments in contracts (information only) 10. Tackling Modern slavery (information only) Any Operator who does not meet the minimum requirements in the preliminary questions, will be excluded as not meeting the conditions of participation, and their submission will not be assessed any further. Award criteria Where a Operator has satisfied the minimum requirements within the PSQ, their responses to the Quality Assessment Questions (QAQ) will then be evaluated against the following award criteria: • Price 40% • Quality 60% For details of the breakdown of how the Price and Quality are to be assessed see Award Criteria of this notice. The pricing will be assessed on a normalised basis, whilst the quality responses will be assessed on a weighted rate basis or pass/fail. For a breakdown of the specific criteria to be used to evaluate an Operators quality assessment question submission, Operators should refer to Quality Assessment Question scoring matrices and refer to the Single Stage Competitive Flexible Procedure - Conditions of Participation and Invitation to Tender included in the tender pack available via the Council's e-tendering platform Intend. Optional Operator Interviews Following completion of the initial evaluation, the Council may invite the highest scoring bidder(s) for Lot 1 and/or Lot 2 to attend an interview. The purpose of the interview will be to clarify, validate and test the proposals submitted, including assumptions, deliverability and sustainability of the bidder's offer. Following completion of any interviews and final moderation, the Council will determine whether to proceed with Lot 1 or Lot 2, and will award the contract to the bidder achieving the highest final cost/quality score across the selected lot The Council reserves the right, following completion of tender evaluation, to enter into discussions with the preferred bidder in respect of commercial terms, provided that any resulting agreement does not materially alter the substance of the tender submitted or undermine the integrity of the procurement process.
CPV: Beverage-serving services · Cafeteria services · Canteen and catering services · Event services · Meal-serving services · Restaurant waiter services
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£8,200,000 together) · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Standard Term Concession (5 + 5 years)AwardedRenewalPublished value£8,199,999
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
As described in the procurement specific questionnaire and the conditions of participation.
- Technical & professional ability
As described in the procurement specific questionnaire and the conditions of participation.
Lot #2Extended Term Concession (7 + 3 years)AwardedRenewalPublished value£1
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
As described in the procurement specific questionnaire and the conditions of participation.
- Technical & professional ability
As described in the procurement specific questionnaire and the 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 (2)
- Quality: 60%
- Income: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality: 1. Proposal 35% 1.1 Strategic Vision & Catering Offer 12.5% 1.2 Events Strategy & Operational Delivery 12.5% 1.3 Risk & Resilience 5% 1.4 Marketing, Promotion & Customer Engagement 5% 2. Mobilisation 5% 2.1 Mobilisation, Transition & Implementation 5% 3. Resourcing 10% 3.1 Management Team & Operational Staff 7.5% 3.2 Supply Chain & Sub-Contractors 2.5% 4. Business plan and financing 10% 4.1 Business & Financial Model 7.5% 4.2 Open Book Working, Performance Targets & Reporting 2.5%
- Income: 5. Financial proposal 40% 5.1 Base rent return to the Council 25% 5.2 Percentage Revenue Share to the Council in year one 5% 5.3 Average Revenue Share over 10-year contract term 10%
- Economic & financial standing
As described in the procurement specific questionnaire and the conditions of participation.
- Technical & professional ability
As described in the procurement specific questionnaire and the conditions of participation.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Apr 2036
- First published
- 24 Feb 2026, 17:06 GMT
- Last source update
- 2 Oct 2026, 08:27 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 21 Sept 2026
- Authority reference
P00005242- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-058675- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-065b89Find a Tender
- How it runs
In respect of application of the Procurement Act 23, the Council's position is that the contract falls under the definition of a concession contract as set out within Section 8 of the Procurement Act 2023 and that therefore only the aspects of the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024 that apply to 'special regime' contracts are of relevance to this procurement process and management of the resultant contract.
The council is using a single stage competitive flexible procedure for the procurement of this contract, which includes conditions of participation and detailed tender proposals to be submitted at the same time.
The Council will run the procurement process to secure the Operator using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined within the Procurement Act 23. The Council has designed a process that includes for:
- Pre Tender submission dialogue
- Post Tender submission negotiation
- Refinement of specification, contractual / lease terms and commercial model during the process
- Site tours & bidders briefing
- Post award finalisation of contract terms, lease & commercial arrangements
- Due diligence including for take up of client references and visits to operator offices & operational sites, both pre and post award
Preliminary Market Engagement
Following the Council's Preliminary Market Engagement (PME), which informed the development of the procurement strategy, feedback from the market indicated varying preferences in relation to contract length, investment recovery periods and commercial delivery models.
In particular, the PME highlighted that different operators adopt differing approaches to contract term depending on their business model, level of upfront investment, and appetite for revenue growth and operational risk. This included a distinction between operators preferring shorter initial terms with flexibility to extend, and those favouring longer initial terms to support investment and long-term planning.
In response to this feedback, the Council has structured the procurement into two alternative lots -
- Lot 1: Initial term of 5 years with the option to extend by up to 5 years
- Lot 2: Initial term of 7 years with the option to extend by up to 3 years
The split lot approach ensures that the procurement remains flexible and responsive to market capability, while allowing the Council to determine, through evaluation, the most appropriate contract term for the delivery of the service.
Central Digital Platform
Operators are required to register on the Central Digital Platform, and upload and/or check that their core Supplier information on the Central Digital Platform relating to their company information, Mandatory and Discretionary Exclusions, Connected Persons, and economic and financial standing is all up to date and accurate at the point of submitting both a Tender Response. Where relevant, Operators will also need to provide information concerning Associated Persons and intended Sub-contractors
Should there be any inconsistency between this information and the information as submitted in response to this Procurement, the Operator will need to provide evidence as to the accuracy of their submission and failure to do so could result in the Operator being excluded for Improper Behaviour.
Guidance on accessing the Central Digital Platform can be found here -
www.gov.uk/government/publicati… ↗
Access to tender document and programme
The Council will administrate the procurement using its e-sourcing
system In-Tend, which will be used for:
- Access to and issue of procurement information and documentation
- Pre-tender submission clarification requests and response
- Tender submission
- Tender opening and access to responses
- Post tender submission clarification requests and response
- Award decision notification and feedback
The In-Tend system can be accessed free of charge via the following web link:
intendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home ↗
The Council are intending to follow the subsequent Procurement Programme -
Issue of Tender Notice & Invitation to Participate in Dialogue - 22/06/26
Site Visit (condition of tendering) - 29/06/26 (17:00-19:00)
1-2-1 dialogue meetings - From 13/07/26 to 24/07/26 2026
Request for clarification deadline - 10/08/26 by 16:00
Tender proposals return - 21/08/26 by 12:00
Tender Evaluation - 24/08/26 to 11/09/26
Optional Operator Interviews - 7/09/26 to 11/09/26
Notification of award decision, issue of assessment summaries and publication of Contract Award Notice - 21/09/26
Standstill Period - 21/09/26 to 30/09/26
Preferred bidder secured and confirmation of contract award - 1/10/26
Contract Start - Monday 1st February 2027
Failure to meet the deadlines set out above may result in an Operator's submission not being considered.
Mandatory Site Visit
Attendance at the site visit is a mandatory requirement for any Operator wishing to submit a tender response. Operators who attended the site visit as part of the Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise will be deemed to have satisfied this requirement, however all Operators are permitted to attend.
Failure to attend the scheduled site visit on Monday 19th June 2026 from 17:00 to 19:00 at Southsea Castle will result in the Operator being excluded from the procurement process.
Dialogue TEAMS Meetings
Operators who wish to engage in an online TEAMS 1-1 clarification meeting/s with the Council prior to submission of their tender return must register via InTend using the correspondence function by 12:00 on Wednesday 8th July 2026. Only Operators who have attended the site visit/were involved in the Preliminary Market Engagement will be able to attend the dialogue meetings.
The 1-1 meetings will be held via TEAMS from Monday 13th July 2026 to Friday 24th July 2026.
Operators may request up to 90 minutes of clarification meeting time with the Council which may be covered in one meeting or split between multiple (max 2) if required to accommodate diaries of particular Council and Operator project team members that may be required to attend to address particular clarification topics.
In registering Operators must provide the following information:
- Names, positions and contact details (email & telephone number) of delegates (max of 4 delegates may attend)
- Preferred dates and times for meetings
- Clarification questions, topics and themes
The Council will minute the meetings and provide the notes promptly with the particular Operator via InTend.
Where questions and responses are not commercially sensitive to an Operators particular approach they will be added to the Clarification Log and issued to all Operators via InTend.
Tender evaluation principles
The evaluation of responses takes place in two stages:
- Evaluation of exclusion grounds and conditions of participation takes place first. Only when a Operator has satisfied these minimum requirements within the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) will evaluation proceed to the next stage.
- Evaluation of award criteria takes place second and comprises evaluation of the responses to the Quality Assessment Questions (QAQ) and Pricing.
Minimum requirements
The PSQ Preliminary Questions focus on the following sections that will be assessed on a pass/fail basis -
- Operator information
- Grounds for exclusion
- Relevant experience and contract examples
- Financial capacity
- Insurance
- GDPR/ Data Protection
- Health and Safety
- Accreditations
- Payments in contracts (information only)
- Tackling Modern slavery (information only)
Any Operator who does not meet the minimum requirements in the preliminary questions, will be excluded as not meeting the conditions of participation, and their submission will not be assessed any further.
Award criteria
Where a Operator has satisfied the minimum requirements within the PSQ, their responses to the Quality Assessment Questions (QAQ) will then be evaluated against the following award criteria:
- Price 40%
- Quality 60%
For details of the breakdown of how the Price and Quality are to be assessed see Award Criteria of this notice. The pricing will be assessed on a normalised basis, whilst the quality responses will be assessed on a weighted rate basis or pass/fail.
For a breakdown of the specific criteria to be used to evaluate an Operators quality assessment question submission, Operators should refer to Quality Assessment Question scoring matrices and refer to the Single Stage Competitive Flexible Procedure -
Conditions of Participation and Invitation to Tender included in the tender pack available via the Council's e-tendering platform Intend.
Optional Operator Interviews
Following completion of the initial evaluation, the Council may invite the highest scoring bidder(s) for Lot 1 and/or Lot 2 to attend an interview. The purpose of the interview will be to clarify, validate and test the proposals submitted, including assumptions, deliverability and sustainability of the bidder's offer.
Following completion of any interviews and final moderation, the Council will determine whether to proceed with Lot 1 or Lot 2, and will award the contract to the bidder achieving the highest final cost/quality score across the selected lot
The Council reserves the right, following completion of tender evaluation, to enter into discussions with the preferred bidder in respect of commercial terms, provided that any resulting agreement does not materially alter the substance of the tender submitted or undermine the integrity of the procurement process.
- Risks
The Council has identified the following known risks & opportunities that may occur during the duration of the term of the contract and may positively or negatively impact the scope, scale, value, timescales, end user demand, etc. related the contract:
- Development and changing demographics of Portsmouth area which could impact positively or negatively on operator revenues
- Marco and micro environmental impacts on utilities and other costs which could impact operator costs
- Changes to VAT levels and other impacts of taxation which could impact operator costs
- Local Government Review impacts including for assignment of contract to successor unitary authority and any new requirements / objectives of the new authority which may require alterations to the technical scope, contractual and commercial structure of the arrangements
- Unforeseen maintenance requirements which could increase operator costs and impact revenues if closures are required
- Inflation and other cost of living impacts which could increase or decrease operator revenues and costs
- Changes to National Living Wage, National Insurance and other factors which could impact operator employment costs
- Increased or decreased competition from other public or privately run facilities or attractions which could impact operator revenues
- Introduction of new technologies, systems and processes which could reduce operator costs and / or increase revenues as well as impacting technical scope
- Introduction of new activities through market innovations that could open up new operator revenue opportunities and impact technical scope
- Changes to relevant government policy / legislation which could increase or decrease operator revenues & costs, as well as potentially mandating changes to the technical scope
- An endemic or pandemic event similar to Covid 19 which could increase costs and / or reduce demand.
The Council has identified the risks and opportunities above associated with the delivery of this contract. In accordance with Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Council reserves the right to modify the contract, without initiating a new procurement procedure, should any of these risks materialise during the contract term.
Any such modification will be limited to addressing the consequences of the known risk and will not alter the overall nature of the contract. Where applicable, a Contract Change Notice will be published in accordance with the requirements of the Act.
Impact of Local Government Reorganisation
As part of the wider Local Government Review (LGR), the Council has been required to engage with neighbouring authorities to explore future structural reform, shared service opportunities, and alignment of governance arrangements.
The UK Government has now confirmed its decision regarding Local Government Reorganisation across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Under the confirmed proposals, Portsmouth City Council will become part of a new, larger unitary authority covering the areas of Gosport, Fareham and Havant, and including Newlands, Horndean, Clanfield and Rowlands Castle.
The new unitary authority will formally come into existence on 1 April 2028, at which point Portsmouth City Council, as it currently exists, will be legally dissolved on 31 March 2028.
Upon dissolution of the Council and vesting of the new unitary authority the contract established via this procurement process will automatically transfer to the new authority.
The operator will be legally required to continue honouring all commitments made under the terms of the contract let by the Council.
It is not anticipated that beyond the change of client authority that any other aspects of the specification, terms and other requirements are likely to be subject to any significant changes, although the Council is obviously not able to accurately predict the requirements and objectives of the future authority.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 21 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 10 Aug 2026, 16:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
24 Feb 2026 → 1 Feb 2027 · 10 dates- Planning notice published240 days ago24 Feb 2026, 17:06 GMT
- Market engagement216 days ago20 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
INTRODUCTION
Portsmouth City Council (the Council) is undertaking a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise to inform the future procurement strategy for catering and event services at Southsea Castle.
To ensure effective engagement with organisations, and in the interests of transparency and fair and equal treatment set out within the Procurement Act 23, the Council has instigated this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) process via issue of a PME Notice on the Central Government Find a Tender Service / Central Digital Platform.
Through the PME exercise suitably qualified and experienced operators will have the opportunity to participate in a site tour of the premises on 10th March at 16:30 - 19:00 and take part in 1-1 discussions with key Council officers.
The 1-1 meetings will generally be held on-line via Microsoft Teams between 10th - 18th March, although the Council may also be able to offer in person meetings at the Council's Civic Offices. The Council currently has 4 1.5-hour meeting slots available which will be allocated on a first come first served basis to operators who can meet the minimum experience requirements detailed below.
If more than 4 qualifying operators express interest in 1-1 meetings the council will endeavour to make further meeting slots available but cannot provide any guarantees, as such interested operators are encouraged to submit formal expressions of interest as a matter of urgency. Where meeting slots cannot be allocated the Council will give operators an opportunity to provide written feedback.
The feedback gained through this process will inform the development of the operational, commercial and contractual positions taken by the Council when the formal procurement process is undertaken, as well as informing the design and programme for the actual procurement process.
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PROCESS & PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
Attendance at the site visit, and participation in any subsequent one‑to‑one meetings, will be limited to Operators who have completed and submitted the accompanying Expression of Interest (EOI) form via In‑tend using the correspondence function .
In the first instance, interested Operators must complete the EOI form and return it via In‑tend, confirming their interest in taking part in the site visit and the 1‑to‑1 discussions. The EOI form requests operators to provide the following information for up to two case studies, which must be in relation to current operations or operations that have ceased within the last 12 months:
- Daily restaurant or café operations of a minimum of 30 covers
- Event catering delivery of a minimum of 100 covers
- Bar operation and management
These minimum requirements are expected to form part of the pass/fail Conditions of Participation in the subsequent procurement process. Operators who are unable to evidence the stated level of relevant experience will not be eligible to take part in this PME process or bid for the future opportunity.
The expression of interest form requests Operators to provide the following information:
- General company information
- Details of previous experience managing a hospitality business; whether a café, restaurant or catering company
- Availability for meetings on:
o Slot 1 - Tuesday 10th March - Either 11:00 - 12:30 or 11:30 - 13:00
o Slot 2 - Wednesday 11th March - 09:30 - 11:00
o Slot 3 - Thursday 12th March - Either 15:00 - 16:30 or 15:30 - 17:00
o Slot 4 - Wednesday 18th March 13:00 - 14:30
- Names of delegates who will attend the site visit and/or the 1-2-1 meetings, including their role and email address.
In addition to submission pf the EOI operators will also be required to complete and submit a Conflict of Interest (COI) Statement using the form provided. Further information in respect of Conflict of Interest is included within the further documentation accessible via the Council's e-sourcing solution In-tend.
NB: Operators should note that there is no obligation to take part in this exercise and that if they do not take part, it will not preclude them from any subsequent related procurement process. Engaging Operators will not receive preferential treatment in the subsequent procurement process, and this is in no way an indication of the selection of any organisation or a guarantee of future work.
COUNICL TEAM
The key Council officers who will attend the 1-1 meetings are as follows:
- Claire Looney - Partnership and Commissioning Manager - PCC Culture Leisure and Regulatory Services
- Jacqueline Braks - Events and weddings manager, Southsea Castle - PCC Culture Leisure and Regulatory Services
- Richard Lock - Assistant Director Procurement - PCC Finance and Resources
- Simon Courtney - Senior Procurement Professional - PCC Finance and Resources
- Shannon Penfold - Trainee Procurement Professional - PCC Finance and Resources
PME & PROCUREMENT ADMINISTRATION
The Council will administrate the preliminary market engagement and future formal procurement process using its e-sourcing system In-Tend which will be used for:
- Access to and issue of information and documentation
- Clarification requests and response
- Expression of interest submission
- Allocation of 1-1 meeting slots
- Issue of tender documentation
- Submission of tender responses
- Issue of Award Decision notification
The In-tend system can be accessed for free using the following link:
in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home ↗
PME SUPPORTING INFORMATION
The following documents have been included as part of the PME Briefing pack via In-tend:
- Southsea Castle - PME Brief (this document)
- Southsea Castle - PME 1-1 EOI
- Castle Website: southseacastle.co.uk ↗
- Conflict of Interest Statement
- Conflicts of Interest Declaration Form
- Intend Guidance, Supporting Information & Clarification Process.
PME FEEBACK AREAS
As the council explores options for the new catering arrangements for Southsea Castle, it is keen to seek input from the market in respect of interest, ambitions, vision, commercials, contract, maintenance, procurement strategy, etc. to inform the future formal procurement process.
Through undertaking 1-1 discussions with operators the Council will seek information on and input into the following headline areas, further detail on these discussion points are included within the PME Brief document accessible via In-tend:
- Experience, Capacity & Growth Ambitions
- Vision for the Catering Offer
- Opportunities for Weddings, Corporate Events & Private Hire
- Community, Cultural and Local Partnerships
- Marketing, Communications & Customer Service - Launch and Ongoing Strategy
- Investment, Building Improvements & Maintenance
- Commercial Viability & Business Model Options
- Partnership Working, Performance Reporting & Contract Management Expectations
- Procurement Process, Mobilisation & Transition Planning
- Contractual Parameters and Limitations
CONFLICTS ASSESSMENT
The Procurement Act 2023 requires the Council to identify and keep under review actual and potential conflicts of interest. The Council must also mitigate conflicts of interest and address circumstances which the Council considers are likely to cause a reasonable person to wrongly believe there to be a conflict or potential conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest arises when an individual's personal interests, relationships, or activities have the potential to interfere with their impartiality or the integrity of the procurement process. This may include financial, personal, familial, or business interests that could improperly influence, or be perceived to influence, their decisions or actions.
Operators should refer to Conflicts of Interest Declaration Form accessible via In-tend for further details of the Council's duty regarding conflict of interests.
Operators should complete and submit one conflict of interest declaration per organisation in word format.
- Next notice expected192 days ago13 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published122 days ago22 Jun 2026, 16:41 BST
- Clarification questions by73 days ago10 Aug 2026, 16:00 BST
- Submission deadline63 days ago21 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by31 days ago21 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent21 days ago2 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published21 days ago2 Oct 2026, 08:27 BST
- Today23 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 101 days1 Feb 2027
Notice history
11 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Feb 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published24 Feb 2026, 17:06 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published22 Jun 2026, 16:41 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £8,200,00022 Jun 2026, 16:41 BSTwas £15,326,794
- Status changed to active22 Jun 2026, 16:41 BST
- Procurement method changed22 Jun 2026, 16:41 BST
- Deadline published: 7 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST22 Jun 2026, 16:41 BST
- Tender notice published24 Jul 2026, 13:40 BSTUK4
- Deadline moved to 21 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST24 Jul 2026, 13:40 BST+14 days · was 7 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Contract award notice published2 Oct 2026, 08:27 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete2 Oct 2026, 08:27 BST
- Contract signature expected19 Oct 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Published amendments (1)
The tender return deadline has been extend to Friday 21st August 2026, and the clarification deadline is now Monday 10th August 2026.
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-02: 1 release · 24 Feb 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · Standard Term Concession (5 + 5 years)1 award | |||
| Seasoned Venues LimitedVCSE1 Feb 2027 – 31 Jan 2032 · up to 31 Jan 2037Extensions: Initial term of 5 years with the option to extend by up to 5 years | £16,000,000 | 1 Oct 2026 | Awarded |
| Lot 2 · Extended Term Concession (7 + 3 years)1 award | |||
| supplier not published | — | 11 Sept 2026 | Awarded |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Standard Term Concession (5 + 5 years) | 1final-stage tenders · 2 at stage one | 1 | 1 | — |
| 2 · Extended Term Concession (7 + 3 years) | 0final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonSEASONED VENUES LIMITEDVCSE · East of England · 1
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- SEASONED VENUES LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Summary PME report from the soft market testing.
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
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender