Official UK procurement notice
Spinnaker Tower Operator · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Portsmouth City Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionPortsmouth City Council - the 'Council - has sought tenders from suitably qualified and experienced operators for the operation of the Spinnaker Tower - the 'Tower' - on a long term mutually incentivised concession partnership basis.
Following completion of the tender assessment process the Council has issued assessment summaries to the successful and unsuccessful suppliers as required under Section 50 of the Procurement Act 23 (the 'Act').
Issuing of this Award Notice will now instigate the statutory Standstill Period which will not be less than eight-working days in accordance with section 51 of 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, the Council intends to finalise terms and enter into contract with the Successful Supplier.
Following execution of contract the Council will issue a further Contract Details Notice in accordance with Section 53 of the Act.
The Spinnaker Tower is located on the waterfront within Gunwharf Quays shopping centre and is a prominent landmark offering views of the city, the Solent and the Isle of Wight. Under the new contract the primary function of the Tower must remain a public viewing tower, to be open in line with hours set out within the Council's specification.
Following finalisation of terms and execution of contract the Successful Supplier will be required to seamlessly commence operations under a lease with associated concession arrangement from 11th October 2026 following expiry of the lease held with the current incumbent operator on 10th October 2026. The lease and associated concession contract will be let on a 25-year basis.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 7 Oct 2050, 00:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: APPLICATION OF PA23 & PR24 In respect of application of PA 2023, the Council's position is that the Concession Contract falls under the definition of a concession contract as set out within Section 8 of PA 2023 and that therefore only the aspects of PA 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024 ("2024 Regulations") that apply to 'special regime' contracts are of relevance to this procurement process and management of the resultant Concession Contract. COMPETITIVE FLEXIBLE PROCEDURE FEATURES The Council will run the procurement process to secure the Operator using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined within PA 2023. The Council has designed a process that includes: • Pre Tender submission dialogue. • Refinement of award criteria, specification, contractual / lease terms and commercial model during the process. • Site tours & Suppliers briefing. • Post award negotiation including for 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. • Interviews and presentations. PROGRAMME The procurement programme is set out below in summary. • Issue Tender Notice on FTS - 7th April 2026 • Issue Stage 1 documents on In-Tend - 7th April 2026 • On-line TEAMS Suppliers Briefing - 13th April @11:30 • Site Tours - 17th April @14:00, 22nd April @10:00, 24th April @10:00 • Issue Revised Tender Notice 1 on FTS - 20th April 2026 • Dialogue meetings - 27th April 2026 - 1st May 2026 • Issue Revised Tender Notice 2 on FTS - 5th May 2026 • Further Bidders Briefing - 12th May 13:30 - 14:30 • Further Site Tours - 13th May @10:00, 15th May @10:00 • Further Dialogue Meetings - 19th May - 21st May 2026 • Request for clarification deadline - 26th May 2026 @23:59 • Tender submission deadline- 5th June 2026 @12:00 • Interview & presentation - 24th - 25th June 2026 • Issue Assessment Summaries - 15th July 2026 • Issue Contract Award Notice on FTS - 15th July 2026 • Standstill Period - 16th July - 27th July 2026 • Confirmation of award - 28th July 2026 • Negotiation & Finalisation of Terms - 29th July - 7th August 2026 • Mobilisation period - 8th August - 10th October 2026 • Service commencement - 11th October 2026 FURTHER BIDDERS BRIEFING A 'Further Bidders Briefing' will be held on Tuesday 12th May 2026 at 13:30 via Microsoft Teams. Attendance at the briefing is encouraged but not mandatory. The Council anticipates that the briefing will last 30 minutes but has allowed for 1 hour to allow time for questions. The 'Further Bidders Briefing' will focus on explaining the modifications that the Council has made to its requirements and the procurement process as well as providing bidders with a further overview of the bidding requirements. SITE TOURS & MEETINGS Attendance to at least 1 site tour is a condition of tendering and the Council reserves the right to disqualify and not consider further any bids from Suppliers who cannot evidence attendance on at least one of the site tours. Following issue of the Council's modifications to its requirements and procurement process the Council has scheduled further site tours for 13th May 2026 at 10:00 and 15th May 2026 at 10:00 to enable suppliers who may now wish to participate in the process to attend site. Suppliers who have previously attended site tours may also attend the further site tours. For suppliers attending the tour on Wednesday 13th May, suppliers should confirm full names & positions of attendees via In-tend correspondence prior to the deadline of Tuesday 12th May 2026 at 16:00. For suppliers attending the tour on Friday 15th May, suppliers should confirm full names & positions of attendees via In-tend Correspondence prior to the deadline of Thursday 14th May 2026 at 16:00. When attending the site tours, delegates should arrive 15 minutes before commencement of the site tour and report to Cerys Harris at the entrance of the Tower. Other than the site tours all other meetings - Suppliers briefing, dialogue meetings, interview / presentation - will be held on-line using Microsoft TEAMS. Meetings will be offered on a "first come, first served" basis. Suppliers who wish to engage in the further online TEAMS 1-1 clarification meeting/s with the Council prior to submission of their 1st stage tender return must register via In-tend using the Messaging function by Monday 18th May 2026 at 14:00. The further 1-1 meetings will be held via TEAMS from Tuesday 19th to Thursday 21st May 2026. Suppliers 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 Supplier project team members that may be required to attend to address particular clarification topics. In view of the modifications made by the Council and in order to ensure fair & equal treatment, attendance at these further meetings will be open to both suppliers who took part in the previous 1-1 meetings and those that did not. In registering suppliers must provide the following information: • Names, positions and contact details (email & telephone number) of delegates (max of 10 delegates may attend) • Preferred dates and times for meetings • Clarification questions, topics and themes INTERVIEW & PRESENTATION During the evaluation period the Council may invite the highest scoring tenderers to attend an online TEAMS interview & presentation. Attendance at the interviews & presentations is not compulsory but suppliers are encouraged to participate. Should suppliers not wish to participate all clarification requests will be processed solely via In-tend following the protocols set out above. The purpose of the interview & presentations is to ensure there is a clear mutual understanding between the Council and the Supplier regarding the requirements of the contract and in respect of the supplier's proposals prior to a decision being made on contract award. It is important to note that such interviews will not be used as a negotiation meeting or an opportunity to present new information. The interviews & presentations will not be scored, however clarification points raised may may impact the final scores allocated to the evaluation of tenders where this has a positive or negative impact in respect of any ambiguities / assumptions that the interview addresses. The interviews & presentations will take place between 24th and 25th June. It is envisaged that interviews & presentations may run for 60 minutes to 90 minutes dependent upon the number of points that Council requires clarification on. The Council will issue invitations to suppliers via In-tend and will seek to notify Suppliers at least 2 working days before the slot/s offered. Where possible the Council will provide multiple slot options and be as flexible as possible to accommodate Supplier diaries. Suppliers invited to interview should ensure that members of the key team put forward within their tender proposals who will be directly delivering the services attend the interview. The Council will confirm the clarification questions / points / themes which it wishes to address within the invitation. Suppliers will be given 30 minutes of agenda time in which they will be invited to provide a summary presentation of their proposals. NEGOTIATION Following completion of the evaluation of tenders, identification of the preferred bidder / winning Supplier and undertaking of the award process, it is likely that the Council will undertake a level of negotiation with the preferred bidder to finalise terms. Once the winning Supplier has been selected and the Council has completed governance, the Assessment Summaries will be issued, together with a notice for the award of the Concession Contract (the "Contract Award Notice") and an 8 working day standstill period will be run. The topic areas for negotiation will be developed following assessment and award, but will likely include: • Commercial considerations including for rent & rev share income • Business plan rationale & assumptions • Proposals for capital investment • Ancillary use proposals • Primary use enhancements • Lease and concession terms • Lifecycle works, PPM & co-ordination • KPIs & reporting • Mobilisation & service establishment The Council will minute the meetings and provide the notes promptly to the preferred bidder / winning Supplier supplier via In-tend. No change will be agreed where, in the Council's sole discretion, it would result in treating Suppliers in the same position differently, or would have permitted a Supplier who did not participate in the procurement on the basis of the advertised terms to have participated, or where such changes would have a material impact on the result of the evaluation of submitted tenders which would have resulted in the identification of a different preferred bidder / winning Supplier. Negotiation will focus upon refinements that optimize, clarify, or confirm the proposals included for within the preferred bidder / winning Supplier's tender submission without altering its fundamental nature. ADMINISTRATION 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 Assessment Summaries • Publication of summary contract register information in accordance with Local Government Transparency Code (2015) requirements. The In-tend system can be accessed free of charge via the following web address: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home
CPV: Advertising and marketing services · Beverage-serving services · Building alteration work · Building-cleaning services · Buildings of particular historical or architectural interest · Cafeteria construction work · Civic-amenity services · Commercial property management services · Construction work for buildings relating to exhibitions · Decoration work · Entertainment building construction work · Exterior cleaning work for buildings · +23 more
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£168,161,103
- Economic & financial standing
EXCLUSION GROUNDS
Assessment in line with PA23 requirements in relation to excluded and excludable grounds.
The Council will allow for representation from suppliers in line with PA23 requirements in relation to excludable grounds, including for substitution of proposed sub-contracting arrangements.
The Council will apply discretion and allow for representation from suppliers in relation to excludable grounds in line with PA23 requirements, including for substitution of proposed sub-contracting arrangements.
FINANCIAL STANDING
Business Risk Assessment
Bidders must attain a business risk score calculated using Credit Safe financial ratios of 50 or above to pass. If below or score is unavailable, bidders must provide a satisfactory
review of financial information against profit/loss, liquidity, acid test, etc. or provision of a guarantee from a parent company or other legally bound guarantor with a business risk
score of 50 or above.
Turnover Assessment
Bidders must demonstrate a recorded turnover within latest set of accounts of at least approx. £1,200,000, a provision of a guarantee from a parent company or other legally
bound guarantor with a recorded turnover within latest set of accounts of at least approx. £1,200,000 or if Suppliers are unable to meet the minimum turnover levels but feel that they are able to demonstrate alternative evidence of financial capacity they are instructed to submit this in order that the council may consider the information and provide a decision that will be final.
INSURANCE
The Council will be asking for insurance levels to be set as follows -
- Public & Products Liability Insurance - £10M in respect of any one occurrence, the number of occurrences being unlimited, but in the aggregate in respect of pollution and products liability.
- Employees Liability Insurance - £10M in respect of any one occurrence, the number of occurrences being unlimited
- Professional Indemnity Insurance - £1M each and every claim or in the annual aggregate with auto-replenishment
GDPR
Suppliers must confirm that they have in place, or that they will have in place by the award of the contract, the human and technical resources to perform the contract to ensure
compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and to ensure the protection of the rights of data subjects.
&
Suppliers have provided details to the Council's satisfaction, of the technical facilities and measures (including systems and processes) in place, or will have in place by contract
award, to ensure compliance with UK data protection law and to ensure the protection of the rights of data subjects.
- Technical & professional ability
OPERATIONAL CASE STUDIES
Bidders are required to submit between one (1) and three (3) Operational Case Studies (OCS) relating to contracts that the Operator is either currently delivering or, for specific
experience elements only, has delivered within the last five (5) years. Bidders must ensure that, collectively, the case study submission demonstrates coverage of all the required elements set out below, with at least one case study addressing each element.
Multiple case studies relating to the same client organisation are permitted, provided that each submission relates to a discrete and distinct contract. Case studies will be assessed
holistically and must, as a minimum, demonstrate evidence of the requirements listed below in order to achieve a pass. Failure to demonstrate the minimum levels of relevant experience will result in a failed assessment.
- Current experience (not from a past arrangement) of successfully operating a regionally significant visitor / leisure attraction with a footfall of at least 50k per annum and a turnover of £1m. For the purposes of this and further requirements, a regionally significant visitor / leisure attraction may include destination shopping centres, destination museums, landmark visitor attractions, major cultural or heritage sites, waterfront or tourism led destinations, or other comparable leisure attractions. This should be demonstrated on at least 1 of the case studies submitted.
- Experience of successfully delivering day to day site operations, facilities management, statutory compliance & day to day maintenance responsibilities at an operational site. This should be demonstrated on at least 1 of the case studies submitted.
- Current experience (not from a past arrangement) of developing, delivering and managing marketing & promotion activities on at least 1 of the case studies submitted.
- Experience of successfully managing delivery of Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programmes of repair, refurbishment and replacement works on at least 1 of the
case studies submitted.
- Current experience (not from a past arrangement) of running a visitor / leisure attraction on a commercial basis including for taking all or substantive risk on sales, costs and
profit/surplus generation on at least 1 of the case studies submitted.
HEALTH & SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
HSE Enforcement / Remedial Orders
Receipt of enforcement/remedial action orders will result in a 'Fail' unless the supplier can demonstrate to the Council's satisfaction that appropriate remedial action has been taken to prevent future occurrences or breaches. The Council may request further information.
Prosecution & Enforcement
The serving of enforcement notices and any prosecutions will result in a 'Fail' decision unless the Supplier can demonstrate that robust measures have been implemented to prevent the re-occurrence to the satisfaction of the Council. The Council may request further information.
HSE FFI Charges
HSE FFI Charges will result in an automatic fail, unless the Council considers those charges are minor and insignificant. The Council may request further information.
Environmental Health Enforcement
In order to obtain a 'Pass', the Supplier must confirm that:
- it has not, within the last five (5) years, been subject to any Environmental Health enforcement action (including statutory notices, improvement notices or prohibition notices relating to pests, hygiene, public health or environmental health matters); or
- in circumstances where it has been subject to any such enforcement action, that it has implemented sufficiently robust measures to prevent reoccurrence to the satisfaction of the Council.
The Council may request further information.
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 (14)
- Activities, Uses & Events Proposals: 10%
- Resource & Delivery Model: 7.5%
- Business Plan: 7.5%
- Mobilisation & Service Establishment: 5%
- Partnership Working: 5%
- Marketing, Promotion & Customer Experience: 5%
- Reporting, IT & Communication: 5%
- H&S, Safeguarding & Facilities Management: 5%
- Maintenance Management: 5%
- Capital Investment Proposals: 5%
- NPV calculated 25-year fixed lease payments total: 22.5%
- NPV calculated 25-year estimated revenue share payment total: 7.5%
- First 3 years fixed lease payments total: 5%
- Social Value: 5%
Published award criteria (14)
- Activities, Uses & Events Proposals: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Resource & Delivery Model: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Business Plan: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Mobilisation & Service Establishment: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Partnership Working: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Marketing, Promotion & Customer Experience: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Reporting, IT & Communication: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Social Value: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- H&S, Safeguarding & Facilities Management: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Maintenance Management: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Capital Investment Proposals: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- NPV calculated 25-year fixed lease payments total: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- NPV calculated 25-year estimated revenue share payment total: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- First 3 years fixed lease payments total: The Council has reserved the right to amend the award criteria in accordance with section 26 PA 2023 via issue of a new version of the Invitation to Tender via In-tend and republishing the Tender Notice. Any refinements will be issued prior to the request for clarification deadline.
- Economic & financial standing
EXCLUSION GROUNDS
Assessment in line with PA23 requirements in relation to excluded and excludable grounds.
The Council will allow for representation from suppliers in line with PA23 requirements in relation to excludable grounds, including for substitution of proposed sub-contracting arrangements.
The Council will apply discretion and allow for representation from suppliers in relation to excludable grounds in line with PA23 requirements, including for substitution of proposed sub-contracting arrangements.
FINANCIAL STANDING
Business Risk Assessment
Bidders must attain a business risk score calculated using Credit Safe financial ratios of 50 or above to pass. If below or score is unavailable, bidders must provide a satisfactory
review of financial information against profit/loss, liquidity, acid test, etc. or provision of a guarantee from a parent company or other legally bound guarantor with a business risk
score of 50 or above.
Turnover Assessment
Bidders must demonstrate a recorded turnover within latest set of accounts of at least approx. £1,200,000, a provision of a guarantee from a parent company or other legally
bound guarantor with a recorded turnover within latest set of accounts of at least approx. £1,200,000 or if Suppliers are unable to meet the minimum turnover levels but feel that they are able to demonstrate alternative evidence of financial capacity they are instructed to submit this in order that the council may consider the information and provide a decisio…
- Technical & professional ability
OPERATIONAL CASE STUDIES
Bidders are required to submit between one (1) and three (3) Operational Case Studies (OCS) relating to contracts that the Operator is either currently delivering or, for specific
experience elements only, has delivered within the last five (5) years. Bidders must ensure that, collectively, the case study submission demonstrates coverage of all the required elements set out below, with at least one case study addressing each element.
Multiple case studies relating to the same client organisation are permitted, provided that each submission relates to a discrete and distinct contract. Case studies will be assessed
holistically and must, as a minimum, demonstrate evidence of the requirements listed below in order to achieve a pass. Failure to demonstrate the minimum levels of relevant experience will result in a failed assessment.
- Current experience (not from a past arrangement) of successfully operating a regionally significant visitor / leisure attraction with a footfall of at least 50k per annum and a turnover of £1m. For the purposes of this and further requirements, a regionally significant visitor / leisure attraction may include destination shopping centres, destination museums, landmark visitor attractions, major cultural or heritage sites, waterfront or tourism led destinations, or other comparable leisure attractions. This should be demonstrated on at least 1 of the case studies submitted.
- Experience of successfully delivering day to day s…
- Price carries 35 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3.5 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, CPTPP)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 7 Oct 2050
- First published
- 13 Nov 2025, 15:10 GMT
- Last source update
- 16 Jul 2026, 21:33 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 15 Jul 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-031677- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e0a1Find a Tender
- How it runs
APPLICATION OF PA23 & PR24
In respect of application of PA 2023, the Council's position is that the Concession Contract falls under the definition of a concession contract as set out within Section 8 of PA 2023 and that therefore only the aspects of PA 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024 ("2024 Regulations") that apply to 'special regime' contracts are of relevance to this procurement process and management of the resultant Concession Contract.
COMPETITIVE FLEXIBLE PROCEDURE FEATURES
The Council will run the procurement process to secure the Operator using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined within PA 2023. The Council has designed a process that includes:
- Pre Tender submission dialogue.
- Refinement of award criteria, specification, contractual / lease terms and commercial model during the process.
- Site tours & Suppliers briefing.
- Post award negotiation including for 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.
- Interviews and presentations.
PROGRAMME
The procurement programme is set out below in summary.
- Issue Tender Notice on FTS - 7th April 2026
- Issue Stage 1 documents on In-Tend - 7th April 2026
- On-line TEAMS Suppliers Briefing - 13th April @11:30
- Site Tours - 17th April @14:00, 22nd April @10:00, 24th April @10:00
- Issue Revised Tender Notice 1 on FTS - 20th April 2026
- Dialogue meetings - 27th April 2026 - 1st May 2026
- Issue Revised Tender Notice 2 on FTS - 5th May 2026
- Further Bidders Briefing - 12th May 13:30 - 14:30
- Further Site Tours - 13th May @10:00, 15th May @10:00
- Further Dialogue Meetings - 19th May - 21st May 2026
- Request for clarification deadline - 26th May 2026 @23:59
- Tender submission deadline- 5th June 2026 @12:00
- Interview & presentation - 24th - 25th June 2026
- Issue Assessment Summaries - 15th July 2026
- Issue Contract Award Notice on FTS - 15th July 2026
- Standstill Period - 16th July - 27th July 2026
- Confirmation of award - 28th July 2026
- Negotiation & Finalisation of Terms - 29th July - 7th August 2026
- Mobilisation period - 8th August - 10th October 2026
- Service commencement - 11th October 2026
FURTHER BIDDERS BRIEFING
A 'Further Bidders Briefing' will be held on Tuesday 12th May 2026 at 13:30 via Microsoft Teams. Attendance at the briefing is encouraged but not mandatory. The Council anticipates that the briefing will last 30 minutes but has allowed for 1 hour to allow time for questions. The 'Further Bidders Briefing' will focus on explaining the modifications that the Council has made to its requirements and the procurement process as well as providing bidders with a further overview of the bidding requirements.
SITE TOURS & MEETINGS
Attendance to at least 1 site tour is a condition of tendering and the Council reserves the right to disqualify and not consider further any bids from Suppliers who cannot evidence attendance on at least one of the site tours.
Following issue of the Council's modifications to its requirements and procurement process the Council has scheduled further site tours for 13th May 2026 at 10:00 and 15th May 2026 at 10:00 to enable suppliers who may now wish to participate in the process to attend site. Suppliers who have previously attended site tours may also attend the further site tours.
For suppliers attending the tour on Wednesday 13th May, suppliers should confirm full names & positions of attendees via In-tend correspondence prior to the deadline of Tuesday 12th May 2026 at 16:00.
For suppliers attending the tour on Friday 15th May, suppliers should confirm full names & positions of attendees via In-tend Correspondence prior to the deadline of Thursday 14th May 2026 at 16:00.
When attending the site tours, delegates should arrive 15 minutes before commencement of the site tour and report to Cerys Harris at the entrance of the Tower.
Other than the site tours all other meetings - Suppliers briefing, dialogue meetings, interview / presentation - will be held on-line using Microsoft TEAMS. Meetings will be offered on a "first come, first served" basis.
Suppliers who wish to engage in the further online TEAMS 1-1 clarification meeting/s with the Council prior to submission of their 1st stage tender return must register via In-tend using the Messaging function by Monday 18th May 2026 at 14:00.
The further 1-1 meetings will be held via TEAMS from Tuesday 19th to Thursday 21st May 2026. Suppliers 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 Supplier project team members that may be required to attend to address particular clarification topics.
In view of the modifications made by the Council and in order to ensure fair & equal treatment, attendance at these further meetings will be open to both suppliers who took part in the previous 1-1 meetings and those that did not.
In registering suppliers must provide the following information:
- Names, positions and contact details (email & telephone number) of delegates (max of 10 delegates may attend)
- Preferred dates and times for meetings
- Clarification questions, topics and themes
INTERVIEW & PRESENTATION
During the evaluation period the Council may invite the highest scoring tenderers to attend an online TEAMS interview & presentation.
Attendance at the interviews & presentations is not compulsory but suppliers are encouraged to participate. Should suppliers not wish to participate all clarification requests will be processed solely via In-tend following the protocols set out above.
The purpose of the interview & presentations is to ensure there is a clear mutual understanding between the Council and the Supplier regarding the requirements of the contract and in respect of the supplier's proposals prior to a decision being made on contract award. It is important to note that such interviews will not be used as a negotiation meeting or an opportunity to present new information.
The interviews & presentations will not be scored, however clarification points raised may may impact the final scores allocated to the evaluation of tenders where this has a positive or negative impact in respect of any ambiguities / assumptions that the interview addresses.
The interviews & presentations will take place between 24th and 25th June. It is envisaged that interviews & presentations may run for 60 minutes to 90 minutes dependent upon the number of points that Council requires clarification on.
The Council will issue invitations to suppliers via In-tend and will seek to notify Suppliers at least 2 working days before the slot/s offered. Where possible the Council will provide multiple slot options and be as flexible as possible to accommodate Supplier diaries.
Suppliers invited to interview should ensure that members of the key team put forward within their tender proposals who will be directly delivering the services attend the interview.
The Council will confirm the clarification questions / points / themes which it wishes to address within the invitation. Suppliers will be given 30 minutes of agenda time in which they will be invited to provide a summary presentation of their proposals.
NEGOTIATION
Following completion of the evaluation of tenders, identification of the preferred bidder / winning Supplier and undertaking of the award process, it is likely that the Council will undertake a level of negotiation with the preferred bidder to finalise terms.
Once the winning Supplier has been selected and the Council has completed governance, the Assessment Summaries will be issued, together with a notice for the award of the Concession Contract (the "Contract Award Notice") and an 8 working day standstill period will be run.
The topic areas for negotiation will be developed following assessment and award, but will likely include:
- Commercial considerations including for rent & rev share income
- Business plan rationale & assumptions
- Proposals for capital investment
- Ancillary use proposals
- Primary use enhancements
- Lease and concession terms
- Lifecycle works, PPM & co-ordination
- KPIs & reporting
- Mobilisation & service establishment
The Council will minute the meetings and provide the notes promptly to the preferred bidder / winning Supplier supplier via In-tend.
No change will be agreed where, in the Council's sole discretion, it would result in treating Suppliers in the same position differently, or would have permitted a Supplier who did not participate in the procurement on the basis of the advertised terms to have participated, or where such changes would have a material impact on the result of the evaluation of submitted tenders which would have resulted in the identification of a different preferred bidder / winning Supplier.
Negotiation will focus upon refinements that optimize, clarify, or confirm the proposals included for within the preferred bidder / winning Supplier's tender submission without altering its fundamental nature.
ADMINISTRATION
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 Assessment Summaries
- Publication of summary contract register information in accordance with Local Government Transparency Code (2015) requirements.
The In-tend system can be accessed free of charge via the following web address:
- Risks
The Council has identified the following known risks and opportunities that may occur during the duration of the Concession Contract and may positively or negatively impact the scope, scale, value, timescales, end user demand, etc. which will be addressed in the Concession Contract:
- Changes to VAT levels and other impacts of taxation which could impact Operator costs
- Unforeseen maintenance requirements which could increase Operator costs and impact revenues if closures are required
- Significant development in sponsorship and advertising interest in the Tower could significantly increase revenue generation for the Operator
- Changes to National Living Wage, National Insurance and other factors which could impact Operator employment costs
- Introduction of new technologies, systems and processes which could reduce Operator costs and / or increase revenues as well as impacting 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.
The Council has identified following known risks associated with the delivery of this contract, in respect of which the Council reserves the right to modify the contract in accordance with Section 74 and Schedule 8 of PA 2023, without initiating a new procurement procedure, should any of these risks materialise during the Concession Contract term:
- Development and changing demographics of the Portsmouth area which could impact positively or negatively on Operator revenues.
- Macro and micro environmental impacts on utilities and other costs 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.
- An endemic or pandemic event similar to Covid 19 which could increase costs and / or reduce demand to the extent this is not capable of being addressed in the Concession Contract.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 5 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 26 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
13 Nov 2025 → 11 Oct 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published345 days ago13 Nov 2025, 15:10 GMT
- Market engagement337 days ago21 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
PME Documentation
The following documents are available via the Council's e-sourcing solution In-Tend:
- Spinnaker Tower Operator PME Brief (this document)
- Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth - Teaser Brochure - November 2025
- For 1:1 meetings -
o Expression of Interest Form
o Conflict Assessment Form
PME Key Agenda Points
The Council is keen to discuss and seek views from occupiers on the following broad points through the 1-1 meetings. The list of items is non-exhaustive and will be developed within the 1-1 meetings through open collaborative dialogue.
The Council is also likely to adapt the discussion points following review of operational experience & business activity information included within submitted EOIs to ensure that the points raised are relevant and make the best use of time for all parties.
Occupiers are encouraged to put forward their own items for discussion at the meeting, ideally providing this in advance either in their expression of interest form or subsequently via In-tend correspondence in advance of the 1-1 meeting.
- Relevant experience, capacity & interest
- Options for development of the visitor offer, site uses & continuing position as a key landmark of the wider Solent region
- Promotion & marketing
- Options for operating models, roles & responsibilities, legal structures & partnership working
- Commercial options, investment, funding, return & risk
- Competitive bidding options, process & programme
1-1 Slots, Booking Requirements & Briefing Pack
The Council is inviting suitably qualified & experienced operators to take part in exploratory 1-1 on-line Teams meetings which will take place between 24th-28th November 2025. The Council has 10 1-hour slots available. The 1-1 slots available are set out below and will be allocated on a first come first served basis to operators.
- Meeting slot 1 - Monday 24th November 9.30 - 10.30
- Meeting slot 2 - Monday 24th November 11.00 - 12.00
- Meeting slot 3 - Monday 24th November 13.30 - 14.30
- Meeting slot 4 - Monday 24th November 15.00 - 16.00
- Meeting slot 5 - Tuesday 25th November 14.00 - 15.00
- Meeting slot 6 - Wednesday 26th November 9.30 - 10.30
- Meeting slot 7 - Wednesday 26th November 11.00 - 12.00
- Meeting slot 8 - Thursday 27th November 15.00 - 16.00
- Meeting slot 9 - Friday 28th November 9.30 - 10.30
- Meeting slot 10 - Friday 28th November 11.00 - 12.00
Interested occupiers are required to complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) and Conflict of Interest (COI) forms accessible via the council's e-sourcing system In-tend in order to book a 1-1 slot. The link to the e-tendering system can be found here - in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home ↗
The Expression of Interest and Conflict Assessment Form documents should be submitted via In-tend by no later than Friday 21st November 17:00. However, as access to 1-1 slots is limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis interested occupiers are encouraged to submit applications asap in advance of the deadline to help ensure that their 1-1 time slot preferences can be accommodated.
Operators are required to state which meeting slots they are able to attend and state ranked order of preference for the dates and times available within their completed EOI form. Operators will be allocated their preferred slots wherever possible, but priority will be given on a first come first served basis.
If none of the slots which are available can be accommodated by an Operator the Council may be able to make further slots available, however due to time and resource pressures this cannot be guaranteed. In the unlikely event that it is not possible to organise a 1-1 meeting, affected occupiers will be given the opportunity to provide written feedback to ensure that no interested parties are excluded from inputting into this PME exercise.
The Council will confirm which slot has been allocated within a target lead in of 3 working days before 1-1 meeting via In-tend correspondence, dependent upon whether operators submit expressions of interest in advance of the deadline. Following confirmation by both parties the Council will issue a Teams link to the Organisation's attendees / delegates at least 1 working day before the 1-1 meeting.
Occupiers will only be invited to attend a 1-1 meeting and receive the further documentation where:
- no conflicts are declared which cannot be mitigated;
- where the EOI form has been fully completed - including for slot preferences, business & contact information and self-certification of meeting all stated minimum business activity & experience requirements stated within the EOI form and later in this document.
Should Operators have any questions in respect of the participation requirements, process or any other matters these must be addressed to the Council via it's e-sourcing system In-tend using the correspondence function.
Operators should note that there is no obligation to take part in this preliminary market engagement exercise and that if they do not take part, it will not preclude them from any subsequent related competitive bidding processes. Similarly, engaging Operators will not receive preferential treatment in any competitive bidding process.
Expression of Interest
As part of their completed Expression of Interest form operators are to provide case study details of one to three relevant sites.
Operators are encouraged to provide 3 relevant case studies, if possible, but can use just 1 case study as long as this case study meets all of the essential experience & business activity requirements set out below. Conversely providers may include for 2-3 contract case studies which individually do not meet all of the essential requirements but collectively address all of the requirements.
Ideally case study examples put forward should relate to operational sites but planned or in-development sites can also be proposed on the condition that the operator can demonstrate that they have secured future operations.
Similarly, case study examples should ideally also relate to sites that the operator is involved in directly delivering, however operators may also put forward sites that they are not operating on the condition that they can demonstrate that they now employ staff who in their previous employment had a key role in managing operational delivery at the site.
The essential experience / business activity requirements that Operators will need to demonstrate within their expression of interest applications and be booked onto a 1-1 meeting are as follows:
- Operation of a regionally significant visitor / leisure attraction
- Operator day to day site operations, FM & maintenance responsibilities
- Operator customer experience responsibilities
- Operator budget formulation & management responsibilities
- Operator site 'offer' development, marketing & promotion activities
- Operator sales & demand risk
As set out in the EOI form, case study information can be provided via links to relevant web pages or pre-existing material rather than producing necessarily producing bespoke new material for this PME exercise.
Where minimal information is provided and the application is purely on a self-certification basis, the Council may request further information prior to confirming and / or conducting the 1-1 session.
- Tender notice published200 days ago7 Apr 2026, 18:44 BST
- Next notice expected200 days ago7 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Clarification questions by151 days ago26 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission deadline141 days ago5 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by101 days ago15 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent101 days ago16 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published100 days ago16 Jul 2026, 21:33 BST
- Contract starts14 days ago11 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
15 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 13 Nov 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published13 Nov 2025, 15:10 GMTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published31 Mar 2026, 17:40 BSTUK3
- Published value updated31 Mar 2026, 17:40 BST
- Status changed to planned31 Mar 2026, 17:40 BST
- Procurement method changed31 Mar 2026, 17:40 BST
- Deadline published: 15 May 2026, 12:00 BST31 Mar 2026, 17:40 BST
- Tender notice published7 Apr 2026, 18:44 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £168,161,1037 Apr 2026, 18:44 BST
- Status changed to active7 Apr 2026, 18:44 BST
- Tender notice published20 Apr 2026, 18:02 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published5 May 2026, 21:58 BSTUK4
- Deadline moved to 5 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST5 May 2026, 21:58 BST+21 days · was 15 May 2026, 12:00 BST
- Contract award notice published16 Jul 2026, 21:33 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete16 Jul 2026, 21:33 BST
- Contract signature expected3 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Published amendments (2)
KEY CHANGES PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE - DOWN SELECTION Updating of procurement procedure to include for additional detail of down selection. If the Council opts to undertake negotiation and invite best & final tenders from multiple tenderers this will be limited to the highest scoring 3 tenderers. This does not limit the Council's other option, as previously stated, to proceed to award and finalisat…
NB: Following receipt of request for clarification feedback received from multiple suppliers during the procurement process to date, Council has made the following modifications to its requirements and procurement process, which are summarised below and detailed within the revised Invitation to Tender V1.4 and other revised associated Procurement documents accessible via In-tend: SCOPE PROCUREMENT…
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2026-04: 1 release · 7 Apr 2026
- 2026-03: 1 release · 31 Mar 2026
- 2025-11: 1 release · 13 Nov 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| GUNWHARF QUAYS LIMITED11 Oct 2026 – 11 Oct 2051 | £106,000,000 inc. VAT | 13 Jul 2026 | Awarded |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonGUNWHARF QUAYS LIMITED · Greater London
- did not winADVENTURE ATTRACTIONS LIMITED · Greater London
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
2 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded- ADVENTURE ATTRACTIONS LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- GUNWHARF QUAYS LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (8)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: Via the Council's e-sourcing system In-tend: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home
- Bidding documents and specifications
Notices published for this procedure
- 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
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender