Provision of Catering Services at Belfast Castle and Malone House

A Prior Information Notice
by BELFAST CITY COUNCIL

Source
Find a Tender
Type
Contract (Services)
Duration
5 year
Value
£8M
Sector
MISCELLANEOUS
Published
21 Jun 2021
Delivery
To 27 Jun 2026 (est.)
Deadline
23 Jul 2021 13:00

Concepts

Location

Belfast Castle, Antrim Road, BT15 5GR

Geochart for 1 buyers and 0 suppliers

1 buyer

Description

Belfast City Council requires catering and retail service provision across 2 of its venues/sites within Belfast. These have been split into 2 lots as follows: Lot 1: Belfast Castle - wedding, celebratory, meeting and retail Lot 2: Malone House - wedding, celebratory, meeting and retail

Lot Division

1 Belfast Castle
  • Value: £5M

Belfast Castle is one of Belfast’s main visitor attractions with over 100 000 visitors. It is also a popular venue for meetings and events with several rooms available, the largest having a seated dining capacity of 160. Prior to COVID-19, 290 meetings and 59 wedding/celebratory events were held in 2018/19. The retail element of the Castle includes a 40 seat tavern/cafe and a 40+ seat restaurant and is popular with tourists and local users. In response to the easing of restrictions imposed by the worldwide coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Belfast Castle has now re-opened and a Contractor is required to provide catering services.
2 Malone House
  • Value: £2M

Located in the south of Belfast, Malone House is an 1820s mansion. It is a popular venue for weddings and social functions with 4 rooms available, the largest having a seated dining capacity for 120 people. Prior to COVID-19, 312 meetings and 19 Wedding Celebratory events were held 2018/19. The retail element of Malone House includes a 26 seat Malone Room Café/Bar and 40 seat Restaurant. In response to the easing of restrictions imposed by the worldwide coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Malone House has now re-opened and a Contractor is required to provide catering services.

Renewal Options

It is anticipated the contract period will be for 5 years period (60 months). It is anticipated that the contract will include a 12 month break clause. Belfast City Council reserve the right to extend this contract period if the economic operator can present a valid case to do so e.g. to allow for a return of investment on a capital investment proposal regarding the venues.

CPV Codes

  • 55000000 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services
  • 55900000 - Retail trade services

Indicators

  • Restrictions apply to the lot award allocation.
  • Renewals are available.

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** Belfast Castle and Malone House recently re-opened on 1st June in line with the easing of COVID restrictions by the Assembly and the Council now have an opportunity to appoint a supplier(s) to provide catering services at both Belfast Castle and Malone House and would welcome expressions of interest ‘EOIs’ from the market in order to ascertain supplier’s current levels of interest, capability and capacity to deliver the service. The immediate priority for the Council at each venue has been to ensure event bookings (i.e. weddings and parties) over summer period are covered and interim provisions are in place to cover this, however the Council are keen to fully open the other catering and retail services at the venues as soon as possible i.e. cafés and restaurants. Economic Operators are asked to email their initial EOI to cps@belfastcity.gov.uk. An EOI Questionnaire will then be sent to Economic Operators which then need to be completed and returned on or before 2pm on 23rd July 2021. The EOI Questionnaire is intended as a starting point to help the Council determine the interest in the market for delivering the catering services at each venue and to facilitate further discussions/ negotiations. Completed EOI questionnaires should be emailed to quotations@belfastcity.gov.uk by the closing date indicated above. Given the short timescales involved, upon receipt of the completed EOIs, the Council will review responses to help determine the best approach/strategy to appointing an Economic Operator, or a number of Economic Operators, to provide the catering services at both venues taking into consideration: 1. Level of interest from the market 2. Capability and capacity of suppliers to mobilise to provide the service from September/ October and beyond 3. The limitations/ constraints requested by suppliers 4. Best value for money offer taking into consideration capability and capacity of the Economic Operator, risk and cost/ concession offered. It is anticipated that the Council will request interested suppliers to attend a meeting/ interview in order to further discuss proposals. Depending on the level of interest from the market the Council reserves the right to request interested suppliers participate in further competition to facilitate an award of contract i.e. tender. Length and scope of any contract/ agreement following this exercise will be subject to negotiation taking into consideration the Council’s obligations under the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (as amended), public procurement policy, Council procedures and evolving COVID Regulations/ restrictions. The Council reserves the right to discontinue any negotiations or award procedures at any time and are not liable for any costs incurred by Economic Operators associated with participating in this EOI exercise. This procurement is being let under the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 ‘CCR 2016’ and the services in scope are listed under Schedule 3 of the CCR 2016, therefore associated procurement procedures apply as allowed for under these scope of services i.e. light touch regime.

Reference

Domains