OpenRecreation and culture

Ashford Arts Centre Operator[E20]

Ashford, United KingdomAshford Borough Council[E1]

In plain English

What they want: The Council seeks a suitably skilled, long-term partner to manage and operate Ashford Arts Centre (AAC) via a concession arrangement. AAC is a new community and commercial arts centre being delivered by the Council through the redevelopment of the former Ashford Odeon cinema building, in Ashford town centre.
Who can bid: No restrictions are stated in the notice data. The tender documents may set more.
Deadline: Buyer's deadline: 8 Jan 2027, 10:00 UTC. UTC: 8 Jan 2027, 10:00 UTC.
Published 28 Oct 2026.
Value: GBP 12,600,000
Buyer: Ashford Borough CouncilSee what else this buyer buys and when.
How to apply: Through the buyer's official process. Open the original notice on UK Find a Tender (OCDS) (opens in a new tab) ↗
Tender documents: The tender documents for this notice are on the buyer's own portal, usually behind a free supplier registration. We link to them and do not fetch them, so the report is based on the notice only.

Your tender documents

Download the tender pack from the buyer's portal (the invitation to tender, specification, selection questionnaire, scoring and draft contract) and add it here. We read every page and check it against your company for the bid assessment.

Deadline[E5]: 8 Jan 2027, 10:00 UTC
Value[E21]: GBP 12,600,000
Published[E16]: 28 Oct 2026
Procedure[E15]: Competitive flexible procedure
Source: UK Find a Tender (OCDS) (opens in a new tab)
Last checked: 3 hours ago

About the requirement

From the notice

The Council seeks a suitably skilled, long-term partner to manage and operate Ashford Arts Centre (AAC) via a concession arrangement. AAC is a new community and commercial arts centre being delivered by the Council through the redevelopment of the former Ashford Odeon cinema building, in Ashford town centre. The design for AAC is currently at RIBA Stage 3, and details in respect of the scope of the AAC in the suite of procurement documents should be treated as subject to confirmation as the design develops. AAC's programme is intended to include theatre, live performance, comedy, family shows and community use, alongside a hospitality and events offer, ensuring there is something to suit a broad range of audiences within a scale appropriate to Ashford. The estimated value stated in this notice is based on detailed financial modelling completed by Blue Horizon Ventures on behalf of the Council. The model draws on the RIBA Stage 3 design for AAC, benchmark data from comparable venues, and projected commercial and community activity across the venue’s spaces, reflecting its intended role as a hybrid commercial and community performance venue. The figure represents cumulative operator income over the 25 year contract term, excluding VAT and public subsidy. It is shared to give Tenderers an indication of scale so that they can plan their interest and resources with confidence. It is not a forecast or a guarantee of future income, and it is not intended to be used as the basis for Tenderers’ own financial modelling. Tenderers are required to develop their own assumptions, drawi…[E6]

Eligibility and requirements

ConditionDelivery location: UKJ4, United Kingdom.[E7]
ConditionThe legal basis is UKPGA 2023/54 (Procurement Act 2023).[E8]
ConditionLot 1 technical criterion: See procurement documents.[E9]
ConditionLot 1 economic criterion: See procurement documents.[E10]
ConditionThe buyer marks lot 1 as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.[E12]
ConditionThe buyer marks lot 1 as suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprises.[E11]
ConditionThe procurement is covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.[E13]
DetailLot 1 runs from 31 Mar 2027 to 31 Mar 2042.[E3]
DetailThe notice explains how to submit a tender.[E19]
The notice data states no restriction on who may bid. Exclusion grounds and selection criteria in the tender documents still apply.

Risks and unknowns

RiskThe buyer lists contract risks in the notice.[E17]
UnknownWe read the published notice, not the full tender documents.

Updates

First seen · 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC
The source published a call for competition with a future deadline.
Source document 102323-2026

Evidence

21 facts

Every fact on this page comes from the published notice. Each entry shows the document and the field it was read from.

E1
The buyer is Ashford Borough Council.
Document 102323-2026, field /buyer/name, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E2
The notice is classified under CPV 92320000 (Arts-facility operation services).
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/items/0/additionalClassifications/0/id, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E3
Lot 1 runs from 31 Mar 2027 to 31 Mar 2042.
“2027-04-01T00:00:00+01:00 to 2042-03-31T23:59:59+01:00”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/lots/0/contractPeriod, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E4
The buyer's address is in United Kingdom.
Document 102323-2026, field /parties/0/address/country, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E5
Tenders must be submitted by 8 Jan 2027, 10:00 UTC.
“2027-01-08T10:00:00+00:00”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/tenderPeriod/endDate, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E6
The buyer describes the requirement in the notice.
“The Council seeks a suitably skilled, long-term partner to manage and operate Ashford Arts Centre (AAC) via a concession arrangement. AAC is a new community and commercial arts centre being delivered by the Council through the redevelopment of the former Ashford Odeon cinema bui…”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/description, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E7
Delivery location: UKJ4, United Kingdom.
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/items/0/deliveryAddresses/0, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E8
The legal basis is UKPGA 2023/54 (Procurement Act 2023).
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/legalBasis/id, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E9
Lot 1 technical criterion: See procurement documents.
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/lots/0/selectionCriteria/criteria/1/description, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E10
Lot 1 economic criterion: See procurement documents.
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/lots/0/selectionCriteria/criteria/0/description, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E11
The buyer marks lot 1 as suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprises.
“vcse: true”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/lots/0/suitability/vcse, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E12
The buyer marks lot 1 as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
“sme: true”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/lots/0/suitability/sme, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E13
The procurement is covered by the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.
“GPA”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/coveredBy, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E14
This is a call for competition. Suppliers can respond.
“tender”
Document 102323-2026, field /tag, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E15
The procedure is: Competitive flexible procedure.
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/procurementMethodDetails, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E16
The notice was published on 28 Oct 2026.
“2026-10-28T17:28:18Z”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/documents/3/datePublished, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E17
The buyer lists contract risks in the notice.
“The AAC is to be operated by way of concession. The risk to the operator is set out in the concession agreement.”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/riskDetails, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E18
Find a Tender gives the tender status as active.
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/status, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E19
The notice explains how to submit a tender.
“https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/respond/P5BBRU393F”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/submissionMethodDetails, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E20
The notice is titled "Ashford Arts Centre Operator".
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/title, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)
E21
The stated value is GBP 12,600,000 excluding VAT.
“12600000 GBP”
Document 102323-2026, field /tender/value/amount, read 28 Oct 2026, 17:49 UTC · source (opens in a new tab)

Contains public sector information from Find a Tender, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (opens in a new tab). Personal contact details in notices are not stored or shown.

Track this tender for free

Create a free account to save it, get alerts for tenders like it and see how well it fits your company.

Create a free account

No card needed. Already have one? Sign in

Full bid assessment

The notice is free. The assessment reads the tender documents against your company: pass/fail requirements you meet and miss, documents to prepare, how bids are scored, contract risks and a bid or no-bid recommendation. Every point quotes its page.

See a sample assessment

The buyer's documents for this notice are on their own portal. Download the tender pack there and upload it here.

Upload documents to get a full assessment

We check the notice at the source again before the report is produced. If it has closed or been cancelled by then, we do not produce the report and your payment is refunded.

Your fit

Original notice