Preliminary Market Engagement for Ashford Arts Centre Operator

Ashford Borough Council

Published: Jul 31, 2026

Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Source: uk_fts

About This Opportunity

This is a concession contract in the culture and heritage and construction and civil works sectors, with a focus on Buildings, Roads, Museums and Arts. Located in United Kingdom, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums, with an estimated budget of GBP 6.1 million.

Published through UK FTS - Find a Tender Service, a national government procurement portal. Public procurement tenders follow the country's national bidding regulations and may have specific eligibility and documentation requirements for concession in the culture and heritage sector. Concession contracts involve the operation or management of public assets or services, typically requiring significant financial capacity and operational expertise. This is an advance notice — the formal tender is expected to be published shortly. Interested parties can use this time to prepare documentation and identify potential partners.

Description

Ashford Borough Council is bringing forward the redevelopment of the former Odeon cinema on Ashford High Street into Ashford Arts Centre (working title, naming convention to be agreed with successful bidder), a flexible theatre, gallery and community venue, and a landmark cultural project for the town centre. Following Cabinet and Full Council approval, this first phase of the project focuses on restoring the High Street facing part of the building; it does not recreate a full-scale theatre and is designed to complement rather than compete with larger regional venues. Design development is being led by Haworth Tompkins, with RIBA Stage 2 complete and Stage 3 design now underway.
The Council intends to appoint an operator or leaseholder to run the venue once complete, on a lease or concession basis pending final classification, and is undertaking preliminary market engagement to understand market capacity and appetite among cultural and commercial operators before finalising its procurement route and minimum requirements. This builds on strong interest already shown by creative and community organisations in Ashford and is intended to ensure the technical brief and contract terms are realistic and will attract high quality operators, given the Council's ambition for the venue to become a genuine cultural anchor for the area. The Council acknowledges that some form of public revenue support may be required to enable a venue of this kind to operate sustainably; the level and structure of any such support has not yet been determined and will be informed by this engagement. This is not a call for competition and does not commit the Council to commence a procurement process.
Turnover estimated at approximately £6.1 million over a 15-year term, in line with the lease or concession term set out above. This reflects the Council's indicative commercial model for the venue, based on cumulative operator income (not net or gross profit and excluding public subsidy) over the 15-year term.
Lease or concession term of approximately 15 - 25 years from operational handover. Start date to be confirmed once the Stage 3 and Stage 4 design and construction programme is finalised, but indicative dates provided are based on an early agreement being in place in early 2027, with the venue opening in July 2028, based on the current programme and a 15 year agreement from opening.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:
https: //www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Ashford:-Recreational%2C-cultural-and-sporting-services./6784S55D35
To respond to this opportunity, please click here:
https: //www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/respond/6784S55D35

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from UK FTS - Find a Tender Service and was originally published on July 31, 2026. Last refreshed today. Reference: 072732-2026. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About Ashford Borough Council

Ashford Borough Council has issued 58 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 2 currently open and 41 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in Construction & Civil Works, Information & Communication Technology, and Architecture & Engineering Services. All notices are published for United Kingdom. Notices are distributed via UK Contracts Finder and UK FTS - Find a Tender Service. Most recent publication: July 31, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

What type of contract is this?

This is a Concession contract in the Culture, Heritage & Tourism sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.

What is the estimated budget?

The estimated contract value is £6,100,000 - £6,100,000. Bidders should ensure their proposals are consistent with this range and account for any local taxes and contract execution costs.

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in United Kingdom. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.

How can I submit a bid?

Visit UK FTS - Find a Tender Service to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions. Quote reference 072732-2026 when communicating with the contracting authority.

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by Ashford Borough Council in United Kingdom. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.