Invitation to Bid to Operate the Visitor Centre and Café at Needham Market Lake: Prepared by: Mid Suffolk District Council Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX Contents Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2 1. Introduction and Background: ....................................................................................................... 4 1.1. Summary: ................................................................................................................................ 4 1.2. Historic Visitor Numbers to the Lake: ..................................................................................... 5 1.3. Invitation to Bid: ..................................................................................................................... 5 2. The Proposed Visitor Centre and Café: .......................................................................................... 6 3. Bid Process: ..................................................................................................................................... 7 3.1. Timings and Process: ............................................................................................................... 7 3.2. Evaluation and Award Criteria: ............................................................................................... 7 4. Conditions of Bid: ........................................................................................................................... 8 4.1. Completion of Bid Documents: ............................................................................................... 8 4.2. Timetable and Specified Deadlines: ........................................................................................ 8 4.3. Collusion: ................................................................................................................................. 9 4.4. Confidentiality: ........................................................................................................................ 9 4.5. Inducements: .......................................................................................................................... 9 4.6. Agreement Implementation: .................................................................................................. 9 4.7. Insurance: ................................................................................................................................ 9 4.8. Sub-Contracting and Assignment:......................................................................................... 10 4.9. Delivery of Responses: .......................................................................................................... 10 4.9.1. Delivery by Post: ............................................................................................................... 10 4.9.2. Delivery by E-mail: ............................................................................................................ 10 5. Service Specification: ................................................................................................................... 11 5.1. Opening Hours: ..................................................................................................................... 11 5.2. Additional Opening Hours: .................................................................................................... 11 5.3. Style of Service: ..................................................................................................................... 11 5.4. Café Facilities, Equipment and Furniture: ............................................................................. 11 5.5. Minimum Food and Beverage Offer: .................................................................................... 12 5.6. Tariff and Payment: ............................................................................................................... 12 5.7. Marketing: ............................................................................................................................. 12 5.8. Future Vision: ........................................................................................................................ 12 5.9. Housekeeping, Security and Ethos: ....................................................................................... 12 6. Financial Requirement: ................................................................................................................ 13 6.1. Capital Investment: ............................................................................................................... 13 6.2. Utilities and Services: ............................................................................................................ 13 6.3. Concession: ........................................................................................................................... 13 6.4. Performance: ........................................................................................................................ 13 7. Submission Response: .................................................................................................................. 13 Appendix A – Heads of Terms for Lease: ............................................................................................. 15 1. Introduction and Background: 1.1. Summary: The Mid Suffolk District Council (the “Council”) is building an exciting new facility at Needham Lake which will cater for visitors and local residents alike and is seeking innovative proposals from potential tenants who can work with us to develop a high- quality attraction at the site. The Council has owned and managed Needham Lake since 1980 for countryside recreation and nature conservation. Needham Lake is a valuable local resource and attracts over 320,000 visitors per annum, many of whom come from outside the District. It is the second most visited free attraction in the East of England (Visit England Survey 2015) after the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge The attraction is some 13 hectares (about 32 Acres) in extent and is developed around a former gravel pit on the edge of the River Gipping. The lake itself measures some 3 hectares (about 7.5 acres) and has a range of small islands at its northern end with a variety of wildlife habitats. Proposed location of Visitor Centre and Cafe The site can be accessed by foot via pedestrian paths from the town centre, as well as by car off Coddenham Road, which is approximately two minutes from Junction 51 of the A14 where it links to the A140 main trunk road to Norwich. The lake can also be easily reached by public transport. A frequent bus service runs between Ipswich and Stowmarket, as well as train services from the nearby Needham Market station. Parking is free; either in the small car park at the southern end of the site, or a larger car park on the eastern end of the site. An overflow car park for events. 1.2. Historic Visitor Numbers to the Lake: Lake visitor numbers are recorded on automatic traffic counters placed at the entrances. Vehicle entry numbers are multiplied for occupiers based on 2.5 person per vehicle in summer, and 1.75 persons per vehicle in winter. These multipliers reflect the fact that there are no pedestrian counters, and that there are a large number of people who walk to the site. The number of visitors to the lake is increasing steadily. The last five years’ records are set out below: Year Total visitors Peak month Lowest month 2018 376,056 48,058 17,504 2017 384,372 47,080 13,594 2016 384,014 54,228 17,439 2015 329,662 40,000 14,300 2014 340,503 40,900 13,417 It should be noted that Suffolk is set to deliver a further 75,000 new homes, many in and around Ipswich, which has the potential to dramatically increase visitor numbers to the Lake over the next 20 years. The seasonal split of visitors for 2018 is as follows: Month % split Season January 5% Low February 5% March 5% April 9% May 12% June 11% High July 13% August 12% September 10% October 8% November 5% Low December 5% 1.3. Invitation to Bid: The Council is seeking innovative responses that provide a financially viable operation (for both parties) of the proposed Visitor Centre and Café whilst providing an excellent customer experience for our visitors and local people and contributing to the growth of the Needham Lake attraction. We are also seeking an operator who can demonstrate a strong commitment to social values through a range of activities that encourage or promote opportunities for the economic, social and environmental well-being of the locality 2. The Proposed Visitor Centre and Café: The current design proposals for the Visitor Centre and Café envisage a building of some 120 m2 internal space. This space will comprise of: Café Kitchen: This will act as the core of the facility. The kitchen will need to be able to service some 300,000 visitors per annum, providing light lunches of hot and cold food, tea and coffee, cakes and other snacks. Flexible Space: This area will be designed to accommodate several activities; including a dining area associated with the café, a classroom or meeting area. This space could be utilised for art displays, natural history or displays for information about the site. Outdoor Seating: It is proposed that facility will offer covered outdoor seating, forming a south facing extension to the Café seating and Flexible