Agenda item

Following Decision E 3201 on July 22nd to run an open procurement exercise to seek a new operator for the Entry Hill site this report sets out the process followed and makes a recommendation to appoint a preferred bidder. 

The decision also resolved to delegate to the Director of Environment authority to appoint a contractor in accordance with the Council’s prescribed governance and procurement process in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Finance and Communities

At this stage of the procurement process Council has the option of appointing the highest scoring bidder or choosing not to proceed with the process.  Procurement rules do not allow a lower scoring bid to be selected or the ability to select parts of different bids to achieve a different solution.

Once a preferred bidder is appointed they will engage with the local community on their proposals before final contracts are signed to consider refinements to their tender.  The tender will however have to remain substantially similar to that submitted and evaluated.

Elizabeth Hallam in a statement [a copy of which is attached to the Minutes as Appendix 16 and on the Council's website] asked the Cabinet to retain Entry Hill as a golf course.

Katina Beckett (Chair of Entry Hill Community Association) in a statement [a copy of which is attached to the Minutes as Appendix 17 and on the Council's website] asked the Cabinet to ensure a proper residents’ egagement with the preferred bidder.

The Chair thanked all speakers who addressed the Cabinet on this matter.  The Chair informed the meeting that the Cabinet has agreed to hold the debate in open/public session for this item.  If any of the Cabinet Members were minded to refer to any information from exempt documents, then the Cabinet would move into exempt session.

Councillor Paul Crossley introduced the report and thanked the speakers for their statements.  Councillor Crossley said that encouraging and enabling people to be active was one of the most effective and sustainable ways to improve lives and confront inequality.  The Cabinet made the decision in July 2020 to run an open procurement exercise to seek a new operator for the Entry Hill golf course. The bids that the Council received were environmentally friendly, sustainable financial future and to promote improved experience for local people. A community consultation on the future of the site was undertaken between December 2019, and March 2020, and involved carrying out substantial stakeholder engagement to understand the views of residents, Golf Course users, and those who would like to use the site.  The consultation has ignited considerable interest from the residents and organisations with a range of exciting proposals coming forward. Councillor Crossley thanked everyone who took part in the consultation by recognising the passion and commitment that people have for their own preferred choice of sport.

Five bidders have submitted final tenders for Entry Hill, all of which addressed the recommendations of the consultation and priorities of Council, such as to contribute to climate and ecological emergency goals, getting more people more active and ensuring there is a leisure preserve provision for all members of the community in the future through removing the subsidy requirement to the Council.

Due to commercial sensitivities and in line with the tender procedure, details of bidders and proposals were not made public until preferred bidders have been appointed.  However, one bid has exceeded all others in responding to the requirements, and that was company E. Councillor Crossley concluded by saying that the bid would be public after standstill period of 10 days.  

Councillor Paul Crossley moved the recommendations.

Councillor Richard Samuel seconded the motion by saying that this was a scrupulous tender process that was conducted and guided by the law. The tender process sought expressions of interest and six tenders have put themselves forward.  Their bids were received and were evaluated against most economically advantageous criteria. Each tender was scored and praised against known criteria available to each tender, as set out in the report.

Councillor Samuel added that the public has been heavily engaged in the process, that this was a properly conducted process and that he was happy to second the motion from Councillor Crossley.

RESOLVED (unanimously) that the Cabinet support the appointment of Company E as the Council’s preferred bidder. The preferred bidder will engage with the local community on their proposals and once terms are agreed final contracts will be completed, after a standstill period of 10 days.