Scope
Reference
FCCN003420
Description
Forestry England is seeking expressions of interest from operators wishing to provide a café concession at Haldon Forest Park.
The popular visitor attraction https://www.forestryengland.uk/haldon-forest-park hosts over 500,000 visits annually with the café serving an important part of the visitor offer. Walking, cycling and running trails, play areas, Go Ape treetop courses and many more activities can be found on site. It's the perfect, great value day out in nature for everyone from families to outdoor enthusiasts. The café is a memorable experience for seasonal visitors and a vibrant hub for our community of regular visitors.
Haldon Forest Park is only 15 minutes from Exeter and Newton Abbot, just off the A38 and 45 minutes from Plymouth.
The café lease area contains approximately 35 indoor covers and 36 outdoor covers, with the potential to house more indoor seating in an adjacent studio. There is further picnic table seating nearby for 100 persons.
The café will be required to open daily (except for Christmas day) with minimum opening hours of 10am to 4pm and should serve a range of hot and cold food and drinks with local sourced produce where possible.
Currently we anticipate the lease period being 5 years in duration with extension options of 1 year + 1 year, the lease Heads of Terms will be available in the tender documents which we expect to be published August 2025.
The total value of the lease opportunity over the term is expected to be in the region of £5million.
We are seeking an operator to commence the lease in March 2026 with the concession opening to the public by the beginning of April 2026.
Expressions of Interest
Expressions of interest should be submitted via email to sam.harris@forestryengland.uk. Following consideration of the initial expressions of interest, Forestry England may wish to engage in further soft market testing with respondents.
Therefore, at this stage the scope of the lease and lease duration is still subject to change based on feedback from the market.
This prior information notice does not commit Forestry England to any future procurement or any subsequent decisions based on the output of the market sounding exercise. Forestry England reserves the right not to proceed to a formal procurement process.
To view this notice, please click here:
https://forestryengland.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=963234554
Total value (estimated)
- £5,000,000 excluding VAT
- £6,000,000 including VAT
Below the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2031
- Possible extension to 28 February 2033
- 7 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 55330000 - Cafeteria services
Contract locations
- UKK4 - Devon
Engagement
Engagement deadline
31 July 2025
Engagement process description
Forestry England is engaging with the market solely to understand the interest in the opportunity. No further market testing or engagement to further define the scope of the requirement will be carried out.
Submission
Publication date of tender notice (estimated)
4 August 2025
Procedure
Special regime
Concession
Contracting authority
Forestry England (for and on behalf of the Forestry Commission)
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PLRM-7846-HGLG
620 Bristol Business Park, Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
BS16 1EJ
United Kingdom
Region: UKK12 - Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Organisation type: Public authority - central government