Scope
Reference
FCCN003419
Description
Forestry England is seeking expressions of interest from operators wishing to deliver bike hire at the Haldon Forest Park Visitor hub.
Haldon Forest Park is only 15 minutes from Exeter and Newton Abbot, just off the A38 and 45 minutes from Plymouth.
The site https://www.forestryengland.uk/haldon-forest-park attracts approximately 500,000 visits annually. Cycle hire will be for the family/leisure/mountain bike market, there is also the opportunity to run a bike workshop and small bike retail offer.
Haldon Forest Park has a great reputation for its offerings to the mountain biking community, it hosts over 22km of dedicated, offical cycle routes, catering to all demographics, skills and abilties. Additionally, there is a dedicated skills area and a pump track. From novices to advanced enthusiasts, there really is something for everyone.
The bike hire will be required to operate out of temporary buildings for the duration of the lease.
Interested parties are asked to confirm if they would like to run a workshop operation in addition to the bike hire.
Currently we anticipate the lease period being a total of 7 years (5+1+1). The draft lease Heads of Terms will be available in the tender documents to be published September 2025.
The total value of the lease opportunity over the term will be in the region of £700,000. We expect to award the lease in December 2025 for the concession to be operational by 1st April 2026.
Expressions of Interest
Expressions of interest should be submitted via email to commercial.services@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.
Total value (estimated)
- £700,000 excluding VAT
- £840,000 including VAT
Below the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031
- Possible extension to 31 March 2033
- 7 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services
Contract locations
- UKK - South West (England)
Engagement
Engagement deadline
31 August 2025
Engagement process description
This purpose of this engagement is solely to understand the interest in this opportunity
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Publication date of tender notice (estimated)
15 September 2025
Procedure
Special regime
Concession
Contracting authority
Forestry Commission
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PLRM-7846-HGLG
620 Bristol Business Park
Bristol
BS16 1EJ
United Kingdom
Contact name: Sam Harris
Email: commercial.services@forestryengland.uk
Website: https://www.forestryengland.uk
Region: UKK12 - Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government