Scope
Description
Wirral Borough Council (the "Council") has previously identified the Wallasey Town Hall Quarter as a priority area in need of regeneration. Following the recent adoption of the Wallasey Town Hall Quarter Masterplan ("Masterplan"), the Council is seeking a suitably experienced developer to bring forward affordable housing developments on two sites within Wirral known as the former North and South Annexe Buildings fronting Brighton Street and located either side of Wallasey Town Hall (the "Sites").
The Council adopted its new Local Plan on 31st March 2025, which requires 14,400 net additional dwellings by 2040. These are all to be delivered on brownfield sites, two of which are the sites of the former Wallasey Town Hall annexes. The 2021 Strategic Housing Market Assessment for Wirral, which was a key piece of evidence in developing the Local Plan, states a need for around 700 affordable homes each year.
Whilst there is a high need for all types of affordable housing across the Borough, the greatest pressure for the local authority is for rented affordable housing. There are currently around 5,000 households on the housing waiting list, with over 600 of these having the highest priority need.
The Council is now seeking to appoint a developer which can bring skills, experience and expertise in delivering the affordable housing at pace and in line with local housing needs within the Borough.
The indicative plans included within the Masterplan show potential massing up to four storeys and focussed on the provision of apartments at the Site. Indicative sketch plans and corresponding accommodation schedules show c.80 residential units could be constructed across both sites. However, the Council is interested in the commercial acumen and expertise in design and construction that Suppliers can provide.
Suppliers are therefore encouraged to put forward proposals via the procurement process that they think best meets the Council's requirements and objectives, which are:
(a) Deliver much needed Affordable Housing; and
(b) Submit proposals that are guided by the Masterplan contents.
Noting the above, the Council has set the following Minimum Requirements that must be delivered for this Procurement: (i) requirement to deliver 100% affordable housing for rent (preferably social rent) with property types that meet local demand; and (ii) requirement to deliver a minimum of 75 units.
Further information on these Minimum Requirements is set out in the published tender documentation.
Development Prospectus
For further information regarding the opportunity, please refer to the Development Prospectus which can be accessed via the Chest portal used by the Council which can be accessed here: https://procontract.due-north.com (the "Portal").
The estimated value in this notice represents the upper value of the potential range of the gross development value of the scheme which is between £15,000,000 (excluding VAT) / £18,000,000 (including VAT) - £20,000,000 (excluding VAT) / £24,000,000 (including VAT). However, potential returns will depend on many commercial factors including (but not limited to) the performance of the developer and market conditions. Suppliers should seek independent legal and commercial advice in relation to the development potential of the site and the potential value of the opportunity.
The following associated tender documents are being provided with the publication of this tender notice to provide further information about the procurement and are available via the Portal:
• Procurement Specific Questionnaire ("PSQ")
• Invitation to Submit Draft Solutions ("ISDS")
• Development Prospectus
• Heads of Terms
• Agreement for Lease and Development
• Land Transfer
• Building Lease
• Grant Funding Agreement
The following associated tender documents will be made available later through the Portal to suppliers shortlisted to participate in the tender stage of the competitive flexible procedure:
• Invitation to Continue Dialogue ("ITCD");
• Invitation to Submit Final Tenders ("ISFT").
This procurement concerns the award of a public contract via the competitive flexible procedure in accordance with s20(1) and (2)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023.
The Development Agreement is a concession contract as defined in s8 of the Procurement Act 2023, the main object of which is the delivery of works. The CPV codes included in this notice provide transparency on the range of works and/or services that may be required as part of the scheme.
The Council has secured funding in the region of £1.7m which it intends to make available to the successful supplier to assist with the delivery of this scheme. This funding will need to be used in accordance with the terms and conditions of the associated Grant Funding Agreement (which is made available with this Tender Notice).
The intention is to make this funding available to the successful supplier via a Grant Funding Agreement, which will be a "back-to-back" arrangement with the grant arrangement that the Council will enter into with the funder.
There are a number of conditions attached to this funding as more particularly described in the Grant Funding Agreement.
One of the conditions within the Grant Funding Agreement is the date on which the Council is required to have entered into a conditional contract with the successful supplier on, which is currently set as 31 December 2025.
Another condition within the Grant Funding Agreement is the date on which the scheme will go unconditional, which is currently fixed as the 31 March 2027.
The Council acknowledges that the above dates present various challenges especially in light of the issued procurement timetable.
Noting the above, the Council intends to seek an extension to the Grant Funding Agreement deadline (referred to above) and will provide further information on this to suppliers during the competitive tendering process. The Council will provide further information/updates on the availability of this funding and/or any revisions to the conditions/deadlines referred to in the Grant Funding Agreement as soon as it is able to. The Council anticipates providing this further information following the shortlisting of suppliers following the evaluation of PSQ responses. However, the Council reserves the right to provide this information at a later stage of the competition, but before the request for tenders in the event that there are delays in agreeing an extension with the funder.
Suppliers are therefore to note that (i) the level and availability of the funding (and the conditions attached to that funding) to be made available as part of this process may be subject to change; (ii) if the Council is unable to seek agreement to the extension sought, the unconditional date may remain unchanged; and (iii) the funding referenced in this notice may be withdrawn entirely. Further details on this will be confirmed to participating suppliers during the competition. Prospective suppliers should therefore note that the Council reserves the right to vary or withdraw the available funding during the procurement process.
The March 2031 estimated contract date (below) represents the timeframe whereby practical completion of the scheme must be delivered by in accordance with the longstop date set out in the Grant Funding Agreement. However, as stated in this notice, the dates provided for in the Grant Funding Agreement may be subject to change, and this will be communicated to suppliers at a later stage of the procurement process.
Suppliers requesting to participate in this procurement competition are also required to submit their completed PSQs through the Portal.
Total value (estimated)
- £20,000,000 excluding VAT
- £24,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2031
- 4 years, 7 months
Main procurement category
Works
CPV classifications
- 31158000 - Chargers
- 31681500 - Rechargers
- 34000000 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 45112700 - Landscaping work
- 45211000 - Construction work for multi-dwelling buildings and individual houses
- 45213312 - Car park building construction work
- 45213316 - Installation works of walkways
- 45233100 - Construction work for highways, roads
- 45233161 - Footpath construction work
- 45233162 - Cycle path construction work
- 45233200 - Various surface works
- 45233260 - Pedestrian ways construction work
- 45233293 - Installation of street furniture
- 45233294 - Installation of road signals
- 45233340 - Foundation work for footpaths
- 45261215 - Solar panel roof-covering work
- 45300000 - Building installation work
- 45400000 - Building completion work
- 51110000 - Installation services of electrical equipment
- 51214000 - Installation services of parking meter equipment
- 65300000 - Electricity distribution and related services
- 70000000 - Real estate services
- 71200000 - Architectural and related services
- 71313000 - Environmental engineering consultancy services
- 71314300 - Energy-efficiency consultancy services
- 71315200 - Building consultancy services
- 71315300 - Building surveying services
- 71410000 - Urban planning services
- 71420000 - Landscape architectural services
- 71500000 - Construction-related services
- 73220000 - Development consultancy services
- 90712100 - Urban environmental development planning
Contract locations
- UKD74 - Wirral
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Suppliers are referred to the PSQ for details of the conditions of participation. The PSQ is available via the Portal.
Technical ability conditions of participation
Suppliers are referred to the PSQ for details of the conditions of participation. The PSQ is available via the Portal.
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Submission type
Requests to participate
Deadline for requests to participate
20 November 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
How to obtain and submit documents:
The Council is using The Chest e-tendering system https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ for this procurement
Tender documentation is available free of charge via the Portal, Project Reference: DN775736.
PSQ responses must be returned, and any clarifications/questions raised, through this same system.
The tender documentation contains full instructions for participation, full details of the Project opportunity, both selection and award criteria, and the procurement timeline and process.
Please allow sufficient time before the submission deadline to upload and submit your PSQ response through the Portal.
Help and Support - the Portal:
In the event that suppliers require assistance with the use of or access to the Portal, please go to https://www.the chest.org.uk/SupplierSupport.html
Here there will be a hyperlink to log issues or 'submit a ticket' for ProContract V3.
Alternatively, calls can be logged by emailing ProContractSuppliers@proactis.com and a representative will contact you as soon as possible.
For critical and time-sensitive issues (normally requiring resolution within 60 minutes) then please call 0330 005 0352. This telephone number is attended 09.00 - 17.30 Monday to Friday.
All communication (queries or clarifications) including your PSQ response is to go through the Portal.
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Suppliers to be invited to tender
Maximum 3 suppliers
Selection criteria:
Please refer to the PSQ for the criteria and assessment methodologies used to identify the three highest ranked suppliers to be invited to the subsequent stages of the competition.
Award decision date (estimated)
21 August 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Funding Strategy | Quality | 20% |
| Approach to Deliver Masterplan | Quality | 15% |
| Delivery and Phasing Plan | Quality | 10% |
| Project Management | Quality | 10% |
| Social Value | Quality | 10% |
| Purchase Price | Price | 10% |
| Legal | Quality | 10% |
| Planning Approach | Quality | 5% |
| Target Programme | Quality | 5% |
| Public and Stakeholder Engagement | Quality | 5% |
Other information
Description of risks to contract performance
The Council considers that the following is a known risk which, if it was to materialise, could prevent the satisfactory performance of the development agreement for the Council, and require a subsequent modification to the public contract under paragraph 5 of Schedule 8 to the Procurement Act 2023.
In the absence of surveys identifying and quantifying abnormal costs associated with the ground conditions, there is risk of potential for additional costs and delay if investigative and remedial works are needed.
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Special regime
Concession
Competitive flexible procedure description
This Competitive Flexible Procedure will be conducted in stages which are explained in more detail in the published tender documentation. The key stages consist of:
Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) responses:
Suppliers requesting to participate in this procurement are required to submit their completed PSQ's through the Portal by the deadline stated in this notice.
The Council intends to shortlist up to three highest scoring PSQ responses to participate in the tender stages of the competitive flexible procedure.
Dialogue/negotiation stages:
The three shortlisted suppliers will then be invited to participate in the dialogue and negotiation phase of the process and submit draft submissions.
Final Tender stage:
Following the conclusion of the dialogue/negotiation stages and consideration of draft submissions, shortlisted suppliers will then be invited to submit final tenders. The supplier with the most advantageous final tender (identified via the application of the award criteria) will be invited to participate in the preferred supplier stage to confirm commitments in its final tender response.
The competitive flexible procedure may include negotiation at any stage.
The Council reserves the right to rely on Section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023 to refine award criteria.
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
The Council previously undertook preliminary market engagement prior to the commencement of the Procurement Act 2023, via the publication of a Prior Information Notice in accordance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
Contracting authority
Wirral Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PBCP-8675-BHWT
Town Hall, Brighton Street
Wallasey
CH44 8ED
United Kingdom
Region: UKD74 - Wirral
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government