Trosley Country Park - Cafe Operator

Kent County Council is exploring the future delivery of a catering concession at Trosley Country Park café and is inviting suitably experienced food and beverage operators to participate in a market engagement exercise. The café at Trosley Country Park is currently operated in-house. The facility benefits from a functional kitchen and both indoor and outdoor seating, providing an established base from which a future operator could deliver a high-quality catering offer. The Country Park also offers venue hire and events, where the café operator should be able to provide catering to support these activities in addition to the day-to-day café service. The purpose of this engagement is to better understand the current market, including levels of interest and capability, potential operating models and the opportunities available to deliver a sustainable and commercially viable café. This exercise provides potential operators with an early opportunity to help inform the Council’s approach to any future procurement. The Council is particularly interested in understanding how the café could enhance the visitor experience, respond to the needs of different park users and provide an appropriate commercial return. Key aims Through this market engagement exercise, the Council is seeking views on:

•the level of market interest and capacity to operate a catering concession at Trosley Country Park;

•the type and range of food and beverage offer that would appeal to visitors and support the Country Park experience;

•any practical, operational or commercial considerations that may affect the attractiveness or viability of the opportunity; and

•the information operators would require from the Council to make an informed decision about participating in any future procurement. Participation in this market engagement exercise is intended to assist the Council in developing its requirements and commercial approach. It does not constitute the commencement of a procurement process or a commitment by the Council to proceed with a procurement or contract opportunity. Estimated dates and values are unknown at this stage. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Kent:-Catering-services./72E9E6SU7T To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/respond/72E9E6SU7T