Upcoming
Cafe Concession - Gisburn
Forestry Commission · Local or regional public body
In brief
Forestry Commission has announced plans to buy this contract. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.
The estimated value is £2,500,000 excluding VAT.
The contract runs for 10 years, starting 1 November 2026.
The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.
Can I win this?
Competition
Usually high: a median of 7 bids per contract for this buyer (from 97 awards in the last 12 months).
What the notice says
Forestry England are looking for a food and beverage operator to manage Gisburn Forest Cafe.
Gisburn Forest is located within the Forest of Bowland National Landscape and is managed by Forestry England attracting visitors from Blackburn, Burnley, Preston and further afield. The forest has a growing recreational offer including 18 miles of mountain bike trails some more challenging than others, 10 miles of walks in the forest and access to a further 8 miles around the neighbouring Stock reservoir. It welcomes 80,000 visitors a year and hosts an wide variety of events from yoga, mountain bike races, outdoor music evenings, crafting days and accessibility conferences. Gisburn Forest café offer will play a central role in welcoming visitors walk, bike and relax in the forest.
We anticipate the tender will be live towards the end of August/beginning of September 2026. Interested parties should register on the Panacea tendering portal via this link in anticipation of the tender going live - https://app.panacea-software.com/ForestryCommission/Login.aspx
How to bid
- Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
- Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
- Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
Timeline
- Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 069590-2026
About the buyer
Forestry CommissionLast 12 months
Procurements
152Awards
88Suppliers it has used most
- Upton Specialised Tree Services Limited4 contracts
- aAFD Services Limited4 contracts
- Practicality Brown Limited3 contracts
- BCC Ab2 contracts
- C J Springthorpe Limited2 contracts
- CD Forestry & Environmental Ltd2 contracts
- Citiguard Security (UK) Ltd2 contracts
- Clixby's Forestry Ground Prep Limited2 contracts
From notice 069590-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 23 July 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.