Upcoming
Cafe Operation: Earlestown Town Hall
St Helens Council · Local authority
In brief
St Helens Council has announced plans to buy catering work. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.
The notice does not state a value.
The contract runs for 2 years, up to 3 years with extensions, starting 3 August 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 13 bids per contract for catering contracts in this region (from 42 awards in the last 12 months).
What the notice says
St Helens Borough Council is undertaking soft market testing to understand market interest in operating a new café facility within the recently refurbished Earlestown Town Hall. As part of the wider regeneration programme for Earlestown, the Grade II listed Town Hall has undergone extensive restoration and refurbishment to bring this landmark building back into civic, cultural, and community use.
A new extension has been constructed to the north of the Town Hall to accommodate the café. This purpose‑built space has been designed to act as an inviting, vibrant focal point within the building, offering a high‑quality and welcoming environment for residents, visitors, families, and those working locally. The café will provide approximately 40 internal covers within a seating area of 36.15m², with potential for additional outdoor seating within the Town Hall Courtyard.
We would like to take the opportunity to do some `soft market testing', to determine current interest levels in the market.
THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION
This Soft Market Test is intended to allow interested organisations with relevant experience to outline their views and provide information with no commitment to themselves or the Council.
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 020217-2026
About the buyer
St Helens CouncilLast 12 months
Procurements
76Awards
41Suppliers it has used most for catering
- Tony's Ices1 contract
Similar open tenders
All open catering tenders- £2.5mestimated
- £13mframework ceiling
From notice 020217-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 6 March 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.