AwardedAwarded 13 July 2026

Spinnaker Tower Operator

Portsmouth City Council · Local authority

In brief

Portsmouth City Council awarded cleaning and construction work to Gunwharf Quays Limited on 13 July 2026.

The notice gives a value of £168,161,103 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 25 years, starting 11 October 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.

What the notice says

Portsmouth City Council - the 'Council - has sought tenders from suitably qualified and experienced operators for the operation of the Spinnaker Tower - the 'Tower' - on a long term mutually incentivised concession partnership basis. Following completion of the tender assessment process the Council has issued assessment summaries to the successful and unsuccessful suppliers as required under Section 50 of the Procurement Act 23 (the 'Act'). Issuing of this Award Notice will now instigate the statutory Standstill Period which will not be less than eight-working days in accordance with section 51 of the Act. The Council reserves the right to amend (extend) the Standstill Period if needed. If…Read the full description
Portsmouth City Council - the 'Council - has sought tenders from suitably qualified and experienced operators for the operation of the Spinnaker Tower - the 'Tower' - on a long term mutually incentivised concession partnership basis. Following completion of the tender assessment process the Council has issued assessment summaries to the successful and unsuccessful suppliers as required under Section 50 of the Procurement Act 23 (the 'Act'). Issuing of this Award Notice will now instigate the statutory Standstill Period which will not be less than eight-working days in accordance with section 51 of the Act. The Council reserves the right to amend (extend) the Standstill Period if needed. If this right is exercised, the Contract Award Notice will be updated and affected suppliers will be notified accordingly. After the Standstill Period has expired, and provided no legal challenge has been made by the end of the Standstill Period, the Council intends to finalise terms and enter into contract with the Successful Supplier. Following execution of contract the Council will issue a further Contract Details Notice in accordance with Section 53 of the Act. The Spinnaker Tower is located on the waterfront within Gunwharf Quays shopping centre and is a prominent landmark offering views of the city, the Solent and the Isle of Wight. Under the new contract the primary function of the Tower must remain a public viewing tower, to be open in line with hours set out within the Council's specification. Following finalisation of terms and execution of contract the Successful Supplier will be required to seamlessly commence operations under a lease with associated concession arrangement from 11th October 2026 following expiry of the lease held with the current incumbent operator on 10th October 2026. The lease and associated concession contract will be let on a 25-year basis.

Who won

WinnerValueDates
Gunwharf Quays Limited
2 bids received
£106,000,000
Awarded 13 July 2026

Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 073620-2025
  2. Planned procurement notice · UK3, notice 030036-2026
  3. Tender notice · UK4, notice 031677-2026
  4. Tender notice · UK4, notice 035839-2026
  5. Tender notice · UK4, notice 041264-2026
  6. Contract award notice · UK6, notice 067477-2026

About the buyer

Procurements

324

Awards

169

Suppliers it has used most for cleaning

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From notice 073620-2025 on Find a Tender, first published 13 November 2025, last updated 16 July 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.