United Kingdom26 days leftOpen

Design and installation of an infant / junior play area at Greatness Recreation Ground, Mill Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5BX

Tender Overview

ORGANIZATION

Sevenoaks Town Council

LOCATION

North East England, United Kingdom

VALUE

£240,000

DEADLINE

February 28, 2026 at 23:59

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

43325000

REFERENCE

008552-2026

Project Timeline

Contact Information

View Original

Original Tender Description

Background Greatness Recreation Ground has become more and more popular as a local open space facility. It is developing from an original open space recreation ground into a more formal park. This is likely to only increase with a neighbouring development of approximately 900 dwellings to be started within the next five years. It is also the home of the very successful Sevenoaks Town Football Club, which brings many visitors to the park. During 2026 the football club's new pavilion is due to be completed. Bearing in mind all these changes Sevenoaks Town Council carried out a community survey relating to the future of the open space and its facilities. From the responses it was clear that the current play area which has been in place for fifteen years needed to be reviewed and upgraded. Following consultation, it was also agreed to move its location to enable families who were already on the grass area to have a child use the play area without crossing the car park. The proposed new location would also be nearer the new pavilion which will have toilets and a café. Key Points 1. The tender is for a completely new playground on a field. Therefore, infrastructure e.g. drainage, fencing, safety surface, entry gates required. 2. Aimed at primary school children 3. Natural look equipment rather than bright colours, meeting ROSPA standards 4. Requires some DDA compliant inclusive play equipment 5. Requires some shading (preferably natural e.g. trees). Must retain the existing tree, ideally within the proposed footprint, or otherwise just outside of it) 6. To create a wetpour base with a new wetpour safety surface which compiles with BSEN 1176 and has a minimum guarantee of 2 years but preferably longer. A maintenance plan is a desirable extra service we would like. The product should have been tested in accordance with BS EN 1177 and BS EN 7188. 7. Timetable • May 2026 public consultation on preferred options A1 size image of play area to be provided. • July 2026 appointment of contractor • October 2026 installation 8. Size of play area Existing: Approx 32.7m length x 19.5m width New: 41.5m length x 17m width Budget for the Project Maximum budget for the play area project is £200,000. £240000 inclusive of VAT. Questions 1. What level of inclusivity is required (for example, units with wheelchair-accessible ramps), and how will this be scored? Please meet the principles of PIPA. The score is in the assessment criteria. 2. We discussed the requirement for trees and agreed it may be preferable for the council to supply and plant these separately. Is this agreeable? Yes the council to supply and plant the trees. 3. What does "play value" mean to the council, and how will this be assessed? The play value will mean how much play you can get of each piece of equipment. The score is in the assessment criteria. 4. When you mention that "a maintenance plan is a desirable extra service," what is envisaged here? The council means equipment that is easy to maintain with lasting quality. 5. How will best value and/or equipment be scored or interpreted? The score is in the assessment criteria. 6. There is a 500-word limit per response. Given a £200k design, this may make it difficult to adequately explain each proposal. Is there any possibility of increasing the word limit? Yes we can increase the word limit to whatever is needed. 7. Are wetpour graphics and colours required, or is plain black wetpour acceptable? Options would be welcome. 8. What type of fencing is preferred around the play area? Bow top fencing - 1 metre. 9. It was discussed on site to provide a path from the play area to the gym equipment, with all gym items located on a single wetpour pad. Is this desirable, or would you prefer individual wetpour pads beneath each item with grass in between? Options would be welcome. 10. How will you be scoring price? The score is in the assessment criteria. 11. It was discussed on site that it could be that we are to just remove the existing play equipment and leave in the existing safer surface and fence as this will be dealt with when the car park extension is done. Are you able to confirm that this is what is required? Yes please price separately to remove the existing play equipment - this is not part of the tender price it will be classified as extra. 12. Do any of the railings come down for the old play area. No. 13. Wet pour or ecomulch? Wet pour 14. Please include new P/A linking path from stadium entrance 2m wide on self compacting surface - please price this separately. 15. Please include two self closing gates plus maintenance gate?
⚠️

MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • None explicitly stated in the provided information.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • None explicitly stated in the provided information.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Ability to design and install a completely new playground on a field.
  • Expertise in designing playgrounds for primary school children.
  • Capability to design and supply natural-look play equipment (not bright colours).
  • Ability to ensure play equipment meets ROSPA standards.
  • Capability to design and supply DDA compliant inclusive play equipment, meeting PIPA principles.
  • Expertise in designing shading solutions for play areas, integrating existing trees.
  • Capability to install a wetpour base with a new wetpour safety surface.
  • Ability to ensure wetpour safety surface complies with BSEN 1176.
  • Ability to ensure wetpour safety surface product has been tested in accordance with BS EN 1177 and BS EN 7188.
  • Capability to provide a minimum 2-year guarantee for the wetpour safety surface (preferably longer).
  • Expertise in installing necessary infrastructure: drainage, fencing, safety surface, entry gates.
  • Ability to supply and install 1-metre high Bow top fencing.
  • Ability to supply and install two self-closing gates and one maintenance gate.
  • Capability to design and install a new P/A linking path from the stadium entrance, 2m wide, on a self-compacting surface.
  • Ability to provide equipment that is easy to maintain and of lasting quality (as part of the desirable maintenance plan).
  • Capability to remove existing play equipment (to be priced separately).
💰

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • The project budget for the play area is a maximum of £200,000 (excluding VAT) / £240,000 (including VAT).
  • Ability to price the removal of existing play equipment separately, as an extra service.
  • Ability to price the new P/A linking path separately.
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Provide a proposal for a completely new playground on a field.
  • Propose a design aimed at primary school children.
  • Propose natural-look equipment rather than bright colours.
  • Ensure proposed equipment meets ROSPA standards.
  • Include DDA compliant inclusive play equipment, meeting PIPA principles.
  • Propose shading solutions, preferably natural (e.g., trees), retaining the existing tree ideally within the proposed footprint.
  • Propose a wetpour base with a new wetpour safety surface.
  • Ensure proposed wetpour surface complies with BSEN 1176.
  • Ensure proposed wetpour product has been tested in accordance with BS EN 1177 and BS EN 7188.
  • State the guarantee period for the wetpour safety surface (minimum 2 years, preferably longer).
  • Provide options for wetpour graphics and colours (plain black is acceptable).
  • Propose necessary infrastructure including drainage, fencing, safety surface, and entry gates.
  • Specify 1-metre high Bow top fencing.
  • Include two self-closing gates and one maintenance gate in the design.
  • Provide an A1 size image of the proposed play area for public consultation (by May 2026).
  • Propose a maintenance plan as a desirable extra service, focusing on easy-to-maintain equipment with lasting quality.
  • Address "play value" in the proposal, explaining how much play can be derived from each piece of equipment.
  • Propose a design for the new play area within the dimensions of 41.5m length x 17m width.
  • Provide options for the path from the play area to the gym equipment (single wetpour pad for all gym items vs. individual wetpour pads beneath each item with grass in between).
  • Price the removal of existing play equipment separately.
  • Price the new P/A linking path from the stadium entrance (2m wide, self-compacting surface) separately.
  • Adhere to the submission deadline of 2026-02-28T23:59:00+00:00.
  • Responses can be of any length (word limit increased).

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HTM
Attachment A-10754
Administrative DocumentsA-10754.html
Summary:
This document is a 'Page not found' error message from the Find a Tender service, indicating that the requested content could not be located.
HTM
Attachment A-10755
OtherA-10755.html
Summary:
Sevenoaks Town Council seeks bids for the design and installation of a new, natural-looking, inclusive playground for primary school children at Greatness Recreation Ground, including infrastructure, wetpour surfacing, and shading, with a budget of £200,000.
DOC
OCDS Record
OCDS Data008552-2026_ocds_record.json
Summary:
This tender is for the design and installation of a new, natural-look, inclusive playground for primary school children at Greatness Recreation Ground, Sevenoaks, with a budget of up to £200,000, including infrastructure and specific safety surfacing.
DOC
OCDS Release Package
OCDS Data008552-2026_ocds_release.json
Summary:
Sevenoaks Town Council seeks contractors to design and install a new, natural-looking, inclusive playground for primary school children at Greatness Recreation Ground, including all necessary infrastructure, with a budget of £200,000 and installation by October 2026.
PDF
Official PDF Version
General Information008552-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
Sevenoaks Town Council seeks a contractor for the design and installation of a new, natural-look, inclusive playground for primary school children at Greatness Recreation Ground, including infrastructure, wetpour safety surface, and a path, with a budget of up to £200,000, and provides clarifications to bidder questions.
HTM
Tender Notice
General Information008552-2026.html
Summary:
Sevenoaks Town Council seeks proposals for the design and installation of a new, natural-look, inclusive playground for primary school children at Greatness Recreation Ground, including infrastructure, safety surfacing, and a linking path, with a budget of up to £200,000, aiming for completion by October 2026.

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66
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender provides a clear description of the required playground project with good technical detail and strong social sustainability aspects, but is significantly hampered by the complete absence of evaluation criteria and the lack of electronic submission.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender clearly defines the procedure type and CPV codes, and there are no reported disputes. The 29-day submission period is reasonable. However, the explicit mention of missing mandatory exclusion/eligibility grounds in the AI extract, even if standard for below-threshold tenders, indicates a potential gap in the provided documentation.

Lack of explicit mandatory exclusion/eligibility grounds in the provided text.
Clarity60/100

The project description, background, and technical requirements are well-articulated and unambiguous. The Q&A section further clarifies many aspects. However, the critical flaw is the repeated reference to "assessment criteria" without providing the actual criteria, which severely impacts the clarity for bidders on how their proposals will be evaluated.

Evaluation criteria are not specified, despite being referenced.
Completeness65/100

Most essential information such as title, reference, organization, deadlines, value, duration, and location is provided. Technical requirements are detailed. The main deficiency is the absence of evaluation criteria. Additionally, one of the listed tender documents resulted in a "Page not found" error.

Missing evaluation criteria
One tender document is inaccessible.
Fairness55/100

The tender value is disclosed, and requirements do not appear tailored to a specific company. However, the complete lack of transparent evaluation criteria is a major fairness concern, as bidders cannot objectively understand how their proposals will be judged. The absence of electronic submission also limits equal access and modern procurement practices.

No evaluation criteria provided
No electronic submission.
Practicality60/100

Key practical details like contract start date, duration, and budget are clearly specified. However, the lack of electronic submission is a significant practical drawback, potentially increasing administrative burden for bidders and the contracting authority.

No electronic submission supported.
Data Consistency85/100

The tender information is largely consistent across different sections and documents. Dates are logical, and there are no reported disputes. A minor inconsistency is the empty "Liable Person" field and the mention of EUR for the estimated value while the budget is clearly stated in GBP.

"Liable Person" field is empty
Minor currency discrepancy (EUR vs GBP for estimated value).
Sustainability75/100

The tender demonstrates a good focus on social sustainability by requiring DDA compliant inclusive play equipment and adherence to PIPA principles. It also includes green aspects such as natural-look equipment and natural shading (trees). There is no explicit focus on innovation or indication of EU funding.

No explicit innovation focus.

Strengths

Clear project description and technical requirements.
Strong focus on social inclusivity (DDA, PIPA).
Reasonable submission period (29 days).
Value disclosed and budget clearly defined.
Good data consistency overall.

Concerns

Complete absence of evaluation criteria.
Lack of electronic submission.
One tender document is inaccessible ("Page not found").
Missing explicit mandatory exclusion/eligibility grounds in the provided text.

Recommendations

1. Publish the full evaluation criteria to ensure transparency and fairness for all bidders.
2. Implement an electronic submission system to modernize the process and improve accessibility.
3. Ensure all linked tender documents are accessible and functional.

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B
Tender Quality Score
66/ 100 · Good

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