Woking Borough Council – Leisure Procurement Support

Background

SLC were commissioned by Woking Borough Council in August 2024 to support the procurement of a new leisure operating contract for its portfolio of four leisure facilities. SLC had recently supported the Council in considering potential future management models through a management options appraisal. This concluded that procuring an external operator to manage the services would provide best value for the Council and help contribute to their strategic objectives.

SLC worked with the Council to consider the scope of facilities and services for the new contact, ultimately removing the management of grass pitches and pavilions from the contract scope. A new neighbourhood-based active wellbeing service was included in the contract scope at initial tender stage, with the Council keen to test the value such a service could deliver to local communities.

SLC provided the Council with end-to-end support and guidance throughout the procurement process, from the development of their procurement strategy to the identification of a preferred operator.

Pre-procurement support

Following a Section 114 notice in June 2023, Government Commissioners were brought in to oversee the Council’s finances and management until 2028. As such, SLC and the Project Group engaged with the Commissioners to ensure the Council’s procurement strategy and overall procurement process was supported as providing the best value approach for the provision of leisure services.

SLC developed the procurement strategy with the Project Group through engagement with Commissioners as well as wider internal and external stakeholders. This set out the approach to the procurement and established a suitable balance between meeting the Council’s requirements whilst ensuring the opportunity was attractive to the market.

SLC developed all the tender documents including the Services Specification with the requirement for a new neighbourhood-based Active Wellbeing Service and the Invitation to Tender. Support was also provided to legal colleagues to develop the new Contract in accordance with the Sport England template.

Procurement Process

The procurement was launched with the publication of a Contract Notice in January 2025. SLC supported each stage of the procurement process, helping with responses to clarification questions, evaluating bids, facilitating bidder negotiation meetings and providing analysis and advice on financial submissions.

A number of optional variants were tested during the procurement process, allowing the Council to test which solution offered best value for money. This included variants using the Agency Model, inclusion of the neighbourhood-based Active Wellbeing Service, different contract lengths and varying management fee payment profiles.

Project Outcome

The procurement process concluded in September 2025 with the appointment of SLM (Everyone Active) as the preferred operator, with the new contract scheduled to commence on 1 December 2025.

The new 10-year contract will deliver estimated annual savings of c. £1.125M over the contract period through a combination of improved income, reduced operational costs and efficiencies in service delivery. The contract also promises to deliver a number of service benefits for the community, including:

• A new neighbourhood-based Active Wellbeing programme targeting inactive residents in deprived ward areas and in non-traditional settings
• An increased focus on reducing consumption and delivering sustainability initiatives
• Over £1.8M of operator capital investment throughout the contract term in areas such as health and fitness, studio and spin studio enhancements, Poolview Plus safety / monitoring systems, new lighting and sensory equipment at Eastwood Leisure Centre pool and changing room improvements.

TESTIMONIAL