Tender Clarifications

Please click on the section you are interested in below:

• Applicable to all tenders

• Architect, Engineers & Cost Consultant Team

• Heritage Consultant

• Project Manager / Major Bid Project Partner

• Consultation & Engagement Consultant

Deadline

The deadline for all submissions has been extended to 7th September 2026 12:00 to allow additional time due to bank holiday and summer holidays.

Is the application of the National Heritage Lottery Fund available

Yes it is available: As submitted application form download.

The site plan and structural reports are available further down this page.

Can the same organisation, consortium or individuals tender for more than one of the four commissions?

Yes.

The four opportunities are being procured as separate commissions rather than as lots within a single tender.

There is no restriction preventing the same organisation, consortium or individuals from submitting tenders for more than one commission, including all four where they consider they have the appropriate expertise and capacity.

A separate and complete tender submission must be made for each commission. Each submission will be evaluated independently against the published requirements and evaluation criteria for that commission.

Tenderers should ensure that:

• each submission is independently compliant with the relevant brief;

• the proposed team, roles and responsibilities for that commission are clearly identified;

• the fee for each commission is separately stated and is not conditional upon appointment to another commission;

• each commission would remain fully deliverable if the tenderer were appointed to that commission alone; and

• where the same individuals are proposed across more than one commission, the submission demonstrates sufficient capacity to undertake the roles concurrently if appointed to more than one.

A consortium or collective may structure its proposals differently for the individual commissions, provided the lead organisation or contractual entity and proposed team are clearly identified for each tender.

If the same organisation or consortium is ultimately appointed to more than one commission, the Council will seek to maximise the benefits of coordinated working. However, the individual scopes, budgets, evaluation processes and contractual responsibilities will remain separate.

Can an overseas organisation tender as lead consultant, and does the Project Manager / Project Coordinator need to be UK-based?

The Council has not restricted this commission to UK-established organisations, and there is no requirement for the lead consultant or individual Project Manager / Project Coordinator to be based in the UK.

An overseas organisation may therefore submit a tender as lead consultant, including an arrangement where the lead consultant is supported by suitably qualified UK-based specialist partners.

All submissions will be evaluated against the same published requirements and evaluation criteria.

Tenderers proposing an overseas lead or Project Manager / Project Coordinator should demonstrate how their delivery model will provide effective:

• project coordination and single-point responsibility;

• communication with the Council and wider consultant team;

• understanding of the UK heritage, public-sector and funding context;

• attendance at site visits, key meetings, workshops and stakeholder activities where required;

• integration of specialist inputs; and

• delivery within the required programme.

Online meetings and collaborative working may be used where appropriate, but the delivery model should allow for in-person attendance where this is reasonably required for effective delivery of the commission.

Any travel, accommodation or other expenses associated with the proposed delivery model must be included within the overall £28,000 excluding VAT Phase 1 fee. There is no separate Council budget for these costs.

How should the tender response be submitted?

Tender responses should be submitted electronically through the Council's Tender Submission page, as identified in the Find a Tender notice.

The deadline for receipt of tenders is:

11:59pm on Tuesday 1 September 2026

The deadline for all submissions has been extended to 7th September 2026 12:00 to allow additional time due to bank holiday and summer holidays.

Is there a prescribed format for the tender response or a separate tender questionnaire?

No. The Commission Brief sets out the scope of the commission and submission requirements rather than providing a separate question-and-answer style Invitation to Tender.

There is no separate tender questionnaire or prescribed response template.

Tenderers should structure their submission around the requirements set out in the Commission Brief and the published evaluation criteria.

Submissions should provide sufficient information to demonstrate:

• experience of comparable projects;

• the capability and experience of the proposed team;

• understanding of the commission and the proposed methodology;

• the proposed programme and capacity to deliver the commission;

• price and value for money; and

• the proposed approach to collaboration, engagement and wider project outcomes.

Tenderers are free to determine the format and presentation of their submission, provided that the required information is clearly addressed.

Is there a maximum word count or page limit for the tender submission?

No. There is no prescribed maximum word count or page limit, either for the submission as a whole or for individual sections.

There is also no separate limit for supporting information such as:

• CVs;

• relevant project examples;

• references; or

• other relevant appendices.

Tenderers are encouraged to keep submissions proportionate and focused on the information required to demonstrate how they meet the published requirements and evaluation criteria. There is no advantage in providing material which is not directly relevant to the commission or its evaluation.

What are the evaluation weightings?

The evaluation weightings for the Architect, Engineers & Cost Consultant Team commission are:

• Experience of comparable projects: 30%

• Capability and experience of the proposed team: 20%

• Quality of methodology and understanding of the commission: 20%

• Programme, capacity and ability to meet the deadline: 10%

• Price and value for money: 15%

• Approach to collaboration, engagement and wider project outcomes: 5%

This represents an overall weighting of 85% for non-price criteria and 15% for price and value for money.

The Council is not seeking the lowest-cost submission in isolation. Tenderers should provide sufficient information to demonstrate that their proposed team, methodology, programme, surveys and investigations provide a credible and deliverable approach to the commission within the tendered fee.

Is there a prescribed format for the fee submission?

No. There is no prescribed pricing schedule or fee template.

Tenderers should provide a clear and transparent fee proposal identifying:

• the overall fixed fee for Phase 1, excluding VAT;

• a breakdown of fees across the principal disciplines and services;

• allowances for surveys, investigations and testing;

• any expenses or disbursements;

• any assumptions or exclusions on which the fee is based; and

• day rates or other rates applicable to additional services and potential continuation stages.

Tenderers should provide sufficient detail for the Council to understand how the overall fee has been constructed and what has been allowed for within it.

What must be included within the £120,000 Phase 1 budget?

The £120,000 excluding VAT is the total maximum budget for the complete Phase 1 commission and must cover all costs necessary to deliver the scope and outputs described in the procurement documentation.

For the avoidance of doubt, this includes both the professional fees of the integrated consultant team and the actual costs of all surveys, investigations, testing and associated works required for Phase 1.

This includes, where required:

• Architect fees;

• Structural Engineer fees;

• Geotechnical Engineer fees;

• M&E Engineer fees;

• Quantity Surveyor fees;

• marine, environmental and other specialist consultancy inputs;

• ground investigations;

• boreholes;

• trial pits;

• structural and concrete investigations;

• concrete sampling;

• laboratory testing;

• other technical surveys and investigations;

• third-party or subcontracted survey and testing costs;

• travel and expenses; and

• preparation of all drawings, reports, cost information and other required RIBA Stage 2 outputs.

There is no separate Council budget for surveys, investigations or testing.

The appointed Design Team will be responsible for determining the precise nature and extent of the investigations necessary to provide an appropriate technical evidence base for the RIBA Stage 2 proposals, and for leading, commissioning, managing or directly undertaking those investigations.

Tenderers should therefore make appropriate provision within their proposed fixed Phase 1 fee and clearly identify their survey and testing allowances, together with the assumptions on which those allowances are based.

Is there any flexibility in the £120,000 budget?

Tenderers should not assume that any additional budget will be available.

The £120,000 excluding VAT is the maximum available budget for the complete Phase 1 Architect, Engineers & Cost Consultant Team commission.

Tenderers should therefore develop a proportionate methodology, team structure and investigation strategy which they consider capable of delivering the required Phase 1 outputs within this overall budget.

The project programme reflects the need for different disciplines and workstreams to contribute at appropriate stages and does not imply continuous input from every member of the consultant team throughout the entire project period.

Is there a prescribed programme format?

No. There is no prescribed programme template.

Tenderers should provide a programme demonstrating how they propose to:

• mobilise the consultant team;

• undertake and coordinate the necessary surveys, investigations and testing;

• manage dependencies between the architectural, engineering and cost consultancy disciplines;

• engage with the Council and other appointed project consultants;

• incorporate relevant heritage and community engagement findings;

• develop and coordinate the RIBA Stage 2 proposals; and

• complete the required Phase 1 outputs within the timescale set out in the procurement documentation.

Tenderers should identify any key assumptions, dependencies or information they would require from the Council in order to achieve their proposed programme.

How many Design Team Meetings and other project meetings should be included?

The Council has not prescribed a fixed number of Design Team Meetings or other project meetings.

Tenderers should make a reasonable and proportionate allowance for the meetings necessary to deliver their proposed methodology successfully and should clearly identify any assumptions regarding meeting attendance within their submission.

The Design Team should allow for:

• the project inception process;

• appropriate multidisciplinary design and coordination meetings;

• liaison with the Project Manager;

• liaison with the Heritage Consultant, Consultation & Engagement Consultant and other relevant specialists; and

• attendance at relevant engagement, exhibition and design feedback sessions.

The Project Manager will coordinate the overall project meeting programme.

Online meetings should be used where appropriate to make efficient use of consultant time and project resources.

Is the Design Team required to undertake a formal pre-application process with the Local Planning Authority?

A formal pre-application submission to the Local Planning Authority is not specified as a mandatory Phase 1 deliverable.

However, given the Grade II listed status and heritage sensitivity of the site, the Council expects appropriate early liaison with relevant planning and conservation officers where this is necessary to inform credible RIBA Stage 2 proposals.

If a tenderer considers that a formal pre-application process is necessary or beneficial to deliver an appropriate Phase 1 outcome, this should be identified within the tender methodology, together with any relevant assumptions.

Any associated costs proposed as part of Phase 1 must be included within the overall £120,000 excluding VAT maximum budget.

The appointed Heritage Consultant will be expected to provide appropriate heritage and conservation input to relevant discussions, but the Design Team will lead the design and planning process.

What will the public engagement comprise and what is required from the Design Team?

A separate Consultation & Engagement Consultant will be appointed by the Council and will have primary responsibility for designing, organising, facilitating and reporting on the public and stakeholder engagement programme.

The anticipated programme comprises:

• Engagement Round 1, October to November 2026: early engagement on community values, needs and aspirations, including an online survey, 1 to 2 public drop-in sessions and three facilitated stakeholder workshops;

• Targeted engagement, November 2026 to February 2027: focused engagement with groups who may otherwise be underrepresented; and

• Engagement Round 2, approximately April to May 2027: consultation on the emerging RIBA Stage 2 proposals through an in-person public exhibition and online engagement.

The Design Team is not responsible for organising or managing the overall engagement programme.

The Design Team will be expected to:

• provide accessible drawings, visualisations and explanatory materials;

• provide appropriate design material for engagement activities;

• attend relevant public exhibitions, workshops or design feedback sessions;

• explain emerging technical and design proposals to non-specialist audiences;

• review relevant consultation findings;

• consider relevant feedback as the proposals develop; and

• demonstrate how engagement feedback has informed the final RIBA Stage 2 proposals.

The Design Team will work collaboratively with the Council, Consultation & Engagement Consultant and Heritage Consultant throughout this process.

What form of contract will be used for the Architect, Engineers & Cost Consultant Team appointment?

The Council currently intends to use the JCT Consultancy Agreement (Public Sector) 2024 as the basis of the appointment, supplemented by project-specific schedules and amendments appropriate to the commission.

The appointment will reflect the published fixed Phase 1 fee, multi-phase structure and break clauses. Continuation into any subsequent phase will require express written instruction from the Council and will remain subject to performance, funding and Council approval.

The Council may consider the RIBA Standard Professional Services Contract as an alternative form if appropriate before appointment.

A separate draft contract has not currently been issued. The final contractual documents will be provided to the successful tenderer prior to appointment.

What form of contract will be used for the Architect, Engineers & Cost Consultant Team appointment?

The Council currently intends to use the JCT Consultancy Agreement (Public Sector) 2024 as the basis of the appointment, supplemented by project-specific schedules and amendments appropriate to the commission.

The appointment will reflect the published fixed Phase 1 fee, multi-phase structure and break clauses. Continuation into any subsequent phase will require express written instruction from the Council and will remain subject to performance, funding and Council approval.

The Council may consider the RIBA Standard Professional Services Contract as an alternative form if appropriate before appointment.

A separate draft contract has not currently been issued. The final contractual documents will be provided to the successful tenderer prior to appointment.

That is more consistent with what we had previously established.

Can a red line boundary plan for the project site be provided?

Yes. A plan identifying the project site boundary will be provided and made available to tenderers here: Site Plan.

Is there a deadline for submitting further clarification questions?

Yes. The deadline for submitting further clarification questions is:

12 noon on Friday 21 August 2026

The Council intends to publish responses to substantive clarification questions by:

Tuesday 25 August 2026

Clarification questions may be submitted using the contact details provided within the procurement documentation.

Where a clarification is considered relevant to other potential tenderers, the question and response will be anonymised and published on this page so that the same information is available to all potential tenderers.

The tender submission deadline:

11:59pm on Tuesday 1 September 2026

The deadline for all submissions has been extended to 7th September 2026 12:00 to allow additional time due to bank holiday and summer holidays.

What existing structural, condition and survey information is available?

The Council holds a range of historic structural, geotechnical and condition information relating to the Sea Water Baths.

This includes:

• December 2009: visual structural appraisal and photographic survey, partial level survey and site investigations including trial holes and investigations into the construction of the walls and pontoon;

• January 2010: further site investigations into the construction of the Baths;

• 2013: structural report relating to the historic fountains;

• November 2018: structural condition survey, including assessment of the retaining walls, concrete, poolside areas and other structural elements;

• April 2019: geoenvironmental and structural investigation including one deep borehole, five window sample boreholes, in-situ testing, groundwater monitoring and diamond coring of the retaining walls; and

• March 2021: review of the eastern / shoreside area of the Baths, where significant settlement and cracking had been identified.

The existing reports provide useful background information, but tenderers should not assume that they remove the requirement for new investigations necessary to establish an appropriate current evidence base for RIBA Stage 2.

The relevant historic reports held by the Council are available in this section.

Please note that the three PDF files provided are not three separate reports. They comprise a single document which has been split into three files due to its size.

Is information available on previous alterations and repairs to the Baths?

The historic reports contain information on previous repairs and interventions. In particular, previous structural investigations identify historic patch repairs to the concrete, some of which were subsequently found to be deteriorating or delaminating.

The Council does not currently hold a single comprehensive chronological schedule of every alteration or repair undertaken to the Baths.

More recent maintenance and operational works have included:

• repairs to elements of the building, balustrade and balcony;

• replacement of the pool circulation pump and associated pipes;

• installation of water-quality monitoring and dosing equipment;

• electrical works; and

• routine repairs and coatings.

Relevant records held by the Council will be made available to the appointed Design Team.

Part of the commission will also involve reviewing the available historic information and establishing the current condition of the asset rather than relying solely upon previous reports.

Are underwater or tidal-zone inspections required as part of the condition surveys?

The Council has not prescribed a mandatory underwater or diver survey methodology.

The Baths are, however, a marine and tidally influenced structure and the condition of relevant tidal-zone, waterside and submerged elements should be considered as part of the Design Team's assessment of the site.

As previously clarified, the appointed Design Team is responsible for determining the precise nature and extent of the surveys and investigations necessary to provide an appropriate technical evidence base for RIBA Stage 2.

Tenderers should therefore identify within their proposed methodology whether they consider inspection of tidal-zone or submerged elements necessary and, if so, the most appropriate and proportionate means of undertaking that work.

Any such investigations considered necessary to fulfil the Phase 1 commission must be included within the overall £120,000 excluding VAT fixed-fee budget. There is no separate Council budget for these investigations.

What approvals will be required before intrusive investigations are undertaken?

Given the Grade II listed status and heritage sensitivity of the Baths, intrusive investigations will need to be planned and undertaken carefully.

The Design Team should develop the proposed investigation strategy in consultation with the Council and appointed Heritage Consultant.

Before intrusive investigation works are undertaken, the Council will expect the proposed locations, extent and methodology to be agreed with it. Appropriate method statements and proposals for making good should be provided where relevant.

The Heritage Consultant will provide conservation advice and help identify particularly sensitive historic fabric.

Formal approval to undertake works will, however, remain with the Council as client and, where statutory permission or consent is required, the relevant statutory authority.

The Design Team should identify any consent requirements arising from its proposed investigation methodology and allow appropriate time for these within its programme.

The intention is not to unnecessarily restrict appropriate investigation, but to ensure that the evidence required for the design is obtained using a proportionate approach which minimises avoidable loss or damage to historic fabric.

Are there access restrictions which may affect surveys and investigation works?

The Sea Water Baths remain an operational facility, with licensed operators who are very supportive of this phase of the project. The site is currently used for bathing, inflatables and other water-based activities, catering, health and wellness activities and a sauna.

Investigation works will therefore need to be coordinated with the Council and the operators to maintain safe operation of the site and minimise disruption where reasonably practicable.

In addition:

• access to some areas will naturally be affected by tides and water levels;

• particular investigations may need to be programmed for suitable tidal, weather or operational conditions;

• access required over adjoining land may require separate agreement with the relevant landowner or occupier; and

• the Baths are drained as part of the annual maintenance programme, providing an excellent opportunity for detailed investigation of areas which may otherwise be submerged. This will be scheduled during the autumn / winter period at a mutually agreed time.

As previously clarified, adjoining land is in a number of different ownerships, including New Forest District Council, Lymington Town Sailing Club leasehold areas, Lymington and District Sea Fishing Club land and the sea wall path, which the Council currently understands to be owned by the Environment Agency.

The Council will assist the appointed Design Team with reasonable coordination and access arrangements, but tenderers should take account of operational, tidal and neighbouring-land constraints when developing their proposed survey and investigation programme.

Yes - the following three links contain the reports and surveys which have been completed previously. Please note the three parts form one document containing multiple reports.

• Structural report part 1,

• Structural report part 2,

• Structural report part 3

Are existing architectural drawings or CAD / .dwg plans, sections and elevations available?

No. The Council does not hold any existing architectural drawings, including .dwg plans, sections or elevations, for the site.

The Council does hold historic structural, geotechnical and condition survey information, which is being made available through the Tender Clarifications page, but this should not be regarded as a substitute for an architectural measured survey.

Tenderers should therefore make appropriate provision within their methodology and fixed fee for obtaining, establishing and verifying the dimensional and base survey information required to undertake the commission and produce the required RIBA Stage 2 outputs.

Tender submission

Question: How should the tender response be submitted?

Response:
Tender responses should be submitted electronically through the Council's Tender Submission page, as identified in the Find a Tender notice.

The deadline for receipt of tenders is 11:59pm on Tuesday 1 September 2026. The deadline for all submissions has been extended to 7th September 2026 12:00 to allow additional time due to bank holiday and summer holidays.

Submission length

Question: Is there a maximum word count or page limit for the tender submission?

Response:
There is no prescribed maximum word count or page limit, either for the overall submission or for individual sections.

There is also no separate limit for supporting information such as CVs, examples of comparable work, references or other relevant appendices.

Tenderers are encouraged to keep submissions proportionate and focused on the information required to demonstrate how they meet the published requirements and evaluation criteria.

Contract terms and conditions

Question: Are there prescribed Terms & Conditions which tenderers must accept, or may tenderers propose their own?

Response:
No separate Council Terms & Conditions or prescribed form of professional appointment has been issued as part of the tender.

Tenderers may identify the standard form of appointment or terms they propose to use and may provide these with their tender. Any contractual assumptions, qualifications or proposed departures from the procurement requirements should be clearly identified within the tender submission.

Tenderers should not assume that their own standard terms will automatically be accepted. The final form of appointment will need to be agreed with the successful tenderer and remain consistent with the scope, fee, programme and other requirements on which the procurement has been conducted.

Site boundary

Question: Can a red line boundary plan for the site be provided?

Response:
Yes. A plan identifying the project site boundary will be provided to tenderers and is available here: Site Plan.

Flexibility in the Heritage Consultant budget

Question: Is there any flexibility in the budget given the extent of the work and length of the programme?

Response:
The £8,000 excluding VAT is the maximum available budget for the Heritage Consultant commission.

The fee must cover all professional time, research, meetings, travel, expenses and preparation of all required deliverables.

The programme reflects the stages at which heritage input will be required within the wider project and does not imply continuous consultant input throughout the entire project period.

Tenderers should therefore propose a proportionate methodology and allocation of resources which they consider capable of delivering the required outputs within the available budget.

Meetings

Question: How many project or Design Team meetings should the Heritage Consultant allow for?

Response:
The Council has not prescribed a fixed number of meetings.

Tenderers should make a reasonable and proportionate allowance for the meetings and workshops necessary to deliver their proposed methodology and should clearly state any assumptions regarding meeting attendance within their submission.

This should include appropriate liaison with the Council, Project Manager, Design Team, Consultation & Engagement Consultant and other relevant project partners, together with design integration and engagement-related meetings where heritage input is required.

Online meetings should be used where appropriate to make efficient use of consultant time and project resources.

Planning and pre-application discussions

Question: Is the Heritage Consultant required to undertake or lead pre-application discussions with the Local Planning Authority?

Response:
No. The Heritage Consultant will not be responsible for leading the planning or pre-application process.

A formal pre-application submission is not currently specified as a mandatory Phase 1 deliverable.

The Design Team will lead relevant design and planning liaison. The Heritage Consultant will be expected to provide appropriate heritage and conservation advice to support relevant discussions with planning and conservation officers where required.

Public engagement and the Heritage Consultant's role

Question: What will the public engagement programme comprise and what specifically is required from the Heritage Consultant?

Response:
A separate Consultation & Engagement Consultant will be appointed by the Council and will have primary responsibility for designing, organising, facilitating and reporting on the public and stakeholder engagement programme.

The anticipated programme comprises:

• Engagement Round 1, October to November 2026: early engagement on values, needs and aspirations, including an online survey, 1 to 2 public drop-in sessions and three facilitated stakeholder workshops;

• Targeted engagement, November 2026 to February 2027: focused engagement with groups who may otherwise be underrepresented; and

• Engagement Round 2, approximately April to May 2027: feedback on the emerging RIBA Stage 2 proposals through an in-person public exhibition and online engagement.

The Heritage Consultant is not expected to design, organise or manage the overall engagement programme.

The Heritage Consultant's role is to provide specialist heritage input which supports the engagement and interpretation work. This includes:

• identifying historical stories, themes and accessible heritage narratives;

• providing heritage content for engagement materials;

• supporting the two consultation rounds with heritage input where appropriate;

• preparing short heritage summaries suitable for public exhibitions;

• developing interpretation themes and storylines for future use;

• ensuring that relevant heritage significance, sensitivities and conservation considerations are communicated clearly; and

• working collaboratively with the Consultation & Engagement Consultant, Design Team, Council and St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery.

Further clarification questions

Question: Is there a deadline for submitting further clarification questions?

Response:
Yes. The deadline for further clarification questions is:

12 noon on Friday 21 August 2026

The Council intends to publish responses to substantive clarification questions by:

Tuesday 25 August 2026

Relevant questions and responses will be anonymised and published on this page so that the same information is available to all potential tenderers.

Evaluation weightings

Question: What are the evaluation weightings for the Heritage Consultant tender?

Response:
The evaluation weightings are:

• Quality and clarity of proposed methodology: 25%

• Relevant heritage expertise: 20%

• Price and value for money: 20%

• Experience of comparable projects: 15%

• Understanding of the brief and project context: 10%

• Ability to meet the programme and collaborate effectively: 10%

This represents an overall weighting of 80% for non-price criteria and 20% for price and value for money.

The Council is not obliged to accept the lowest-priced tender. Tenders will be assessed on the basis of the most advantageous tender taking account of the published evaluation criteria.

Are the Comparator Study, Market / Regional Profile Review and Business Options Appraisal included within this commission, or will they be commissioned separately?

The Comparator Study, Market / Regional Profile Review and Business Options Appraisal are all included within the Project Manager / Major Bid Project Partner Phase 1 commission. They will not be commissioned separately by the Council under individual briefs. Tenderers may deliver the specialist workstreams using their own in-house team and/or appoint suitably qualified named subconsultants. Where subconsultants are proposed, tenderers should identify them within their submission and provide details of their relevant experience, role, fee and any assumptions. The appointed Project Manager / Project Coordinator will remain responsible for the management, coordination, quality assurance and integration of all specialist outputs, whether delivered directly or through subconsultants.

The £28,000 excluding VAT is the maximum total budget for the complete Phase 1 commission and includes:

• Project Management / Project Coordination;

• Comparator Study;

• Market / Regional Profile Review;

• Business Options Appraisal;

• any subconsultant costs; and

• expenses and other costs associated with delivering the Phase 1 commission.

There are no separate Council-funded allowances in addition to the £28,000 for these specialist workstreams.

Tenderers should nevertheless show the following elements separately within their Phase 1 fee proposal:

• Project Management / Project Coordination;

• Comparator Study;

• Market / Regional Profile Review; and

• Business Options Appraisal.

This breakdown is required to provide transparency and allow comparison of tender submissions. The combined Phase 1 fee must remain within the overall £28,000 excluding VAT maximum budget.

What level of support is expected for preparation of a future Major Heritage Fund application?

There is an important distinction between the current Phase 1 commission and the potential Phase 2 continuation, which remains subject to performance, project need, Council decision and funding.

During Phase 1, the consultant is not expected to prepare and submit a complete Major Heritage Fund application. The role is to develop, coordinate and quality assure the evidence base that will underpin a future application.

The Council does, however, expect Phase 1 outputs to be prepared from the outset in a form which can be readily carried forward into a future Heritage Fund Major Grant application.

The intention is that Phase 2 should build upon and develop the Phase 1 evidence, rather than require a substantial exercise in restructuring, rewriting or reconciling Phase 1 outputs before they can be used.

Phase 1 outputs should therefore, where relevant:

• use clear, concise and funder-appropriate language;

• clearly distinguish evidence, conclusions, recommendations, assumptions and outstanding gaps;

• identify sources and supporting evidence;

• use consistent terminology across workstreams;

• be structured so that relevant narrative and evidence can be readily incorporated into a future Heritage Fund application and its supporting documents;

• clearly connect heritage significance, community need, proposed outcomes, design, business viability, accessibility, sustainability and future management;

• identify matters requiring further development during the future Major Grant development phase; and

• avoid unnecessary duplication or inconsistencies between specialist outputs.

The Project Manager / Major Bid Project Partner will be expected to integrate and quality assure the Phase 1 outputs as a coherent funding evidence base, rather than simply coordinate the production of separate consultant reports.

The Council will remain the applicant, retain the direct relationship with the National Lottery Heritage Fund and be responsible for approval and submission of any future application.

If instructed to continue into Phase 2, the consultant's role would become more substantive. This would include leading or coordinating preparation of relevant Heritage Fund application content, including drafting, coordination and quality assurance of relevant application responses and supporting documents.

The Council's intention is that Phase 2 develops the evidence created in Phase 1 rather than having to recreate or substantially rework it.

What historic attendance and financial information will be available from the existing operators?

The Council will make available relevant attendance, operational and financial information which it holds and is able to provide, and will work with the existing operators to obtain additional information where reasonably available and appropriate.

Attendance information is available, and relevant income and expenditure information can be requested from the operators.

Tenderers should not assume that three years of operator management accounts or complete site-level profit and loss information will necessarily be available.

The appointed consultant should therefore expect to use the best available evidence, which may include:

• Council records;

• operator-provided attendance and financial information;

• discussions with the operators;

• pricing and usage information;

• comparator evidence; and

• clearly stated assumptions where historic information is incomplete.

The Council will assist the appointed consultant in obtaining the most useful evidence reasonably available for the Business Options Appraisal and subsequent business planning.

Will the appointed consultant have access to existing bookers and users for surveys or research?

The Council recognises the value of engaging with existing users of the Baths and intends to facilitate this wherever reasonably possible.

Tenderers should not assume that they will be provided directly with customers' personal contact details.

The existing booking arrangements include users who may have provided appropriate permissions for marketing or research contact, and the Council is exploring with the operator how these contacts can lawfully be used to support the project.

Where appropriate, the most likely approach would be for the Council and/or operator to distribute surveys or engagement invitations on behalf of the project, rather than transferring customer data directly to the appointed consultant.

Any use or sharing of personal information will be subject to applicable data protection requirements and the permissions under which the information was originally collected.

The Council and existing operators also have established communications and social media channels which can be used to promote engagement activity to current and previous users.

Tenderers may therefore assume that the Council will actively support access to existing audiences and promotion of surveys, but should not base their methodology on receiving a transferable customer contact database.

What are the evaluation weightings and how will Price and Value for Money be assessed?

The evaluation weightings for the Consultation & Engagement Consultant commission are:

• Quality and inclusivity of the proposed methodology: 25%

• Relevant experience and capability of the proposed team: 20%

• Approach to reaching underrepresented groups and ensuring accessibility: 15%

• Understanding of the brief and project context: 10%

• Programme, capacity and collaborative working: 10%

• Price and value for money: 20%

This represents an overall weighting of 80% for quality/non-price criteria and 20% for price and value for money.

For the Price and Value for Money criterion, the Council will consider the submitted fixed fee alongside the credibility, completeness and level of resource proposed to deliver the commission.

The assessment will take account of:

• the total fixed fee;

• clarity and completeness of the fee breakdown;

• allocation of resources across the engagement programme;

• consultant time and other included costs;

• provision for travel, venues, engagement and exhibition materials, printing, digital tools and licences where required;

• assumptions and exclusions;

• whether all costs necessary to deliver the published scope have been appropriately allowed for within the fixed fee; and

• whether the proposed programme and level of resources are credible and sufficient to deliver the complete commission.

The maximum available budget for the Consultation & Engagement Consultant commission is £23,500 excluding VAT.

Tenderers should submit a fixed fee covering the complete requirements of the commission. There is no separate Council budget available for additional services or costs which are necessary to deliver the published scope.

The lowest-priced tender will not automatically receive the highest score for the Price and Value for Money criterion. The Council will assess whether the submitted fixed fee represents good overall value and provides a realistic and deliverable level of resource for the complete commission.

Is there any flexibility in the £23,500 budget, or can tenderers propose a reduced scope?

The £23,500 excluding VAT is the maximum available budget for the complete Consultation & Engagement Consultant commission. There is no additional Council budget available above this amount.

Tenderers may propose an efficient and proportionate methodology for delivering the commission within the available budget. The Council welcomes proposals which demonstrate an appropriate use of different engagement methods, formats and sequencing.

This flexibility does not extend to removing required elements or outputs from the published commission. Tenderers should demonstrate how the complete required scope will be delivered within their submitted fixed fee.

Will the Council provide venues for engagement activities?

The Council has access to a number of free or low-cost venues and will work with the appointed consultant to minimise venue costs wherever practicable.

The main Council Chamber at the Town Hall on Avenue Road can normally be made available free of charge, subject to availability. It provides free parking, accessible toilets and level access.

Other potential locations include Council-owned outdoor spaces, the Town Council's Saturday market, St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, Lymington Community Centre and other nearby community and sailing-club venues with which the Council has established relationships.

The precise venue should be appropriate to the audience and type of engagement activity and will be agreed as part of the Engagement Strategy.

Where a tenderer's proposed methodology requires a venue which cannot be provided free of charge, any associated venue cost should be included within the tenderer's fixed fee.

How many targeted engagement sessions are expected between November 2026 and February 2027?

The Council has not prescribed a fixed number of targeted engagement sessions.

The brief identifies a target of approximately 40 to 60 participants in total during this period and anticipates focused outreach through small-scale sessions, intercept interviews or other appropriate methods.

Tenderers should propose a proportionate methodology capable of reaching the identified priority and underrepresented groups and generating meaningful evidence.

The Council will assess the quality, reach and effectiveness of the proposed approach rather than requiring a predetermined number of sessions.

What support will the Council provide with participant recruitment and promotion?

The Council will actively support the appointed consultant with stakeholder introductions, local contacts and promotion of engagement opportunities.

The Council has established relationships with local heritage, community, education, sporting and other organisations and has its own social media and communications channels. The existing Baths operator also has a significant established social media audience.

Councillors and Council officers will also support appropriate engagement activities subject to availability.

The appointed consultant will remain responsible for developing and delivering the engagement and recruitment strategy, but the Council intends to work collaboratively and make its existing local networks available to support effective participation.

Should tenderers include participant incentives, translation, interpretation and specialist accessibility support within their fee?

There is no prescribed requirement for participant incentives, translation or interpretation services to be provided as standard across the engagement programme.

The commission does, however, require an inclusive and accessible approach. Tenderers should identify the measures they consider appropriate to enable participation by the audiences they propose to engage.

Where incentives, translation, interpretation, specialist accessibility support or similar measures form part of the proposed methodology, reasonable provision for these should be included within the £23,500 excluding VAT fixed fee.

Tenderers should clearly identify any relevant assumptions within their submission.

Is there a prescribed format or length for the Final Engagement Report and Heritage Fund summary?

There is no prescribed page or word limit and no mandatory report template.

The Final Engagement Report should be comprehensive but proportionate and should include:

• methods used;

• participation data;

• demographic insight;

• key themes;

• how feedback influenced the developing designs;

• accessibility and inclusion findings; and

• recommendations for future engagement.

The separate Heritage Fund summary should be short, concise and funder-ready, enabling it to be used readily as supporting evidence for future National Lottery Heritage Fund submissions.

The Council's priority is that the outputs are clear, accessible, evidence-based and suitable for future funding and project development purposes rather than meeting a predetermined page count.