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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Nursery

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust · compiled

Tender information last checkedLast checked 29 Sept 2026, 23:10.

Opportunity overview

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (the Trust) intends to enter into arrangements with [Bright Horizons] (the Operator) to grant the Operator a lease of land at the Darent Valley Hospital (the Hospital) to enable the Operator to construct and operate a nursery which staff at the Hospital will be able to use. The documents to be entered into by the Trust comprise Heads of Terms, an Agreement for Lease and a Lease.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

Bright Horizons

Match pending…
Contract value
£5m
Awarded
Not supplied
Contract signed
26 Mar 2025
Award ID
011738-2025-1
Status
active
Identifier
02282203
Location
Northamptonshire, UK, NN10 6BS, United Kingdom

Classification

  • CPV85312110 — Child daycare services

Lots

  • The Trust intends to enter into (1) the Heads of Terms and (2) the Agreement for Lease, which provides the Operator with the option to construct a nursery on the Site. In the event that it does so, following completion of the nursery, the Trust will grant the Operator a Lease of the Site.<br/> <br/>The arrangements are a land deal and do not amount to a public works contract or a works concession contract for the purposes of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the PCR), the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (the CCR) or the Procurement Act 2023 (the Act). Additional information: The Trust identified the Operator following a competitive process, which was carried out outside the PCR, CCR and Act, which provided market operators within the sector with the opportunity to submit proposals to be granted a lease of the Site that would permit operation of a nursery. <br/> <br/>The Trust proposes to enter into the Heads of Terms, followed by an Agreement for Lease in respect of the Site. The Agreement for Lease will contain break rights in favour of the Trust in the event that the Operator opts not to exercise its right to develop a nursery at the Site. Where the Operator chooses to exercise its rights to develop a nursery at the Site, the Trust will grant a Lease of the Site to the Operator following completion of the relevant works. The Operator is under no obligation to undertake development at the Site. No public contract arises due to a lack of enforceable obligation. <br/> <br/>The Lease will contain tenant covenants which limit the permitted use of the Site to nursery facilities and requirements to ensure that any buildings are constructed and maintained in line with statutory requirements and that any nursery services are carried out in line with statutory requirements and in a way that does not obstruct the wider operation of the Hospital. These obligations are consistent with the grant of a lease to permit development and operation of facilities on a live hospital site. The Trust is not specifying requirements for the nursery if constructed, or providing any guarantee that staff will use the nursery’s services if constructed and there is no enforceable obligation on the Operator to deliver the nursery. <br/> <br/>As such, no public contract or concession contract arises under the PCR, CCR or Procurement Act.<br/>The Trust will not enter into any contract or agreement with [Bright Horizons] before the expiry of the 10 day standstill period following publication of this notice.Value not stated

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
Nursery Service Provision DGT
Status
complete
Procurement Method
limited
Main Procurement Category
services
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Why this procedure was chosen
The Trust proposes to enter into the Heads of Terms, followed by an Agreement for Lease in respect of the Site. These provide for the creation of land interests, which are exempt under the PCR, CCR and Procurement Act. <br/> <br/>The Agreement for Lease will contain break rights in favour of the Trust in the event that the Operator opts not to exercise its right to develop a nursery at the Site. Where the Operator chooses to exercise its rights to develop a nursery at the Site, the Trust will grant a Lease of the Site to the Operator following completion of the relevant works. The Operator is under no obligation to undertake development at the Site. No public contract arises due to a lack of enforceable obligation. <br/> <br/>The Lease will contain tenant covenants which limit the permitted use of the Site to nursery facilities and requirements to ensure that any buildings are constructed and maintained in line with statutory requirements and that any nursery services are carried out in line with statutory requirements and in a way that does not obstruct the wider operation of the Hospital. These obligations are consistent with the grant of a lease to permit development and operation of facilities on a live hospital site. The Trust is not specifying requirements for the nursery if constructed, or providing any guarantee that staff will use the nursery’s services if constructed and there is no enforceable obligation on the Operator to deliver the nursery. <br/> <br/>As such, no public contract or concession contract arises under the PCR, CCR or Procurement Act.

Covered By

GPA

Legal basis

Id
32014L0023
Scheme
CELEX

Classification

Id
85312110
Scheme
CPV
Description
Child daycare services

Procedure reasons

Entry 1
Id
D_NO_TENDERS_REQUESTS
Scheme
TED_PT_AWARD_CONTRACT_WITHOUT_CALL
Description
No applications, no tenders or no suitable tenders/applications in response to a prior concession award procedure

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Has Options
No
Description
The Trust intends to enter into (1) the Heads of Terms and (2) the Agreement for Lease, which provides the Operator with the option to construct a nursery on the Site. In the event that it does so, following completion of the nursery, the Trust will grant the Operator a Lease of the Site.<br/> <br/>The arrangements are a land deal and do not amount to a public works contract or a works concession contract for the purposes of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the PCR), the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (the CCR) or the Procurement Act 2023 (the Act). Additional information: The Trust identified the Operator following a competitive process, which was carried out outside the PCR, CCR and Act, which provided market operators within the sector with the opportunity to submit proposals to be granted a lease of the Site that would permit operation of a nursery. <br/> <br/>The Trust proposes to enter into the Heads of Terms, followed by an Agreement for Lease in respect of the Site. The Agreement for Lease will contain break rights in favour of the Trust in the event that the Operator opts not to exercise its right to develop a nursery at the Site. Where the Operator chooses to exercise its rights to develop a nursery at the Site, the Trust will grant a Lease of the Site to the Operator following completion of the relevant works. The Operator is under no obligation to undertake development at the Site. No public contract arises due to a lack of enforceable obligation. <br/> <br/>The Lease will contain tenant covenants which limit the permitted use of the Site to nursery facilities and requirements to ensure that any buildings are constructed and maintained in line with statutory requirements and that any nursery services are carried out in line with statutory requirements and in a way that does not obstruct the wider operation of the Hospital. These obligations are consistent with the grant of a lease to permit development and operation of facilities on a live hospital site. The Trust is not specifying requirements for the nursery if constructed, or providing any guarantee that staff will use the nursery’s services if constructed and there is no enforceable obligation on the Operator to deliver the nursery. <br/> <br/>As such, no public contract or concession contract arises under the PCR, CCR or Procurement Act.<br/>The Trust will not enter into any contract or agreement with [Bright Horizons] before the expiry of the 10 day standstill period following publication of this notice.

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Name
Corporate Assessment
Criterion 2
Name
Professional Experience
Criterion 3
Name
Sustainability
Criterion 4
Name
Programme Timetable
Criterion 5
Name
Bidder Proposal
Criterion 6
Name
Your USP
Criterion 7
Name
Mandatory Pass/Fail: Provide audited financial accounts for the past five (5) trading years.
Criterion 8
Name
Mandatory Pass/Fail: Dunn & Bradstreet Report (All consortium partners). A score of > 79 points is advantageous.
Criterion 9
Name
Mandatory Pass/Fail: Please provide your registration certificate with Ofsted. If the proposed nursery operator is not the main bidder, please supply their certification
Criterion 10
Name
Mandatory Pass/Fail: Please attach your child safeguarding policy (or the policy of the nursery operator if not main bidder) .

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery Location

Description
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKJ4

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-FTS-34588
Name
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKI43
Locality
Dartford
Postal Code
DA2 8DA
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Darent Valley Hospital Darenth Wood Road

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
MINISTRY
Scheme
TED_CA_TYPE
Description
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
Entry 2
Id
07
Scheme
COFOG
Description
Health

Identifier

Legal Name
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

Contact

Name
david brown
Telephone
+44 1322428100
Organisation 2
Id
GB-FTS-142215
Name
Bright Horizons

Roles

supplier

Address

Region
UK
Locality
Northamptonshire
Postal Code
NN10 6BS
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
2 Crown Court, Crown Way, Rushden, Northamptonshire

Details

Scale
large

Identifier

Id
02282203
Legal Name
Bright Horizons
Organisation 3
Id
GB-FTS-1661
Name
The High Court

Roles

reviewBody

Address

Locality
London
Postal Code
WC2A 2LL
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
The Strand

Details

Identifier

Legal Name
The High Court

Award information

Award 1
Id
011738-2025-1
Status
active

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-FTS-142215
Name
Bright Horizons

Related lots

1

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
011738-2025-1
Status
active
Award ID
011738-2025-1
Date Signed
26 Mar 2025, 00:00

Value

Amount
5,000,000
Currency
GBP

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Dartford · UKI43 · DA2 8DA · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKJ4

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-04f9f7-2025-03-28T11:47:18Zcompiled ·