Maidstone Borough Council would like to hear from interested parties who might wish to tender for the operation and management of the course, its maintenance and/or catering at Cobtree Manor Park Golf Course.
This very popular ‘pay and play’ par 69 course is operated under contract let by Maidstone Borough Council. The existing contracts end in October 2008.
“Effectively the golf course has been run via three individual contracts: one for the golf professional, one for the catering concession and a final contract for the grounds maintenance,” says Brian Latimer, Cobtree Officer at the Council. “These involve a considerable amount monitoring by officers and thus the Council is exploring alternative contract arrangements to see if these costs can be reduced, without any loss of benefit or an increase in risk. A new contract will need to be in place by October 2008.”
The option finally adopted will be subject to the Council’s normal tendering procedures in due course but respondents have the opportunity to influence how the contract or contracts will be structured.
The Borough Council’s involvement in the golf course is substantially as the corporate trustee to the registered charity ‘Cobtree Manor Estate’.
Interested parties are requested to write to Brian Latimer, Cobtree Officer, Maidstone Borough Council, 5-11 London Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8HR or via email to brianlatimer@maidstone.gov.uk giving their contact details and the type of contract arrangements they would like to discuss. Closing date is 30th June 2007
“The advertisement merely asks for interested parties to contact me to have a discussion about the pros and cons for alternative packaging of the contract arrangements. I set the closing date of 30th June, because time is moving on and the contract documentation will need to be put in place before too long, but there is still a little leeway,” concludes Mr Latimer.
Cobtree Manor Park Golf Course www.medwaygolf.co.uk/cobtree_home.html