Spinnaker Tower Operator

Portsmouth City Council - the 'Council - is inviting tenders from suitably qualified and experienced operators for the operation of the Spinnaker Tower - the 'Tower' - on a long term mutually incentivised partnership basis. THE TOWER The Spinnaker Tower is located on the waterfront within Gunwharf Quays shopping centre and is a prominent landmark offering views of the city, the Solent and the Isle of Wight. The Tower is Portsmouth's most prominent landmark, 170m in height with 3 upper viewing platforms at 100, 105 and 110 metres providing views of Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent. The tower opened in 2005 attracting 100,000 visitors in the first two months of opening. There is a reception at the base of the building with ancillary interpretation space, entertainment and leisure uses, ticketing, plant, management and staff facilities. There are two cafes - the ground floor Spinnaker Kitchen and Bar and the Cloud Café located on View Deck 2, 105 metres up. There is an additional podium area at ground level which is activated over the festive period for a Christmas market, with potential for it to be used permanently as commercial space. Permitted Uses, Opening Times & Access Under the new contract the primary function of the Tower must remain a public viewing tower, to be open in line with hours set out within the Council's specification. Through the procurement process suggestions for incorporation of historical and maritime components, that may also include literary and cultural references associated with the wider city, will be considered. The Operator must ensure that the Tower is open to the public for a minimum of 8 hours/day April to September and 6 hours/day October to March except Christmas Day. Core opening times are 10.00 - 18.00 during summer months and 6 hours within the core times during the winter months (e.g.10.00 - 16.00). The Operator may open earlier or later to support other activities such as breakfasts or evening events and functions. No curfew has been set. The Council will require use of the Tower for its own direct activities and in support of wider community activities to a total of 47 hours free of charge per year, further details are provided within the specification. Suggestions for complementary ancillary uses will be permitted. Examples include but are not limited to: • Food and beverage options such as a café, fine dining etc. • Entertainment including comedy evenings, cocktail evenings etc. • Virtual reality 'thrill experiences' • Private Functions including weddings, corporate events etc. Proposals for other activities / experiences will be considered. Suggestions for the use of the overall space, including the associated capital investment, will be considered. For example, the opportunity for development of the underused podium deck. Any investment must be solely funded by the operator. Contract Term, Estimated Value & Target Commercials Award of the contract is targeted for 28th July 2026. The successful operator will be required to seamlessly commence operations under a lease with associated concession arrangement from 11th October 2026 following expiry of the lease held with the current incumbent operator on 10th October 2026. The lease and associated concession contract will be let on a 25-year basis. Break clauses subject to 12 months notice will be included for at years 10, 15 and 20 of the lease. The Lease will be subject to rental / management fee and optional revenue share payments from the Operator to the Council. For the initial 3 years of the contract the Council is able to allow for the Operator to operate on a rent-free basis - although the Council is incentivising a level of rental payment to the Council within this period through application of the tender evaluation model. From year 4 of the contract the Council is targeting a total guaranteed rental payment of ideally approx. £275k per annum. This target value can also be provided through the addition of optional revenue …