- Value
- £90k
- Stage
- Early notice
- Where
- South East
- Lots
- 1
- Suitable for SMEs
- Not stated
- Contract
- 1 Feb 2027 – 31 Jan 2030
In plain English
The University of Kent (via London and South East University Group) is asking café operators for views before it tenders for the café in Docking Station, a creative and innovation hub opening in Medway in early 2027. The contract is estimated at £90,000 and would run from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2030, but this is market research only and not yet open for bids.
Good fit for: Independent café or catering operators interested in running a café in a publicly accessible hub in Medway.
Written with AI from the official notice. Check the notice before relying on it.
What the buyer says
The University of Kent is seeking expressions of interest from café operators as part of a pre-market engagement exercise for the cafe within Docking Station, a landmark creative and innovation hub opening in Medway in early 2027. Docking Station is a publicly accessible centre for digital creativity, research, learning and community engagement, operated by the University's Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries (iCCi). The facility will bring together students, academics, creative businesses, entrepreneurs, local residents and visitors within a unique riverside destination on the Historic Dockyard estate. The building will feature state-of-the-art digital production facilities including LED volume technology, motion capture, volumetric capture and photogrammetry studios, alongside flexible teaching spaces, co-working facilities, offices, exhibition areas and a programme of public events. Designed as a bridge between academia, industry and the wider community, Docking Station will become a hub of activity throughout the year. A high-quality café offer is central to the visitor experience and the success of the building. We are therefore seeking feedback from experienced operators to help shape the future procurement opportunity. Through this pre-market engagement exercise, we are interested in hearing from potential operators on: • Appetite for operating a café within Docking Station. • Preferred operating models and partnership approaches. • Customer offer, including food, beverage and community-focused provision. • Expectations around fit-out, equipment and landlord support. • Approaches to sustainability, accessibility and social value. • Opportunities to support events, exhibitions and community programmes. • Key commercial considerations and risks that shoul…
What happens next
This is an early notice: the buyer is planning a tender, and its documents come when the tender is published. Read the official notice for the details.
Procedure: not stated. Published 27 Oct 2026.
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