Soft Market Testing on potential future procurement options for the Electric Theatre

Guildford Borough Council wishes to secure a strong vibrant future for The Electric Theatre. It is an important entertainment venue in the town and provides a prominent facility for community theatre. We recognise that a skilled operator must have sufficient headroom to put together a commercially sustainable programme of entertainments for which there is strong demand. Alongside this, we would like to see the venue remain as a performing arts facility with community use. This was agreed by the Council’s Executive in April 2016 and the report can be found here: http://www2.guildford.gov.uk/councilmeetings/documents/s4920/Item%2006%20-%20Electric%20Theatre%20and%20YAT%20Working%20Group.pdf. Following a public consultation around the future operation of the Theatre ‘community use’ has been identified largely as ‘performances, theatre, festivals and education’. We wish to consult skilled operators in this field as to how these aims can be balanced for The Electric Theatre in the future. To this end, we are conducting soft market testing to garner your views on these aspects plus other important considerations including the procurement route. Thus, the Council may choose a concession or lease route to secure the future of the Theatre. We are keen to control your financial and time involvement in bidding for the work, but at the same time believe that a procurement route with the opportunity to talk about risks which worry you and to give the opportunity to negotiate, would give a better result for both parties. Amanda Hargreaves will be project managing the procurement process on behalf of the Council. She has left her previous role of General Manager of The Electric Theatre and is no longer involved in its day to day operation. Her focus is solely on delivering a fair and open procurement process for the Theatre. Applying

If you would like to see us to discuss this opportunity then please write, in no more than one thousand words, describing your interest in the procurement, your past experience in the field and the points you would like to discuss. We plan to undertake soft market testing on 3 consecutive days which will occur close to the centre of Guildford in the date range between July and September. Each party would have two hours with a common agenda and the meeting will be held in Guildford. If you are not seen please rest assured that this will not disadvantage you in any forthcoming formal procurement. All parties that express an interest will receive feedback from the soft market testing event before an Official Journal of the European Union notice is published (marking the start of the formal procurement procedure). Please send your submission to [email protected] [Project Manager] and [email protected] [Procurement]

by 6th July 2016. Any clarification questions to these e- mail addresses please.