Refurbishment of the Recreation Ground Play Area, Finborough Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk

Stowmarket Town Council invites tenders for the upgrade and partial extension of the play area at the Recreation Ground, Finborough Road, Stowmarket, as detailed in the attached Invitation to Tender document.

The Recreation Ground is a pleasant popular public park close to the town centre and is owned by Stowmarket Town Council. "The Rec", as it is known, has undergone various improvements in recent years, including the installation of a community café, skate park, ballpark and CCTV camera. It is a well-used area, popular with dog walkers, families and as a meeting place for young people.

A recent public consultation has identified the need to improve the play area to provide a facility that fulfils the requirements of the 2 - 12 year age range.

As well as the design and installation of new play equipment the works will also include the removal and disposal of certain existing equipment and the refurbishment of the surfacing for the remaining items of the equipment will are being retained.

The play area provided shall comply with the latest guidance provided in Play England's "Design for Play: A guide to creating successful play spaces" published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Whilst the finished play area will be primarily used by the 2 - 12 year age range, and should therefore be designed primarily for this age group, older children and teenagers also use the site, particularly in the evening.

The play space must exhibit features compliant with the Equalities Act 2010 and be as accessible and inclusive as is reasonably practicable for users of all abilities.

Tenderers must provide responses as set out within the Invitation to Tender document and the Statement of Requirements (Appendix B). Tenders must be submitted for the whole of the works as detailed in the Statement of Requirements (Appendix B).

The Council will reject any tender received which does not comply with this Condition.

Contact Information - please direct any questions or queries as below:

For specification queries and site visits - Stephanie Edmans, Community Liaison Officer on 01449 612060 or email: stephaniee@stowmarket.org

For tender process and contract queries - Val Rush, Corporate Support Officer on 01449 776395 or email: valerier@stowmarket.org (please note that Val is on leave 24 to 28 July 2017)

Additional information: Please register your intention to submit a tender to valerier@stowmarket.org. Please include all contact details to enable the Council to notify Tenderers of any alterations or additions to the specification.

Tenders to be received, by email only to valerier@stowmarket.org, no later than 12 noon on 17 August 2017 and with subject heading:

'Tender - Recreation Ground Play Area (Ref: STC/CP21)'

Failure to supply any of the information requested in the Invitation to Tender document will result in the Tender being rejected.