Docking Station Cafe

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 should inform the tender process.

This engagement is intended to inform the development of the future procurement and does not constitute a commitment to tender or award a contract. Participation or non-participation in this exercise will not prevent any supplier from participating in any future procurement process.

It is not intended that information provided by any supplier will place any supplier at an advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement. Responses received as part of this preliminary market engagement will not be scored or evaluated.