Haigh Woodland Park High Ropes Facility: Design, Build and Operate Model

Wigan Council is in the process of implementing a masterplan for Haigh Hall and Country Park to regenerate the site through private and public sector investment and create a high profile regional visitor attraction. A rebrand of the site to 'Haigh Woodland Park' is proposed to acknowledge the importance of the woodlands that form a major part of the site.

As part of this regeneration Wigan Council is now seeking to appoint an established High Ropes operator to design, build and operate a high rope facility under a long-term partnership arrangement with Wigan Council and Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust. Proposals are invited from operators who are able to fund the capital cost themselves as well as from operators requiring capital funding support from Wigan Council.

Further details regarding the level of capital funding support available are available within the Invitation to Tender document. In regards to the operational management, proposals are invited from established operators for a minimum of ten years.

Dependent on the operators preferred approach to the funding of the facility, Wigan Council would issue either a lease to facilitate the funding, construction and operational management of the High Ropes course up to a twenty-five year period, or in the case where Wigan Council are asked to fund a design, build and operate contract, initially for ten years with the potential for in-built extension clauses. The High Ropes facility is a major component of the masterplan solution and aims to significantly contribute to the increase in the number of visits to the site from the base point of ca. 300,000 to a minimum of 500,000 visits within three years.

The High Ropes facility will be positioned adjacent to the new adventure play area to create an adventure zone within the park. The High Ropes facility should be based on a number of design and construction principles which are detailed in the tender documentation.

The target completion date for the High Ropes facility is 31st March 2016. An indicative timetable for the project is included within the tender documentation.

The contract start and end dates indicated in this contract notice refer only to the period of time between the start of the design development and the conclusion of the construction programme and not to any subsequent operational period. The deadline of Friday 3rd July 2015 at 17:00 represents the deadline for the submission of final tenders.

Wigan Council have recently advertised a tender opportunity to seek proposals for the design and build of a high ropes course with the operational management retained with Wigan Leisure Culture Trust (WLCT) as Wigan Council's managing agent for Haigh Woodland Park. This contract notice seeks further alternative ways of delivering this facility. Wigan Council and WLCT intend to evaluate the outcome of both procurement processes to determine the most suitable delivery method for this element of the masterplan.