Businesses invited to tender for catering contract at City Campus development

University of Gloucestershire’s City Campus development in Gloucester has reached a key milestone with businesses invited to tender for the catering contract for the new café within the exciting city centre location.

The modern ground-floor facility, just inside the main entrance of the City Campus building, will provide members of the public and the University community with a comfortable and welcoming new space in which to eat, drink and relax.

The café is part of ambitious plans to provide a range of community activities and services at City Campus, as well as being a new seat of teaching and learning, following the University’s purchase of the former Debenhams building in March last year.

It is proposed that the facility will offer a range of hot and cold food and drinks and provide seating for more than 40 guests.

Andy Simpson, the University’s Head of Facilities, said: “We’re delighted to open the tendering process for the new café within our City Campus location in the heart of Gloucester.

“We welcome tenders to deliver a modern, sustainable and value-for-money service that will provide a high-quality experience for customers.

“To reflect the embodiment of the campus within the community, we are seeking interest from local suppliers to compete for operating the outlet.”

Looking out onto the redeveloped King’s Square, the City Campus café will be close to city centre shops and businesses and only a short walk from the historic Gloucester Docks and the Gloucester Quays shopping outlet.

Open from Monday to Friday, in and out of term time, the café will be situated on the same floor as the new Gloucester Library within the City Campus building after plans to relocate library from Brunswick Road were approved by Gloucestershire County Council.

Plans for City Campus also include a new Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre to pilot groundbreaking therapies and interventions to improve community health and wellbeing, including a centre of excellence, The Store, for new technologies and innovation.

The first University staff and students – mainly from the School of Health and Social Care – are set to begin using the new teaching facilities at City Campus in the 2023-24 academic year.

When complete, City Campus will house nearly 4,000 students and 350 staff.

The tendering process is running in conjunction with the catering contract to provide a fully managed service at the University’s other locations in Gloucester and Cheltenham.

Businesses wishing to tender for the catering contract for the new café at City Campus and the University’s catering outlets at its other locations should visit the University’s e-tendering portal https://in-tendhost.co.uk/glos/aspx/ProjectManage/79