Bids sought to run new Kirkwall Nursery

The Council is seeking bids from operators interested in running the new Kirkwall nursery service.  

The new-build nursery, situated next to Orkney College (UHI Orkney), is for up to 51 children for 0-5 years. The project has an anticipated completion date of the end of March 2025.  

The contract value or potential income of just over £6,452, 000 is calculated on the basis of a possible 8-year contract duration (four years, with the option of four one-year extensions). The contract value increase is based on the current and projected hourly rates charged at Willow Tree Nursery - although the hourly rates paid by users will ultimately be decided by the new operator.  

In June we issued a Prior Information Notice or PIN to inform the market of the upcoming opportunity and to allow the local authority to better understand the market interest in the opportunity. 

There was interest in the PIN notice and the council is hoping for interest for this stage of the procurement process too.