PROCUREMENT STARTS FOR LONDON AQUATICS CENTRE CONTRACT FOR AWARD-WINNING QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK.

• Search for new operator launched for London Aquatics Centre at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
• World-class London 2012 venue is home to elite, club and community activities and attracts over 1m visits each year.
• Deadline for submission of Selection Questionnaire (SQ): 16 December, 12 Noon. 

Ten years on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is looking to award a new operating contract for the London Aquatics Centre at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  

The contract will cover the operation of the award-winning Dame Zaha Hadid’s designed building. The world-class facilities include two 50-metre pools, a dive pool with distinctive diving platforms, as well as a 100-station gym, café and ancillary facilities.  

The London Aquatics Centre hosts local, London-wide and national galas and since London 2012 has been host to major championships including the European Aquatics Championships (2016), the World Para Swimming Championships (2019) and multi-year dates for the FINA Diving World Series.   

The London Aquatics Centre attracts more than one million visits a year for community use and learn to swim programmes as well as club and elite performance training. 

LLDC is seeking to award a new operating contract for this world-class facility for first time since the original tender in 2011. 

Feedback from suppliers through a Market Sounding Questionnaire in the summer of 2021 has helped to shape the format and content of the new contract.  

Edward Fane, Head of Venues at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, said:  “The London Aquatics Centre is one of the world’s best aquatics venues where elite sports sit alongside community sports with thousands coming to swim and dive here each week.  

“This prestigious and high value contract is critically important to the long-term legacy of the Games of London 2012. We are seeking a significant partnership for the next eight years plus, to deliver continuous improvement and build on the remarkable aquatics legacy to date, whilst driving best value for the taxpayer and local communities.” 

LLDC is looking to appoint a service provider that will operate and maintain the Centre, continuing the high level of public use and attracting major national and international events.      

The award will be made in another year of evolution for the Park, with the opening of the new East Bank cultural development adjoining the Centre, starting in summer 2023, and more and more people choosing to work, live and study on the Park.  

LLDC operates Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park through a variety of service contracts that have been let from the Park’s inception; some prior to London 2012 and some as the Park has evolved into its current form post-Games. 

Interested companies are required to complete a Selection Questionnaire (SQ) by 12 noon, 16 December 2022. The Contract Notice (section VI.3) contains additional information on how to access the SQ and relevant procurement documents. 

The Contract Notice can be accessed here.