Andy Walkden considers the Council tender process for the Edgar Street leases:
No, not a cue for another song (but don’t let me stop you!). There have been a few comments re the process that Herefordshire Council will use to select the next occupiers of Edgar Street. I’m expecting some sort of a tendering process (hence the song title). I’ve done a few tenders in my time for the charity sector with a decent success rate (modesty forbids exact figures) so what can we expect?
Let’s get two obvious things out of the way. We have no control over the specification/scoring system that the Council decide to adopt, equally we don’t know who else is going to chuck their hat in the ring. I’d hope the Council will adopt a stance of community benefit and advantages to the local economy and weigh the scoring accordingly. As regards other possible bidders we need to put them to one side, all we can do is ensure the bid we want to be successful has the best possible chance, and leave other bidders to it, without harassment (might give them cause to appeal and drag it out for even longer).
I don’t want to say too much on here about the details, however I’d advocate a real partnership approach and get as many people/ organisations behind us (B&Bs, pubs, restaurants, taxi firms for a start).
The Hale/HUST group need to pay much attention to the information required. I’ve known bids fail simply for the wrong information on the envelope, something not included or questions not answered properly. There may also be a short timescale – I’ve worked well into the night and asked others to do the same on a number of previous occasions.
What does success look like?
A real community club without the fear of any individuals/groups coming in purely for profit in the future
Jobs for local people
Opportunities for local businesses to benefit from people coming to watch a game and supporting a local football team
The chance for young people to develop more widely (not just their football skills), within a sustainable structure that enables them to reach their full potential.