Casey Council is calling on residents who use leisure and aquatic recreation centres across Casey to help streamline the management of the council’s seven main recreation centres.
The council intends to streamline the management and operations of seven aquatic and leisure centres to increase health and wellbeing opportunities for the benefit of the local community.
The decision follows on from a comprehensive review of the council’s leisure centres, which include Casey Recreation and Aquatic Centre (RACE), Casey Aquatic and Recreation Centre (ARC), Doveton Pool in the Park, Casey Stadium, Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre, Olive Road Sporting Complex, and The Shed Skatepark.
Currently, three separate partners manage the seven sites across four separate contracts or service agreements.
The council’s tender process is now open until 3pm on Wednesday 24 May, allowing suitable businesses to apply for the seven open space maintenance contracts over a proposed initial four-year term with the potential for a four-year extension.
Due to the unique services offered by both Olive Road Sporting Complex and The Shed Skatepark, the tender will provide an option for stand-alone bids for these two sites or an overarching contract for the management of all seven facilities.
Three contractors currently provide the current grounds maintenance services following an open and competitive market tender process in 2021.
According to the council, a number of factors, including the impacts of Covid, challenges in recruitment and retention of staff, supply chain issues and economic conditions, have impeded some of the contractors’ ability to deliver services to the standards expected by the council and the community.
Council chief executive Glenn Patterson said the contracts each cover a smaller area, including a separate contract for maintaining sportsground surrounds and roadside reserves.
“We acknowledge that the scale, size and scope of the current contract model is very large and believe this new model size will enable contractors engaged under the new tender to achieve the maintenance standards council and the community expect,” he said.
“Creating a number of smaller contracts also means there may be an opportunity for smaller or local businesses to tender.
“In the meantime, we are actively working with current contractors to prioritise the maintenance of high-use sites such as playgrounds and sporting facilities to ensure residents and visitors can enjoy their local open spaces.”
Survey respondents will go in the running to win one of three family swim passes at either Casey ARC or RACE facilities.
The survey will close at 5pm on Monday 22 May.
To have your say on how you use one or more of the affected facilities, visit conversations.casey.vic.gov.au/caseys-aquatic-and-leisure-facilities-community-survey.
Suitable businesses are encouraged to apply for the relevant tender via portal.tenderlink.com/casey/alltenders.
