07421 463099 michael@sportsandplayconsulting.co.uk
At Sports and Play Consulting, our mission is to help organisations make informed choices and follow best practice. We specialise in walking you through all aspects of a new outdoor play or sports facility, including assessing your current facilities, cost analysis, requirements for procurement and tender writing, public consultation, and evaluating tender responses to get the right contractor for the project.
Additionally, we will project manage the installation and ensure the contractual obligations are met until it is formally handed over to you. We have the relevant experience to deliver the project in a timely, professional manner with open and effective communication.
We ensure that, when considering what could be a large investment for your council, school or community, all aspects of the project have been considered using proven methodologies and experience with these types of facilities.
“Kidlington Parish Council used Michael’s services to prepare a tender for a large playground and outdoor fitness project in the village. He was knowledgeable, professional, and made the whole process efficient and straightforward. Michael led us through the entire process from tender to awarding the contract and negotiated on our behalf with the potential contractors. I would not hesitate to recommend Michael for a similar project.”
Rachel Faulkner, Clerk to Kidlington Parish Council
“Michael was key to moving our project forward from drawing up the specification and tender documentation, guiding our consultation, negotiating with contractors then right through to project managing the build. His experience and knowledge of how the town and parish council sector works was enormously helpful too. We’ll have no hesitation in using his services for future projects.”
Shelley Parker, Town Clerk for Marlborough Town Council
“Micheldever Parish Council would be very likely to use Michael for any future projects. He saved a considerable amount of time for the Councillors and Clerk and delivered the project in a very short period of time whilst maintaining good relationships and communication with all involved.“
Jocelyn Jenkins, Clerk to Micheldever Parish Council
“There is a bewildering array of options when choosing playground equipment, but Michael helped the council navigate the maze and conduct an effective tender process on a very short timescale. The end result is a fantastic new facility for the community, and we could not have achieved so much, so quickly without his support. I would not hesitate to recommend his services.”
Pauline Rigby, Clerk to Upper Rissington Parish Council
“Equipment is not cheap and must be selected carefully to ensure it has longevity with minimal future maintenance costs. The suppliers offer such broad ranges of equipment these days, it can be difficult to identity the correct play equipment for your situation. Personally, I am glad we have used Michael Carter’s services and I have no doubt that we will have benefited from his involvement with this process.”
Andrew Edmondson, Wicken Parish Council
“Michael carried out an initial consultation process to find out exactly what Council wanted to achieve within a given budget, helped Councillors make informed decisions and then guided Council through the tender, evaluation and appointment process. Throughout the installation Michael was on hand, making regular site visits, liaising with the appointed contractor and solving any issues quickly and effectively. By the end of November 2022 the Parish had a fantastic new facility which was completed on time and in budget. This would not have been achieved without Michael’s knowledge, professional advice and support. We would highly recommend his services to anyone looking to achieve a similar outcome.”
Chris Burhop, Chair,
Newton Poppleford and Harpford Parish Council
“During 2020 and 2021, Arncott parish council decided to arrange for the upgrading of a children’s play area and also for the installation of an outdoor gym facility. Prior to that work being done, the questions that needed answering were what regulations would need to be adhered to, what type of equipment should be bought and which company(ies) should be chosen to supply and install the equipment. For these projects the parish council felt it necessary that expert advice should be sought to ensure that the projects would be done correctly. The parish council therefore chose to use the services offered by Sports and Play Consulting Ltd to manage both projects. After on-site meetings were held with Michael Carter and the parish council, Michael produced suitable project briefs for the parish council to critique. Michael then arranged for the necessary quotation processes to be done and met on-site with several potential suppliers to explain the requirement. He helped and advised the parish council regarding the necessary regulations that needed to be adhered to, the right choice of equipment to be considered and the potential suppliers. Michael did all of the necessary liaison with the chosen suppliers to arrange for the upgrade of the play area and the installation of the outdoor gym facility. Michael’s involvement with and contribution to these projects was invaluable. The Arncott parish council was, and still is, very thankful for his excellent management of those projects from start to finish and is very pleased with everything he did. The upgrading of the play area and the installation of the outdoor gym facility were both successfully completed as planned..”
Paul Wilson, Councillor for Arncott Parish Council
“As the Council had already held the consultation and produced the results, Michael put together a tender document. We received eleven tenders, Michael met the suppliers on site, they were marked on a scoring matrix and the Council made a decision which suppliers to appoint. Michael then worked on the contracts whilst the Council went through the planning application process for the MUGA. He found a company to produce a Noise Management Survey and finally planning permission for the MUGA was granted.
The Fitness equipment got underway in March 2021, closely followed by the playground and finally the MUGA. Supplies and costs of materials had started to escalate because of Covid but we were lucky that Michael had set our prices and the projects were all completed on time.
The whole project was complete by August 2021. During the build Michael met the suppliers regularly on site and was always there to help with advice and any post installation problems.“
Justine Hopkins, Clerk to Berkeley Town Council
For more information on any of our sports and play facility services, contact our dedicated team today to get started.
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