Mansfield Central Library is looking for a new café provider

Mansfield Central Library is searching for a provider to enhance the library with the addition of a brand new café, catering to library customers and members of the public. A soft-market testing exercise invites ideas and independent views from potential external café providers. Visit the Nottinghamshire County Council procurement portal to access the survey here.

Run by Inspire on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council and located in the heart of the market town of Mansfield, Mansfield Central Library provides a vibrant central focus for inspiring the enjoyment of reading, creativity, learning, information, heritage, community and culture for all.

Open 56 hours over seven days of the week, Mansfield Central Library is the county’s largest library and pre-COVID averaged 13,700 visits a month, with annual visits projected at 165,000 a year. It’s widely used as a venue for workshops, gallery openings, adult learning classes, talks by guest speakers and cultural and historical events.

In addition to the library, the space also offers a dedicated children’s library, work and study areas with free wifi, a professional art gallery with a programme of touring exhibitions and hires, a gift shop, and a regular programme of courses delivered by Inspire Learning. We also host regular events, including family activity days, author visits and weekly events for under 5’s, all of which bring new customers through our doors.

Space is also available for external bookings, including a 192 seat auditorium suitable for film screenings and corporate events, a large Studio Floor which holds in excess of 200 people and meeting rooms seating between 25 to 50 people each.

The café seating area is located in a bright, open mezzanine space, approximately 100 square metres in size. It’s serviced by a professional kitchen, with a large upright fridge, worktop with plate warmer, double sink unit and worktop and other amenities included. It’s hoped that the addition of the café will help achieve the Inspire mission to provide an inspiring centre for reading, learning, culture and community activities.

The procurement process which will follow the soft market testing will be run with support from Nottinghamshire County Council who are especially keen to see local residents back enjoying themselves in the community now that COVID restrictions have begun to ease.

Those who may be interested are encouraged to view the walkthrough video of the library and café space, which helps give a sense of what’s on offer. The survey be accessed via the Pro Contract procurement portal.