Market consultation on repurposing hospital properties in rural areas

Summary

This is a market consultation preparing a future services procurement to plan new uses for former or closing hospital sites in rural areas of Lower Saxony. The planned work comprises a multi-site comparative analysis, reuse concepts for the properties and a strategy. The study would cover Thuine in Emsland district; Diepholz, Bassum and Sulingen in Diepholz district; and the Harz Clinic in Clausthal-Zellerfeld in Goslar district. The draft scope calls for examining, among other matters, the current context and condition of the sites and buildings, ownership and any insolvency-related circumstances, building condition, and urban-development and social risks. The concepts must include at least three viable development options, an assessment of needs and the market, future scenarios, an appraisal of economic viability and financing, and urban-planning and sustainability considerations. The work would also produce a final report identifying findings that can be applied to comparable locations elsewhere in Lower Saxony. The planned contract period is 2026–2029, with services commissioned in stages and an option to extend. The current process is a voluntary, unpaid market consultation, not a procurement procedure or contract award. Companies are invited to comment on the scope, project arrangements and capacity, and on how future qualification and experience requirements should be framed. Responses were requested by 23 October 2026. The later procedure is planned as a negotiated procedure preceded by a participation stage.