Scope
Reference
P00005097
Description
INTRODUCTION
Portsmouth International Port (the 'Port'), a directorate of Portsmouth City Council (the 'Council'), is undertaking preliminary market engagement (PME) concerning the provision of repair & maintenance support staff and ancillary services that include for gas servicing and water control services.
The Port requires a core number of support staff to be supplied, to meet its reactive environment and to ensure the positive customer experience is maintained. This provision currently has a value of approximately £250,000 - £400,000 per annum (including materials). It is envisaged that the contract shall commence on the 1st April 2026 for an initial term of a 3-year contract, extendable by a further 7-years in increments to be agreed at the time by both parties.
The Port is undertaking a PME exercise to gather insights from the market ahead of a future procurement process to award a contract for delivery of the above services. The procurement process will commence in August 2025 with award targeted for December 2025 to allow for mobilisation and commencement of services on 1st April 2026.
CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS & SCOPE
REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE SUPPORT STAFF
The Port currently has two contracts in place that are part of a larger Council contract held by the Housing and Neighbourhood department, which are due to expire on 31st March 2026. Provision of repairs & maintenance support staff is via a contract held with Mountjoy Ltd and provision of gas servicing & water services is via a contract held with Liberty Group.
Under the existing contracting arrangements, the supplier's support staff cover the entire Port estate, which includes:
- Portsmouth Cruise and Ferry Port,
- Camber Quay,
The supplier's support staff are supplementary to the Port's own, directly employed Technical Services Group who carry out repairs and maintenance across the Port's estate. This team and the support staff are managed by the Port's Maintenance and Facilities Manager.
To cater for the dynamic work requirements, it is envisaged that the supplier's support staff will be required to carry out a range of different jobs, which includes a range of trades (this is not an exhaustive list):
• Carpentry
• Plumbing
• Decorations / Painting
• Groundwork
• Horticultural
At times works outside of the core team will be required such as:
• Glazing
• Roofing
The current repair & maintenance support staff supplier, Mountjoy, supplies the Port several permanent support staff, these are:
- 1x Full time, supervisor (also a plumber)
- 1x Full time, groundworker
- 1x Full time, painter
- 1x Part time, handyman
These support staff are recruited and employed by the supplier who are expected to be qualified and have extensive experience within the trade specified. The supplier's support staff are on site at the Port Monday - Friday, between the hours 8:00 - 17:00.
Any planned absence by the permanent support staff is covered by the supplier, who ensures the support staff cover are trained to work on site. Equipment to carry out the jobs is supplied, maintained, and stored by the supplier. The supplier carry's out their own training, risk assessments and safe systems of work, method statements for the equipment.
The supplier provides an out of hours call out facility, which is provided 24 hours, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year. This operates outside the days and hours the support staff are at the Port. When a call out is made, the supplier shall be at the Port to rectify the issue within 2 hours.
On a monthly basis the supplier sends an Excel spreadsheet for the support staff labour hours, including the applicable rates and a separate spreadsheet for the materials purchased by them.
The jobs and frequency vary, the Port does not commit to providing the supplier any guarantee of number of jobs or that the trades will be required.
The Port's annual spend on repair and maintenance services covered under the current contract is approximately between £250,000 and £350,000 per annum (including some materials that are purchased by the supplier up to a given value).
An all-inclusive set hourly rate for each of the trades is provided. Rates for each of the trades are provided for a standard working day, weekend and call out. Any overtime, work required outside of the of the normal working days and hours, the supplier requires the Maintenance and Facilities Manager prior approval. If support staff are not required on site or absent from site, then no charge is made to the Port.
The material purchases by the supplier are costed at invoice cost plus an agreed mark up.
ABCILLARY SERVICES
Other services provided via a separate existing contractual arrangement held by the Council which may form part of the future procurement process are for water control and gas services, these are currently provided by the supplier Liberty Group.
The supplier is responsible for providing staff who are qualified and have extensive experienced; and are equipped with the required equipment, plant, and materials to carry out the services.
The services are carried out between the hours 08:00 - 17:00, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). It is the supplier's responsibility to ensure that all staff working at the Port meet the required standards and training requirements. All site visits are booked in advance with the Port's Maintenance and Facilities Manager.
The annual services are costed at an agreed rate per service type and the reactive repairs is costed per job.
The Port's current spend on water control services is between £8,000 - £12,000 per annum with spend on gas servicing & repair between £2,000 - £3,500 per annum.
CONTRACT SCALING
The Port is a dynamic environment and may require the supplier to be able to scale up their workforce by up to two thirds of the current core team over the life of the contract, either on a flexible temporary or long-term basis which will impact the value of the contract.
FURTHER INFORMATION
In addition to the information contained within this Notice the Port has also made available a detailed Preliminary Market Engagement Brief and additional information in respect of the site, scope, demand and draft specifications via the Council's e-sourcing system, In-tend
CONTRACT DURATION & TERMS
The Port envisages entering a 3-year contract, extendable by a further 7-years in increments to be agreed at the time by both parties. The full scope of the services will formally commence on the 1st April 2026.
The Port is currently reviewing options for contract terms and conditions which may include for bespoke arrangements or use of industry standard forms such as JCT Measured Term Contract 2024 and will be seeking input from the market via this preliminary market engagement process.
ENVISAGED PROCUREMENT PROCESS & PROGRAMME
The Port is considering running a competitive tending procedure in accordance with the 'Open Procedure' as defined within the Procurement Act 2023.
The Port envisages undertaking the future procurement process in line with the following draft summary procurement programme, however it should be noted that the dates below are purely indicative and may be subject to future change.
• Issue Tender Notice - 11th August 2025
• Issue procurement documents via In-tend - 11th August 2025
• Clarification deadline - 11th September 2025 12:00
• Tender submission deadline - 25th September 2025 12:00
• Tender evaluation period completed - 23rd October 2025
• Contract Award Notice issued - 17th November 2025
• Completion of standstill period - 27th November 2025
• Contract Details Notice issued - 19th December 2025
• Contract mobilisation commences - 1st January 2026
• Commencement of services - 1st April 2026
PROCUREMENT ADMINISTRATION
The Port will administrate the procurement process using the Council's e-sourcing system, In-tend, which will be used for:
• Access to and issue of procurement information and documentation
• Pre-tender submission clarification requests and response
• Tender submission
• Tender opening & access to responses
• Post-tender submission clarification requests and response
• Award decision notification and feedback
The In-tend system can be accessed free of charge via the following web link:
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/Home
ENVISAGED EVALUATION WEIGHTINGS
The Port is considering an evaluation percentage split focused on quality of service, which may include for a 60/40 ratio in favour of quality.
Total value (estimated)
- £4,000,000 excluding VAT
- £4,800,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029
- Possible extension to 31 March 2036
- 10 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 45259200 - Purification-plant repair and maintenance work
- 45259300 - Heating-plant repair and maintenance work
- 45261900 - Roof repair and maintenance work
- 45262500 - Masonry and bricklaying work
- 45262700 - Building alteration work
- 45331110 - Boiler installation work
- 45332200 - Water plumbing work
- 45332400 - Sanitary fixture installation work
- 45410000 - Plastering work
- 45420000 - Joinery and carpentry installation work
- 45430000 - Floor and wall covering work
- 45440000 - Painting and glazing work
- 45451000 - Decoration work
- 45453100 - Refurbishment work
- 50720000 - Repair and maintenance services of central heating
- 50760000 - Repair and maintenance of public conveniences
- 50850000 - Repair and maintenance services of furniture
- 77312000 - Weed-clearance services
- 77314000 - Grounds maintenance services
- 77315000 - Seeding services
- 77330000 - Floral-display services
- 77340000 - Tree pruning and hedge trimming
Contract locations
- UKJ31 - Portsmouth
Engagement
Engagement deadline
6 June 2025
Engagement process description
OVERVIEW
The Port is undertaking a PME exercise to gather insights from the market ahead of a future procurement process to award a contract for delivery of the services summarised within the 'Scope' section of this PME Notice.
The procurement process will commence in August 2025 with award targeted for December 2025 to allow for mobilisation and commencement of services on 1st April 2026. The services are currently outsourced and the Port is not considering in-house or other alternative delivery models.
This engagement aims to assess the markets interest in the contract, explore commercial models, approaches to delivery, and understand the markets capability and capacity.
By engaging with suppliers, the Port seeks to ensure that any potential procurement strategy is well-informed, commercially viable, and aligned with industry best practices.
Additionally, this process will help identify potential risks, environmental opportunities, and social value contributions, ensuring the successful and efficient delivery of any potential contract.
The Preliminary Market Engagement exercise shall comprise of a Get to Know the Port session, Questionnaire Guidance meeting and submission and subsequent analysis of engagement questionnaires.
To assist suppliers with understanding the purpose of the questionnaire and effectively answer the questions the Port will provide an overview of the questionnaire at the Get to Know the Port session and the Questionnaire Guidance meeting on Microsoft Teams.
Following the Get to Know the Port event, and subsequent Questionnaire Guidance meeting, the Port will issue the market engagement questionnaire via In-tend.
The Getting to Know the Port session will take place at the Portsmouth International Port site on 12th May at 11:30 which will include for a tour of the site, overview of the operational environment.
The session will also include for an overview of the market engagement questionnaire and completion guidance. The questionnaire will be published following this session and should be completed and returned by 2nd June 2025 17:00.
PME PRINCIPLES
The Port wishes to engage with suppliers who have experience in undertaking general property and estate repair and maintenance activities. In summary, the preliminary market engagement objectives are to:
• Share Information:
o Current requirements, demand, and cost models,
o Possible future requirements for support staff,
o Envisaged contracting strategy, including duration and extension options,
o Envisaged procurement process, including the procedure and timeline,
o Envisaged commercial and management model.
• Review and Understand:
o Market capacity and capability to deliver the future requirements,
o Suppliers current local market presence,
o Typical contracting and commercial models within the industry,
o Market interest and preference in potential delivery model options,
o Ability to manage likely TUPE transfer considerations, including for ongoing considerations that may arise through re-configuration and development of the dedicated team over the course of the contract,
o Costing options, pressures, and budget.
• Inform the development of the procurement strategy:
o The contract delivery strategy,
o The scope of the contract,
o Support staff model, including requirements, experience, and training,
o Options, including labour skill set, qualifications,
o Contracting basis, including terms and conditions and length of contract
o Commercial model,
o Procurement strategy, including programme, conditions of participation, tender award criteria,
o Service levels, including key performance indicators, response time for out of hours provision,
o Budget.
The key areas the Port are seeking feedback from the market through gathering information through the engagement questionnaire include for -
• Market Capacity
o Company Size and Core Services: understand the market's current capacity in delivering repairs and maintenance arrangements of similar scale and scope.
o Supplier Size and Participation: how the Port can encourage effective fair participation from both large contractors and SMEs in the procurement process, whilst understanding if any barriers exist for smaller suppliers.
o Out of Hours Provision: understand the market's ability to provide an out of hours call out facility and response times.
o Geographic Coverage: where suppliers currently operate in relation to the Port location.
• Market Capability
o Envisaged Scope: understand and review the scope, understand whether the market can supply the auxiliary services.
o Delivery Models: understand what skills could be delivered directly from the supplier, and that would need to be subcontracted, levels of current experience, existing sub-contracting arrangements.
o Delivery Options: team configuration, core skills, flexibility vs specialisms, role of supervisor, etc.
o Staff Management: review the markets ability to recruit highly qualified and experienced trades, ability to provide a consistent core team.
o Service Levels: understand the markets ability to deliver consistently against the proposed key performance indicators, additional performance measures, service level viability.
• Market Commercial Perspectives
o Pricing Models and Budget: review the market norms on how such services are costed over term of contract, sufficiency of budget.
o Contractual and Legal Considerations: review of market norms in respect of the suggested contractual models, term, and other options.
o Contract Management: key performance indictors norms in market, whether the market deem the contract KPIs reasonable and achievable.
REQUESTS TO PARTICPATE IN PME INSTRUCTIONS
Suppliers interested in taking part in the Get to Know the Port session or Questionnaire Guidance meeting on Microsoft Teams are required to complete the following forms which are accessible via In-tend:
• the Participation Request form (Appendix J)
• Conflicts of Interest Declaration (Appendix B)
Suppliers are required to return the forms by no later than 9th May 2025 at 12:00 and submit via In-tend correspondence function.
GET TO KNOW THE PORT SESSION
The Port shall be holding an in person Get to Know the Port session on the 12th May at 11:30. The draft agenda for this event is as follows:
Welcome and introductions,
Tour of the Port (buildings and estate) - provide the supplier familiarisation of the Port and the operational environment,
Questionnaire Guidance
The Get to Know the Port session will take place in the Terminal building, further details can be found Find us - Portsmouth Port (portsmouth-port.co.uk).
The address is: Portsmouth International Port, George Byng Way, Portsmouth, PO2 8SP.
Parking is available at the multi-story car park, weblink for further details Parking - Portsmouth Port (portsmouth-port.co.uk)
Suppliers are limited to having a maximum of two delegates attending the Get to Know the Ports session at the Port and spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Suppliers are required to bring photo ID, their own hi-viz and safety footwear.
MARKET ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE GUIDANCE
A Word version of the questionnaire will be provided after the completion of this meeting through In-tend. Suppliers are encouraged but not obliged to complete the questionnaire.
Completing the online questionnaire will help the Port to understand the delivery options of an outsourced provision and subsequently, the structure of the procurement to ensure it can be carried out by the market and optimises the participation of suppliers, including SMEs.
The Port are requesting the questionnaire is completed by Monday 2nd June 2025 by 17:00, any responses after this deadline may not be considered in the PME report. Completed questionnaires are to be submit via In-tend through making a return against the In-tend PME stage.
PME ANALYSIS & REPORTING
The Port reserves the right to contact suppliers following submission of questionnaires in order to gain clarification and understanding of the responses. This may be purely via In-tend correspondence or for more complex matters may require attendance at a brief on-line TEAMS meeting on either Friday 6th June or Monday 9th June.
Any suppliers who submit a completed questionnaire will be sent a copy of the draft PME Feedback Report, which will accompany the procurement process documentation. This report shall provide a summary of the overall trends in the response received against the areas of consideration.
The Port are aiming to have collated the PME feedback by Thursday 26th June 2025 to issue the draft report via Intend correspondence for suppliers to review.
PME CLARIFCIATION PROTOCOLS
Any queries, questions or clarifications regarding this preliminary market engagement exercise must be made in writing using the project correspondence facility on the In-tend system.
Any questions and answers from either event will be recorded via a separate clarification log and will be published to Intend for all suppliers to access, unless deemed commercially sensitive. The Port will be recording the Microsoft Teams meeting and will subsequently make this available as part of the PME brief via In-tend.
For full details of the clarification process suppliers should review Appendix I - Intend Guidance accessible via In-tend.
GENERAL
Suppliers should note that there is no obligation to take part in this exercise and that if they do not take part, it will not preclude them from any subsequent related procurement process.
Engaging suppliers will not receive preferential treatment in any subsequent tender process, and this is in no way an indication of the selection of any organisation or a guarantee of future work.
Completing the survey will help the Port to review the scope of service to allow the optimal means for suppliers, including SMEs, to participate in any subsequent procurement.
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Publication date of tender notice (estimated)
11 August 2025
Contracting authority
Portsmouth City Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PCNL-5714-PRZV
Civic Offices, Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2AL
United Kingdom
Email: procurement@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Website: https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/
Region: UKJ31 - Portsmouth
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government