Scope
Reference
T2496
Description
This ITT has been issued by the Council in connection with a competitive tendering procedure being conducted in accordance with the Act.
The Council invites Tenders from suitably qualified and experienced economic operators 'Bidders' for the provision of arboriculture services for Council Parks and DfI Street Trees.
This ITT sets out the information which is required by the Council to assess the suitability of Bidders' legal and financial capacity and technical ability 'Conditions of Participation' to meet the ITT requirement. In addition to this, quality, social value, and pricing proposals 'Award Criteria' will also be assessed before any contract award is made.
Total value (estimated)
- £4,000,000 excluding VAT
- £4,800,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2027
- Possible extension to 31 August 2030
- 5 years
Description of possible extension:
The Council reserves the right to extend/renew the Contract up to a further 3 years (1+1+1). Any extension may be subject to further approval by Council Committee, availability of funding and satisfactory performance of the Contractor.
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
The Council reserves the right to amend the Specification or re-negotiate the Contract Price during the Contract Period to cater for innovation or developments in the Service requirement e.g.
- Larger/ more complex project work with a similar scope to the ranges of services under the Contract where completion of the service is a priority e.g.
-End of financial year spend from DfI;
-Council Physical Programmes department one off projects for tree surgery related requests;
- Dealing with serious pest and disease issues which may result in mass tree removals etc; such as ash dieback.
-Introduce required changes associated with the Service to the Specification to accommodate changes to the Council's operational model and working practices e.g. functional re-structuring, new customer hub, etc;
-Introduction of more efficient systems and processes e.g. improvements in data returns; introduction of new work management system etc;
In the event of a major incident (e.g. a storm resulting in large scale tree damage/felling) or in the event of continuous poor performance in a Lot(s); the Council may utilise other contractors to ensure service continuity to required standards e.g. a Contractor(s) from one Lot/area may be used in another Lot/ area and/or other contractors not appointed to the Contract may be utilised. If this is availed of due to poor performance Contract remedies may be used in accordance with the terms and conditions i.e. recovery of any additional costs.
Any proposed changes are subject to Council approval and compliance with obligations under relevant procurement law i.e. Procurement Act 2023.
The Council reserves the right to engage its own staff to undertake any operation highlighted in this Contract.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 77340000 - Tree pruning and hedge trimming
- 77341000 - Tree pruning
Contract locations
- UKN06 - Belfast
Lot constraints
Maximum number of lots a supplier can be awarded: 2
Description of how multiple lots may be awarded:
The Council wishes to appoint a single Bidder for each Lot for the provision of the Deliverables. although a Bidder may be awarded a maximum of 2 Lots should they demonstrate they have the capability and capacity to do so.
Award is restricted to a maximum of 2 Lots per Bidder.
Bidders must submit a Tender for all aspects of the Deliverables within each Lot as specified.
The ITT document explains further how multiple lots is assessed and evaluated including a worked example.
Lot 1. Lot 1 - BCC Park Trees
Description
Lot 1 - BCC Park Trees maintenance, covering all the Councils parks and open spaces, zoo and cemeteries etc.
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,000,000 excluding VAT
- £1,200,000 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 2. Lot 2 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast North/Central
Description
Lot 2 - DFI Street Trees maintenance in the Belfast North/Central areas
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,000,000 excluding VAT
- £1,200,000 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 3. Lot 3 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast South/East
Description
Lot 3 - DFI Street Trees maintenance in the Belfast South/East areas
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,000,000 excluding VAT
- £1,200,000 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot 4. Lot 4 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast West/Lisburn/Castlereagh
Description
Lot 4 - DFI Street Trees maintenance in the Belfast West/Lisburn/Castlereagh areas
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,000,000 excluding VAT
- £1,200,000 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations, contract dates and options are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Lot 1. Lot 1 - BCC Park Trees
Lot 2. Lot 2 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast North/Central
Lot 3. Lot 3 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast South/East
Lot 4. Lot 4 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast West/Lisburn/Castlereagh
Explained in ITT document
Technical ability conditions of participation
Lot 1. Lot 1 - BCC Park Trees
Lot 2. Lot 2 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast North/Central
Lot 3. Lot 3 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast South/East
Lot 4. Lot 4 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast West/Lisburn/Castlereagh
Explained in ITT document
Particular suitability
Lot 1. Lot 1 - BCC Park Trees
Lot 2. Lot 2 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast North/Central
Lot 3. Lot 3 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast South/East
Lot 4. Lot 4 - DFI Street Trees maintenance Belfast West/Lisburn/Castlereagh
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
9 June 2025, 12:00pm
Tender submission deadline
16 June 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
7 July 2025
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 1 January 2030
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Criteria | Price | 35% |
| Social Value | Quality | 15% |
| Implementation and Mobilisation Plans | Quality | 10% |
| Work planning and resourcing | Quality | 10% |
| Standards of Service | Quality | 10% |
| Contract and Performance Management | Quality | 10% |
| Out of Hours/ Incident support service | Quality | 5% |
| Customer Service and Experience | Quality | 5% |
Other information
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
Prior to publishing this ITT the Council conducted PME exercise which consisted of a PME questionnaire being returned from interested suppliers at the time. Questionnaire responses were used to help develop the Specification for this tender.
Relevant PME documents/materials that were shared with suppliers as part of the PME exercise have been included in Appendix 4- Data File.
The PME exercise was advertised in July 24 using a Prior Information Notice - 2024/S 000-020434 (under Public Contracts Regulations 2015).
Contracting authority
Belfast City Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PQXY-5321-CGZM
9-21 Adelaide Street
Belfast
BT2 8DJ
United Kingdom
Email: cps@belfastcity.gov.uk
Region: UKN06 - Belfast
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government
Devolved regulations that apply: Northern Ireland