Tender

Commercial Gas Servicing, Maintenance and Associated Works

• The District Council of Folkestone and Hythe

UK4: Tender notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-047274

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-055cfd

Published 10 July 2025, 2:16pm

Last edited 8 August 2025, 1:47pm

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• 8 August 2025, 1:47pm (this version)

• 10 July 2025, 2:16pm

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Changes to notice

This notice has been edited. The previous version is still available.

1. Submission deadline extended to 15 September 2025.

2. Contract location updated to clarify the specific region (East Kent).

3. Description of extensions clarified to include the circumstances in which they could be used.

4. Award criteria listed in the tender notice clarified with additional information to match the details given in the ITT instructions document.

5. Documents hyperlinks updated to use direct link to proContract expression of interest advert.

6. Publication date of next tender notice (estimated) corrected to earliest estimated retender date (if option to extend the contract is not exercised).

Scope

Reference

DN782040

Description

The council is seeking to procure a qualified contractor to provide comprehensive maintenance and repair services for its residential properties. This includes routine and responsive repairs, safety checks, and compliance with all relevant regulations and standards. The contractor will be responsible for delivering high-quality workmanship, maintaining clear communication with residents and the council, and ensuring timely completion of all tasks. Bidders are required to demonstrate proven experience in property maintenance, strong project management skills, and the capacity to work collaboratively with the council and local community.

Total value (estimated)

• £715,000 excluding VAT
• £858,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Contract dates (estimated)

• 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029
• Possible extension to 31 March 2031
• 5 years

Description of possible extension:

Extension option of up to 24 months dependent on the satisfactory performance of the contractor and presuming no significant changes to FHDC's requirements

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

• 50000000 - Repair and maintenance services

Contract locations

• UKJ44 - East Kent

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Participation

Particular suitability

• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
• Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

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Submission

Enquiry deadline

5 September 2025, 11:59pm

Tender submission deadline

15 September 2025, 1:00pm

Submission address and any special instructions

Submission must be via www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk (proContract)

Tenders may be submitted electronically

Yes

Languages that may be used for submission

English

Award decision date (estimated)

2 October 2025

Recurring procurement

Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 1 August 2028

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Award criteria

Name	Description	Type	Weighting
Price		Price	30%
Previous Experience	Please describe your organisation's recent experience of delivering commercial gas servicing and maintenance contracts within residential or social housing settings. Your response should highlight the... capability of both your organisation and the key personnel who would be involved in this contract. In particular, provide a relevant example of a comparable contract that demonstrates your ability to deliver: • Servicing and planned preventative maintenance schedules; • Meeting turnaround times for Responsive repairs and emergency callouts; • Statutory testing and inspections (e.g. CP15, CP16, CP17). Please include the following details in your case study: • Contract scope, value, duration, and type/number of assets maintained; • Nature and location of the housing stock and the client organisation; • How your team managed work in communal areas and around vulnerable or diverse resident groups (e.g. elderly, disabled, or those with language barriers); • How Gas Safe and other regulatory requirements (e.g. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations) were maintained; • Your processes for dealing with safety-critical issues, remedial works, and avoiding repeat visits; • Experience with external auditors or quality assurance inspectors; • How the contract compares to the Council's requirements, including scheduling repairs in conjunction with housing staff, DBS-checked operatives, parts supply chains, and reporting protocols; • Improvements delivered through the contract - e.g. increased efficiency, cost savings, or customer satisfaction. You should also set out how the skills and qualifications of your proposed team (e.g. technical certifications, NVQ training, diagnostics expertise) will ensure consistent delivery to a high standard. Finally, based on your experience mobilising similar contracts, outline the key steps you would take to ensure a smooth handover from the incumbent provider and provide your proposed mobilisation plan (not included in word count).	Quality	20%
Contract Management	Please outline your approach to managing the commercial gas contract on a local level to ensure seamless delivery of planned maintenance, timely response to repairs, and effective handling of any... follow-up work identified during service visits or emergencies. How will you manage the breakdown and repairs within dwellings as well as Commercial Plant Rooms especially managing the Pre Winter Health Check to each property connected to a Communal system? As part of the contract requirements, the successful contractor is expected to operate a fully functional local office within 35 miles of the Civic Centre, CT20 2QY, providing welfare and meeting facilities as well as a reliable internet and communication infrastructure. What would be your arrangements for managing Commercial Merchants for the quick turnaround times for parts that are needed especially when a complete site is down? For FHDC district boundaries, please see link below: Public Elections Your response should also address: • How you will provide a fully operational local office within 35 miles of the Civic Centre, CT20 2QY, including welfare and meeting facilities, as well as robust IT and communications infrastructure. Indicate whether you currently have such a facility or plan to establish one, with details on timing and location. • The organisational structure you will put in place for contract management, including key personnel, their roles, qualifications, and reporting lines (please include an organogram). • Your strategy for maintaining sufficient staffing and resources from contract commencement and throughout its duration to ensure service reliability. • How will you organise the right qualified staff to attend each call out, whether it's a complete shut of the whole service from the Plant Room or an individual dwelling without heating or hot water? • Quality assurance methods you will employ to guarantee workmanship standards and adherence to health and safety regulations. • Your approach to meeting response time targets for emergency and routine callouts, including out-of-hours arrangements. • The workflow from initial repair request through to job completion and closure, supported by a process map (not counted in word limit). Please also provide your plan for handling increased demand during winter months (also not included in word count). • Methods for supervising and supporting your field engineers, monitoring their performance, and ensuring compliance with health and safety obligations on-site. • How you will communicate effectively with residents, particularly those who are vulnerable or face communication barriers, to schedule appointments and minimise disruption during maintenance work. Please include a winter surge plan to demonstrate seasonal preparedness (not included in the word count).	Quality	20%
Contract Performance in line with agreed KPI's	Describe your system for monitoring, managing, and reporting on contract performance, with a particular focus on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) outlined in Appendix F. Please include: • The... technology and processes you will use to track performance against KPIs. • How you will report performance data to the Council, specifying formats, reporting frequency, and communication channels. • Preventative strategies to consistently meet or exceed targets. • Corrective actions planned if performance falls short of agreed standards. • Your approach to driving continuous improvement and maintaining high client satisfaction throughout the contract term. You must demonstrate how you will achieve or exceed the following KPIs: (Please note full KPI list set out in Appendix G).	Quality	20%
Carbon Reduction	FHDC has made a climate pledge and aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. Details on the action the Customer is taking can be found at folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/climatechange. In line with this... commitment, the Council expects suppliers to adopt environmentally sustainable and responsible practices in the delivery of services. Please describe your strategy for embedding sustainability and innovation throughout contract delivery, considering both operational and strategic levels. This might include, but is not limited to: • Innovative technologies or practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or energy consumption in maintenance and repairs. • Digital solutions that improve efficiency and reduce paper use or travel-related emissions (e.g., remote diagnostics, IoT-enabled monitoring). • Circular economy principles such as refurbishment, reuse of components, or sustainable sourcing of materials. • Collaborative initiatives with other contractors, local authorities, or community groups to enhance environmental outcomes. • Long-term plans to support decarbonisation of heating and gas systems in line with evolving regulations and technology advancements. • Methods to track, audit, and transparently report environmental impact beyond statutory requirements, including any third-party certifications or benchmarking. Explain how these innovations will be implemented, monitored, and reported to the Council to demonstrate measurable environmental progress throughout the contract term.	Quality	5%
Social Value	FHDC's Corporate Plan "Creating Tomorrow Together" sets out the council's guiding principles and service ambitions. The Corporate Plan can be viewed at folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/... creatingtomorrowtogether. As part of this Contract, Folkestone and Hythe District Council encourages bidders to propose innovative and sustainable approaches to social impact that will foster meaningful community engagement and long-term benefits, beyond traditional social value commitments Please outline your vision and detail specific initiatives to: • Foster skill development and employability within the local community through creative training, apprenticeships, or partnerships with educational institutions. • Promote inclusivity by supporting underrepresented groups and vulnerable populations through tailored engagement or employment opportunities. • Collaborate with local organisations to co-design community projects that address specific local challenges or priorities (e.g., energy poverty, health and wellbeing, social isolation). • Utilise your supply chain to maximise local economic growth, including developing new local suppliers or social enterprises. • Implement digital or technological solutions to improve communication, resident engagement, or social outcomes linked to the contract. • Support these goals through concrete commitments such as dedicating staff time to community events (e.g., Clean-up days, safety awareness), donating or loaning equipment for Council projects, providing training, apprenticeships, mentoring, or placements (especially for disadvantaged residents), and prioritising local suppliers to boost the regional economy. • Measure and report on social value impact using meaningful, quantifiable indicators and feedback mechanisms to ensure continuous improvement and transparency. Demonstrate how these commitments will be embedded into your contract delivery model and how progress will be tracked and reported to the Council	Quality	5%

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Other information

Applicable trade agreements

• Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes

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Procedure

Procedure type

Open procedure

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Documents

Associated tender documents

https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=ec84bfe8-8d5d-f011-813a-005056b64545

Tender documents can be downloaded from www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk (proContract) after signing in and expressing interest.

Technical specifications to be met

https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=ec84bfe8-8d5d-f011-813a-005056b64545

Tender documents can be downloaded from www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk (proContract) after signing in and expressing interest.

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Contracting authority

The District Council of Folkestone and Hythe

• Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHJN-7589-LMHY

Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue

Folkestone

CT20 2QY

United Kingdom

Email: procurement@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk

Region: UKJ44 - East Kent

Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government