Scope
Reference
P-00001025
Description
South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council (the Councils) as second tier Waste Collection Authorities operate a shared household waste and recycling collection service. This is currently contracted out to a waste collection company whose material sorting arm accepts the Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR) material at its Material Recovery Facility (MRF). The DMR is fully co-mingled in line with the Governments Core Materials Set. That means that all recycling other than food and garden waste are collected within the same receptacle from households. The current contractual arrangements for this service is due to expire on 28 June 2026.
This procurement concerns the proposed award of a new contract to a suitable Supplier that is intended to replace/succeed the existing arrangements which is anticipated to commence from Monday 29 June 2026.
This proposed contract is for the transport of the Councils' DMR from the Waste Transfer Station to a MRF for separation and onward sale to the markets for re-processing.
Under the proposed contract the Councils require that the DMR be collected from the Waste Transfer Station. The Councils will not be supplying vehicles for this purpose and it will be the responsibility of the successful Supplier to secure suitable vehicles for the provision of this service.
The Waste Transfer Station is operated by FCC Recycling (UK) Limited, who the Councils hold a contract with for receiving DMR and making it available to Hauliers.
The Waste Transfer Station is located at Appleford Sidings, OX14 4PW.
Once the DMR has been picked up from the Waste Transfer Station and transported to a MRF the successful Supplier will be responsible for ensuring that all the recyclable materials received at the MRF or MRFs will then be separated out into the key material types and sold onto re-processing markets.
The Councils are open to bids from existing MRF operators and will also consider bids on a merchant basis. For merchant bids the Supplier remains responsible for all aspects within the specification and should note that a full audit trail of the material will be required.
Under this contract the successful Supplier will be required to separate out the maximum amount of DMR received and pass this on to re-processors, minimising the amount of recyclate sent for disposal.
A split from the sale of materials, as described within the Pricing Schedule, will be passed on by the Supplier to the Councils. It will track the LetsRecycle pricing index.
The Councils are in the top 5 in the country for recycling performance and have been so for over a decade. The recyclate in scope for this contract is, in comparison to many other local authorities, low in contaminants. Total annual tonnages are circa 27,000.
This tender notice is for the award of a public contract through an open procedure in accordance with section 20(1) and (2)(a) of the Procurement Act 2023.
The Councils will use the online Proactis portal at [https://sebp.due-north.com] (the Portal) to make associated tender documents available to suppliers.
Suppliers wishing to participate in this procurement process are required to submit their completed Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and Tenders through the Portal by 1pm on 25 November 2025.
The following associated tender documents are being made available with the publication of this tender notice (via the Portal) to provide further information about the procurement process:
• Tender Notice
• PSQ;
• Invitation to Tender (ITT and appendices);
• Contract;
The technical specification for this opportunity can be accessed via the Portal.
Suppliers are referred to the associated tender documents which set out the conditions of participation and detailed award criteria (including sub-criteria) applicable to this procurement process
Total value (estimated)
- £32,000,000 excluding VAT
- £38,400,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 29 June 2026 to 28 June 2034
- Possible extension to 28 June 2042
- 16 years
Description of possible extension:
The contract is for an initial term of 8 years (with a break clause at year 4). There is also an option to extend the Expiry Date by a period or periods of up to eight (8) years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 34144511 - Refuse-collection vehicles
- 34144512 - Refuse-compaction vehicles
- 34144700 - Utility vehicles
- 42914000 - Recycling equipment
- 45213270 - Construction works for recycling station
- 90514000 - Refuse recycling services
Contract locations
- UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
Justification for not using lots
Haulage makes up a very minor element of the overall DMR contract requirements.
Dividing into lots would make them not economically viable.
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
The conditions of participation in relation to legal and financial capacity are set out in the PSQ documents made available with this Tender Notice which can be accessed via the Portal.
Technical ability conditions of participation
The conditions of participation in relation to technical ability are set out in the ITT Document which can be accessed via the Portal.
Suppliers wishing to participate in this procurement must submit a completed PSQ and Tender response through the Portal by 25 November 2025 1pm.
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
30 October 2025, 5:00pm
Tender submission deadline
25 November 2025, 1:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Submissions must be by way of completion and submission of the a completed PSQ response and Tender response electronically via the Proactis portal which can be accessed here: https://sebp.due-north.com. The PSQ and Tender submission must be in accordance with the requirements set out in the ITT documents) by the Tender submission deadline (referred to above). The Councils reserve the right not to accept PSQ responses and/or Tenders that are received after the deadline. Suppliers are encouraged to submit their submissions well in advance of the stated date and time in order to avoid issues such as technical difficulties with the electronic system that may be due to the high volumes of traffic attempting to submit applications on the same date at the same time.
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
20 February 2026
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 28 January 2041
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | The monthly payment shall be calculated in accordance with the following formula: Total per tonne haulage cost plus the total per tonne Gate Fee plus the per tonne disposal of the Reject Stream minus... |
Cost | 60% |
| Quality | Material recovery facility - 4% Collecting soft plastics - 2% Future changes in materials - 2% Contingency - 3% Climate - 2% Health and Safety 1 - 3% Health and Safety 2 - 3% Social Value - 3% Method... |
Quality | 40% |
Other information
Description of risks to contract performance
As Suppliers will be aware, there a number of changes/schemes that are in consultation and/or to be introduced in the waste sector in the near future. However, the impact of such matters is unknown.
The Councils consider that the following are known risks which, if they were to materialise, could jeopardise the satisfactory performance of the contract for the Councils but that, due to their nature, they cannot be addressed in the contract as awarded. As such, the occurrence of all or any of these risks may necessitate a subsequent modification to the contract under paragraph 5 of Schedule 8 to the Procurement Act 2023.
1. The implementation of the Simpler Recycling in England policy, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
2. The requirement under the 1990 Environment Act and other related provisions to carry out a Technical, Economic, Environmental, Practicable (TEEP) assessment. The Councils anticipate undertaking another TEEP assessment during the lifetime of the contract. The extent and impact changes required following the TEEP Assessment will not be known at the commencement of the contract but it is anticipated that further information in relation to the impact of this known risk will be available during the lifetime of the contract.
3. During the lifetime of the contract changes to LetsRecycle market-led indexes may be made and the contract may need to be varied to reflect these changes.
4. An infrastructure collapse could occur in a domestic market/solution which may mean that trading material to a destination may be restricted or stopped entirely.
5. There may be an overseas market failure, which the supplier will have no control over and this may mean that the preferred export destination is restricted or cannot be utilised impacting on the ability for products to be sold.
6. Finally, the Councils are subject to the English Devolution White Paper which will lead to local government re-organisation potentially during the term of this contract. This has now moved on to proposals in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. This risk is defined as a known unknown risk as we do not yet understand the implications of that potential re-organisation for the contract.
Please see Schedule 4 to the Contract for further information
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Contracting authorities
South Oxfordshire District Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PRWZ-2743-VQTG
Abbey House, Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE
United Kingdom
Region: UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government
Vale of White Horse District Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PWHP-7869-DZXD
Abbey House, Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE
United Kingdom
Region: UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government