Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 30 Sept 2026, 09:42 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Arboricultural Services for Peterborough

Authority: Peterborough City Council (Local council)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Final published estimate£7,000,000initial estimate £4,900,000 · 2 value updates
Submission deadline 23 Oct 202614:00 BST · 22d 13h left
Clarification cut-off 16 Oct 202617:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 5 yrsup to 10 yrs with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027
Bids per lot · this authority 3all categories · n=23 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Peterborough City Council manages and maintains a significant and diverse tree stock in line with the Council's Trees and Woodland Strategy. This currently comprises approximately 40,000 specimen trees across a wide range of locations within the unitary authority boundary, including highways, parks, open spaces, cemeteries, churchyards, allotments, schools and the Crematorium, together with other public assets.

The Council is committed to maintaining a safe, healthy and sustainable urban forest that contributes positively to the environment, biodiversity, climate resilience and the wellbeing of residents. The Council is therefore seeking a competent Arboricultural Association (ARB) Approved contractor to deliver a range of arboricultural services within the Peterborough area, to support this endeavour.

The contract duties will include:

- Tree pruning and crown management.

- Tree felling and dismantling operations.

- Emergency call-out and storm response services.

- Stump removal and management.

- Young tree maintenance and establishment.

- Highway and public realm tree maintenance.

- Woodland and shelterbelt management.

- Management of pests, diseases and invasive species where required.

The purpose of the contract will be to support the delivery of these objectives through planned and reactive arboricultural maintenance services.

Read the full description (160 more characters)

The anticipated contract commencement is 1st April 2027 with an initial term of 5 years and the option for a further five optional extensions of 12 months each.

  • Not divided into lots: The Council is seeking to appoint a single contractor to provide the Services, ensuring a cohesive, consistent and efficient service. Dividing the requirement into Lots would create unnecessary contract management complexity and could adversely affect service integration and performance.
  • The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Sept 2033, 23:59 BST.

CPV: Tree pruning · Tree-cutting services · Tree-maintenance services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal 5 yrsSMEPublished value£7,000,000
Contract period: 1 Apr 2027 — 31 Mar 2032 (5 yrs) · up to 10 yrs with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: East of EnglandTurnover guideline: ~£2,796,935/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£7,000,000 exc. VAT · £8,400,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
After the initial term there will be the option to extend for five twelve-month (1 year) periods, forming a total potential contract period of 10 years.
77211400 Tree-cutting services77211500 Tree-maintenance services77341000 Tree pruning

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored
Quality: 30%Price: 70%
Conditions of participation1
  • Technical & professional ability
    Arboricultural Association (ARB) Approved Contractor

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Peterborough City Council buys Logging services (CPV 7721) — and who usually turns up

Peterborough City Council’s own published record, next to the East of England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Logging services (CPV 7721) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

Peterborough City Council

contract notices in 36 months: 1 in CPV 7721 · 3 in division 77 · 89 in all categories (19 without competition · 18 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 23 lots. 10 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 13 from older notices (bids received, middle 3).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

3all categories · 36m · n=23 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 23 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

26%all categories · 36m · n=23 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 15 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateall categories · 36m · n=15 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 11 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

60dall categories · 36m · n=11 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 127 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=127 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 77), last 36 months: 3 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%division 77 · 36m · n=3 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=23
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 23 lots on 21 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 26%
  • 2–3 26%
  • 4–6 26%
  • 7+ 22%

Middle value 3 · 23 lots on 21 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=15
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 15 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 27%
  • Within ±2% 67%
  • Above estimate 7%

15 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · delivery region

East of England · Logging services (CPV 7721)

contract notices delivered in East of England in 36 months: 26 in CPV 7721 (21 competed, 5 route not published) · 164 in division 77 (143 competed, 15 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7721), last 36 months: 13 lots. 7 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 6) and 6 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

5CPV 7721 · 36m · n=13 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7721), last 36 months: 13 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

15%CPV 7721 · 36m · n=13 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7721), last 36 months: 6 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

1% aboveCPV 7721 · 36m · n=6 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7721), last 36 months: 6 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

69dCPV 7721 · 36m · n=6 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7721), last 36 months: 11 lots.

Last 36 months.

76%CPV 7721 · 36m · n=11 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7721), last 36 months: 46 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

87%CPV 7721 · 36m · n=46 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=13
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 13 lots on 9 contested notices · CPV 7721, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 15%
  • 2–3 15%
  • 4–6 38%
  • 7+ 31%

Middle value 5 · 13 lots on 9 contested notices · CPV 7721.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=6
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 6 lot pairs · CPV 7721, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 17%
  • Within ±2% 50%
  • Above estimate 33%

6 lot pairs · CPV 7721.

robust · n=15
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 15 lots (all categories), applied to the £7,000,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

The middle award in Peterborough City Council (all categories, n=15 pairs) lands at estimate: on this notice’s £7,000,000 that is about £7,000,000. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
2

Who you are likely to meet
i

Who you may be up against.

Suppliers on this buyer’s earlier similar contracts, and suppliers whose record fits this tender.

A guess from the record. Buyers do not publish who is bidding.

Suppliers on this authority’s earlier similar contracts, then suppliers with a matching track record — from published award history, not a bid list

Already supplying a similar contract to Peterborough City Council
i

Who holds similar work with this buyer now.

Winners of this buyer’s earlier contracts that match this tender by title, lot, buyer and category.

SupplierEarlier contractLotAward valueMatch
Empire Ground Care LtdPrior contractWeed Spraying Services - PeterboroughWeed Spraying Services - Peterborough£500k52% match

Earlier contracts of this authority that the nightly matcher links to this notice by title, lot, buyer and CPV. Open the contract before treating anyone as the incumbent.

Suppliers with a similar track record — and how they price
i

Suppliers with a similar track record, and how they price.

Suppliers matched on wins in this category, history with this buyer, location and size. Their award vs estimate is from their own past wins.

A guess from the record, not a bidder list.

SupplierEvidenceLast awardTheir award vs estimateRelevance
Gristwood and Toms Limited 17 class wins6 months agoat estimate n=462%
Boarstatant Limited t/a Cook Arboricultural Services 4 class wins8 months ago18% above n=159%
Glendale Countryside Limited Large15 class winsthis monthat estimate n=1159%
K.P.S. Contractors Limited 3 class wins8 months ago32% above n=158%
Iceni Tree Care Ltd SME2 class wins22 months agono comparable pairs57%

Matched by the nightly worker on class wins, buyer history, delivery geography, scale and notice text; relevance is a 0–100% heuristic score, not a probability of bidding. “Their award vs estimate” is that supplier’s middle value on its own comparable single-supplier wins, CPV 7721 first. Nobody here is known to be bidding.

Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

What this replaces
i

The earlier contract this tender most likely replaces.

Matched on title, category and buyer. The match percentage says how close the titles are.

42% title match.

A likely match, not a published link.

The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (42% title match) — the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid

Weed Spraying Services - Peterborough — held by Empire Ground Care Ltd; no contract end date published.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Yes · next expected 1 Sept 2033
First published
30 Sept 2026, 09:42 BST
Last source update
30 Sept 2026, 09:42 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 30 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Authority reference
DN811915
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Tree pruningTree-cutting servicesTree-maintenance services
Delivery area
East of England (UKH11)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06dce3 Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via ProContract (Due North)
Submission portal named on this notice: ProContract (Due North) · Who buys & how to bid on ProContract
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · short registration with manual review; public opportunity list
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
23 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
Clarification deadline
16 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £7,000,000 excludes VAT (£8,400,000 including VAT).

Timeline

9 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Planning notice published56 days ago
    5 Aug 2026, 16:49 BST
  2. Market engagement42 days ago
    19 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
    The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise is to gain a better understanding of the current arboricultural services market. Interested organisations are invited to review the Expression of Interest document via the ProContract portal and provide responses to a series of more…questions relating to their organisation, experience and capability. Clarification questions should be submitted using the messaging function via the event on the ProContract portal. The link to the opportunity advert can be found here: https://procontract.due-north.com/Procurer/Advert/View?advertId=583c9976-c890-f111-813c-005056b64545&fromAdvertEvent=True Participation in this engagement exercise is voluntary and will not form part of any future assessment process.
  3. Tender notice published2 days ago
    28 Sept 2026, 21:29 BST
  4. Next notice expected1 day ago
    30 Sept 2026, 00:59 BST
  5. Latest notice published1 day ago
    30 Sept 2026, 09:42 BST
  6. Clarification questions byin 16 days
    16 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
  7. Submission deadlinein 23 days
    23 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
  8. Award decision expected byin 61 days
    30 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  9. Contract startsin 182 days
    1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

10 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 5 Aug 2026
  1. Tender notice published
    30 Sept 2026, 09:42 BSTUK4
  2. Published value updated to £7,000,000
    30 Sept 2026, 09:42 BSTwas £5,000,000
  3. Tender notice published
    28 Sept 2026, 21:29 BSTUK4
  4. Status changed to active
    28 Sept 2026, 21:29 BST
  5. Deadline published: 23 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
    28 Sept 2026, 21:29 BST
  6. Pipeline notice published
    28 Sept 2026, 21:04 BSTUK1
  7. Published value updated to £5,000,000
    28 Sept 2026, 21:04 BSTwas £4,900,000
  8. Status changed to planned
    28 Sept 2026, 21:04 BST
  9. Procurement method changed
    28 Sept 2026, 21:04 BST
  10. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    5 Aug 2026, 16:49 BSTUK2
Published amendments (1)

Revision of the available extensions term and contract value.

Routine re-releases (4)
  • 2026-08: 1 release · 5 Aug 2026

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Peterborough City Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PLXM-3229-WVQH Sand Martin House Peterborough, Bittern Way, Peterborough, East of England, PE2 8TY [email protected]

Official documents & specifications (5)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Conflict of interest declarationtenderConflict of interest declarationNot published

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender
  • Pipeline notice planningPipeline noticeUK1Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
  • Preliminary market engagement notice planningPreliminary market engagement noticeUK2Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender