Official UK procurement notice
CPU 8586 Grounds Maintenance Operated Plant Framework
Authority: Nottingham City Council (Local council)
Nottingham City Council requires a Framework Agreement for the provision of specialist rural services to support Grounds Maintenance and Vegetation Management in Rural Highways Environments within the boundaries of Nottingham City Council and any future expanded highway area arising from Local Government Reorganisation. Services may include the provision of tractor operators and associated plant and equipment, including agricultural tractors, towable mowers, out-front mowers, flail arms, hedge cutters, embankment flail mowers, remote-controlled slope mowers, and tractor and trailer combinations, to support Highway-related projects.
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNottingham City Council requires a Framework Agreement for the provision of specialist rural services to support Grounds Maintenance and Vegetation Management in Rural Highways Environments within the boundaries of Nottingham City Council and any future expanded highway area arising from Local Government Reorganisation. Services may include the provision of tractor operators and associated plant and equipment, including agricultural tractors, towable mowers, out-front mowers, flail arms, hedge cutters, embankment flail mowers, remote-controlled slope mowers, and tractor and trailer combinations, to support Highway-related projects.
The Supplier shall provide plant, attachments and operators in accordance with this Contract Specification, the Framework Agreement, the Pricing Schedule, any applicable Call-Off Contract documentation, any site-specific requirements issued by the Authority, and Nottingham City Council's Generic Employers Work Information document and associated Appendices insofar as its requirements are relevant to the activities being undertaken:
- Highway verge, embankment and rural vegetation management.
- Grass cutting, flailing, hedge cutting and seasonal vegetation works.
- Transport and movement of plant where required.
- Specialist plant support for constrained or complex highway environments.
Subject to suitability, the Council is seeking to appoint up to 3 Contractors to this framework.
The overall framework will have an estimated total value of £400,000 (VAT exclusive)
The duration of the Framework is expected to be for up to 4 years at the Authority's discretion
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 2 Sept 2030, 23:59 BST.
CPV: Grounds maintenance services · Hire of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment with operator · Tree pruning and hedge trimming · Tree-maintenance services · Weed-clearance services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs are awarded directly to appointed suppliers, without further competition
- Places
- up to 3 suppliers
- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 21 Dec 2026
Published description of the framework
Call-offs from the Framework will be made by Direct Award according to the following criteria:
The Employer will assemble a basket of items required to deliver the works, and apply the rates provided by each Contractor to the basket in order to determine the Price for each Contractor.
The contract will be offered first to the Contractor whose basket is best priced.
The Employer will telephone the Contractor selected as first choice for the direct award in accordance with the pricing schedule, to make them aware that a call-off is required and to detail the requirement.
The Contractor will confirm their willingness to undertake the work. If this is not possible immediately, due to the specifics of the requirement, the Contractor will email the Employer within 24 hours, either confirming that they will be undertaking the work, or declining so to do.
Should the first-choice supplier be unable or unwilling to undertake the work, the second-choice supplier will be approached in a similar fashion, and so forth.
The Employer shall email the selected Contractor with the proposal for the works and the appropriate form of contract, priced in accordance with the Framework Pricing Schedule.
The Contractor will return the completed form of contract by email to the Employer within 24 hours, whereupon the Employer will arrange for contract completion.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedWhat it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published award criteria (3)
- Price
- Quality
- Social Value
- Price carries 70 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 7 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “CPU 8586 Grounds Maintenance Operated Plant Framework” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 3 suppliers, not a single contract, and call-offs are awarded directly: getting appointed is the whole game.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
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
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 2 Sept 2030
- First published
- 18 Sept 2026, 10:07 BST
- Last source update
- 18 Sept 2026, 10:07 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 21 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
CPU 8586- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-088505- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077511Find a Tender
- Risks
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire may be subject to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), a national programme led by central government to restructure two-tier authorities into single unitary councils. This process involves Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, the district/borough councils, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and may lead to changes in governance, boundaries and service delivery arrangements that could affect this contract. Tenderers should therefore note that organisational and contractual arrangements may need to adapt in line with any LGR implementation
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
18 Sept 2026 → 21 Dec 2026 · 5 dates- Tender notice published45 days ago18 Sept 2026, 10:07 BST
- Clarification questions by10 days ago23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends3 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Today3 Nov 2026
- Contract startsin 47 days21 Dec 2026
- Award decision expected byin 48 days21 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published18 Sept 2026, 10:07 BSTUK4
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender