Official UK procurement notice
Framework for Site Investigation and Materials Testing Services
Authority: Dorset Council (Local council)·Consortium: 3 public authorities
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionDorset Council went out to tender for site investigation and materials testing services in the
delivery of construction/maintenance projects.
The requirements included;
- Field and laboratory testing of civil engineering materials (including but not limited to;
bituminous materials, aggregates, concrete), geotechnical site investigation and soils
testing which will require factual and interpretative reporting.
- Geo-environmental site investigation and testing which will require factual reporting,
interpretative reporting and risk assessment.
- Investigation of existing highways and structures (including but not limited to core
sampling of carriageways and structures).
- Provision of specialist advice and representation (on materials, pavement design and
geotechnical/geo-environmental matters)
The requirements are primarily for Dorset Highways however other areas of the Council
share the requirements.
The Council sought to establish a multi-supplier Framework agreement for provision of the
services.
The Framework will also be accessible to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council,
who are named in the Tender Notice.
A maximum of 4 suppliers have been awarded on to the Framework Agreement.
During the term of the Framework, call-off orders will be placed by means of direct award or
further competition.
The advertised value of the Framework is estimated is based upon the Councils’ estimated
needs over the full Framework term however this may change due to changing needs and
circumstances during the Framework term:
This may include expansion of the scope, budget, or duration if additional services are
needed or may include reduction of the scope, budget, or duration if circumstances change,
such as reduced funding, lower-than-expected demand, or strategic shifts.
CPV: Geotechnical engineering services · Ground investigation services · Site-investigation services · Technical testing, analysis and consultancy services · Test drilling and boring work
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 4 suppliers · 10 bids received (2.5 per place) · 4 appointed (full)
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)
- Quality: 40
- Social value: 5
- Price: 55
- Price carries 55 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5.5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Framework for Site Investigation and Materials Testing Services” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 4 suppliers, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 20 Dec 2024, 11:58 GMT
- Last source update
- 8 Aug 2025, 09:32 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 26 Mar 2025 – …
- Authority reference
DN756722- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-047134- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04ca0cFind a Tender
Publisher note: If you wish to indicate an early expression of interest in relation to this opportunity, please complete the EOI questionnaire form which can be found on Supplying the South West Portal https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=c5620e84-c7be-ef11-8133-005056b64545&p=696a9836-1895-e511-8105-000c29c9ba21
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 26 Mar 2025, 14:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bids opened
- 26 Mar 2025, 14:00 GMT
Timeline
20 Jan 2025 → 8 Aug 2025 · 4 dates- Next notice expected20 Jan 2025
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown26 Mar 2025, 14:00 GMT
- Bids opened26 Mar 2025, 14:00 GMT
- Notice published8 Aug 2025, 09:32 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Feb 2025- Published value updated to £4,000,00019 Feb 2025, 12:46 GMTwas £3,000,000
- Status changed to active19 Feb 2025, 12:46 GMT
- Procurement method changed19 Feb 2025, 12:46 GMT
- Deadline published: 26 Mar 2025, 14:00 GMT19 Feb 2025, 12:46 GMT
- Status changed to complete8 Aug 2025, 09:32 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast4 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
All 4 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £4,000,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Framework for Site Investigation and Materials Testing Services
- Signed
- 17 Jul 2025
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Framework for Site Investigation and Materials Testing Services
- Signed
- 17 Jul 2025
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Framework for Site Investigation and Materials Testing Services
- Signed
- 17 Jul 2025
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Framework for Site Investigation and Materials Testing Services
- Signed
- 17 Jul 2025
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10bids | 9 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
3 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- BCP CouncilContracting authority
- Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole CouncilContracting authority
Framework contractors & participating bidders
4 commercial parties on the notice- ACS Testing LimitedFramework contractor
- Jackson Drilling Holdings LimitedFramework contractor
- Leyden Kirby Associates Limited T/A The LK GroupFramework contractor
- SOCOTEC UK LimitedFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.