GMCA Framework Agreement for Street Lighting Visual and Structural Inspection and Testing Services

The purpose of this tender is to establish a framework agreement for visual and structural inspection and testing services of street lighting columns and traffic sign poles (or other similar structures) to determine their condition which can be accessed by organisational bodies participatory to the framework. The street lighting equipment will generally be located on trunk roads, main roads, residential streets, footpaths, car parks and other similar areas. Visual and structural inspection and testing shall be applied to steel, stainless steel, aluminium and concrete lighting units. The street lighting units will typically be circular, hexagonal or octagonal in cross section and will typically be 4 metres, 5m, 6m, 8m, 10m or 12m in height. Traffic sign units will typically be circular or box in cross section and will typically be 2,2 metres, 3m, 4m or 5m in height. Occasionally, fold-down street lighting columns or traffic sign poles may be included. Street lighting columns and traffic sign poles will mainly be of the planted root type, however on occasion they will be of a flange plate type. The framework agreement will consist of 9 lots based on indicative, strength and other test methods that are specified in the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) Guidance Note 22 ‘Asset Management Toolkit: Minor Structures’. All of the test methods must meet the recommendations of that guidance note and follow the guidance of the British Standards Institute's BS5649 and BS EN 40. The services provided must comply with all the standards and regulations stated in the specification within the Invitation to Tender document. It is the intention to appoint between 3 and 5 providers to each lot, subject to there being sufficient tenderers who satisfy the criteria laid down within the tender process. Call-off contracts will be awarded on a direct award basis, with the contracting bodies assessing which provider's tender offers the Most Economically Advantageous Tender for their testing requirements from the different types of tests/lots. This provider and/or combination of providers will be appointed as the 1st Provider. The 1st Provider will be contacted in the first instance by contracting bodies in respect of any requirements for services. Should the 1st provider not have the capacity and/or capability and/or not be willing to provide the services then the contracting bodies would then contact the 2nd Provider and 3rd Provider in turn, or by means of re-opening competition to all providers capable of meeting the requirement within the framework agreement via a mini-competition process within the applicable lot(s). The services provided under the framework agreement will be made available to members and associate members of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and other participating authorities and organisational bodies named in the Invitation to Tender documentation. The Invitation to Tender documentation contains further details on those organisations intending to use the framework agreement at its outset, with the estimated number of inspections to be called-off from the framework agreement being shown for indicative purposes only within the Invitation to Tender documentation. None of the named organisations will however be obliged to procure through the framework agreement. Economic operators should note that inclusion on the framework agreement is not a guarantee that any call-off contracts will be awarded. The framework agreement will initially run for a period of 2 years and will allow for 2 further periods of extension of 12 months each. The maximum duration of the framework agreement will be 4 years.