Official UK procurement notice
Ground Maintenance Services · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Falkirk Council (Local council)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionFalkirk Council wishes to undertake a tendering process to enter into a Framework Agreement with suitably experienced contractors for the provision of Ground Maintenance Service within the Falkirk Council area of Operation.
Key aims of the service are to provide a competitive, reliable, and customer-focused service to Place Services Roads and Grounds Maintenance Departments which will supplement the Council’s own in-house service.
The framework consist of 2 Lots, to which up to a maximum of 5 Contractors may be appointed per lot.
- Lot 1: Arboriculture Services
- Lot 2: Grass Cutting for Rural Area.
- Recurrence: October 2030
CPV: Grassing services · Grounds maintenance services · Tree pruning · Tree-clearing services · Tree-cutting services · Tree-maintenance services · Trees
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 10 suppliers
- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 1 Apr 2027
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Arboriculture ServicesPublished value£1,300,000
Falkirk Council wishes to establish a framework agreement with suitably experienced contractors for the provision of Arboriculture Services within the Falkirk Council Area of Operations.
The work will consist of a variety of different operations carried out on tagged trees. Details of the tree numbers and work required will be provided, along with plans showing locations of the numbered trees. There may also be a requirement to carry out works on untagged, non-surveyed trees. In this situation maps, descriptions of works, manual tree marking and site visits will provide information on the
contracted operations to be completed.
All operations should comply with British Standard BS 3998:2010 and with current industry best practice. Tree work should be effectively organized and conducted to minimize any adverse effects on the trees, the site and their surroundings. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015
Lot #2Grass Cutting for Rural AreaPublished value£200,000
Falkirk Council wishes to establish a framework agreement with suitably experienced contractors for the provision of Grass Cutting Services within the Falkirk Council Area of Operations.
Rural highway verges are to be cut to prevent the obstruction of sightlines, signage, prevent the establishment of self-set trees, inhibit the growth of weeds, and prevent vegetation encroaching onto footpaths and roads. Verges are located within the boundary of Falkirk Council and shown on the Ground Maintenance Service maps, numbered 1 to 23. These maps are located within the separately attached Zip Folder,
(PS 259 27- Lot 2- Rural Verge Cutting Maps).
Flood prevention channels and burns are to be cut the full width of the banking using a 7Mtr long reach side arm flail to prevent the establishment of self-set trees, inhibit the growth of weeds and prevent vegetation encroaching and narrowing the watercourse and blocking grills. Burns are located within the boundary of Falkirk Council and shown on the Ground Maintenance Service maps, numbered 24 to 45.
These maps are located within the separately attached Zip Folder, (PS 259 27- Lot 2- Rural Verge Cutting Maps).
The contract requires up to two complete cycles of cutting to be completed between April October each year and each cycle to completed in no more than 6 weeks. The start date for each cycle to be provided by Falkirk Council’s designated Officer. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015
What 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 sub-criteria (2)
- Qualitative: 30%
- price: 70%
Published award criteria (2)
- Qualitative: 30
- Price: 70
- Suitability
It is a requirement of this tender that if the Bidder is UK based they must hold a valid registration with Companies House. Where the Bidder is UK based but not registered at Companies House they must be able to verify to the Council’s satisfaction that they are trading from the address provided in the tender and under the Company name given.
- Economic & financial standing
A Credit safe credit scoring check will be ran on registered Company Name and Company Number provided by the bidder. Where the resulting Credit Rating score is less than 30/100 the bidder may be excluded from the tender process unless suitable financial information is
provided that gives satisfactory assurances to the Council regarding financial risk in appointing the bidder to the contract.
Minimum: Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = 10 Million GBP Public Liability Insurance = 5 Million GBP Product Liability Insurance = 5 Million GBP Motor Insurance = 5 Million GBP
- Staff
- Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
- 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.
- “Ground Maintenance Services” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 10 suppliers, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Falkirk Council runs Planting and maintenance services of green areas (CPV 7731) tenders for its clients, and who usually turns up
Falkirk Council procures on behalf of other bodies; its record below covers every client it has tendered for, next to the published market for the same work. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Planting and maintenance services of green areas (CPV 7731) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means the winner is registered in the region where that contract was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Scotland.
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.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 53 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid9% / 9%
2–323% / 27%
4–642% / 36%
7+26% / 27%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
The matcher links this notice to “Ground Maintenance Services” of this authority, but none of the 6 panel members sit in a category matching this notice.
Lot #1Arboriculture ServicesCPV 77314000Published estimate£1.3m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid1%
2–342%
4–635%
7+21%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Steel Contract Services LimitedWorked for this buyer | Ground Maintenance Servicesruns to Jul 2028 | Grass Cutting for Rural Area | — | 81% match |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
idverde LtdLarge | £65m44 awards in 36m · last this month | 20 live · £51m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=14 |
| £9.0m26 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 10 live · £9.3m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 6% below n=8 | |
| £9.2m22 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 4 live · £601k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=10 | |
| £45m19 awards in 36m · last 8 months ago | 3 live · £1.4m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=6 | |
| £2.4m27 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 11 live · £9.5m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 57% below n=1 |
Lot #2Grass Cutting for Rural AreaCPV 77314000Published estimate£200k
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid3%
2–349%
4–640%
7+8%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Steel Contract Services LimitedWorked for this buyer | Ground Maintenance Servicesruns to Jul 2028 | Grass Cutting for Rural Area | — | 96% match |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
idverde LtdLarge | £65m44 awards in 36m · last this month | 20 live · £51m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=14 |
| £1.1m2 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs | |
GJ ServicesSME | £385k4 awards in 36m · last 18 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=1 |
| £664k7 awards in 36m · last 18 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs | |
| £451k3 awards in 36m · last 18 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the match score are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
What this replaces i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
100% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
100% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (100% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid
Ground Maintenance Services — held by George Steel Contract Services Limited; the published contract ends 31 Jul 2028.
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
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use the vehicle
- 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
- Yes · October 2030
- First published
- 16 Oct 2026, 09:23 BST
- Last source update
- 16 Oct 2026, 09:23 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 16 Nov 2026 – …
- Authority reference
PS 259 27- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-097723- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-07890eFind a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
As listed within the tender documentation.
Publisher note: 1. Bidders will be required to provide 2 examples from the past 3 years that demonstrate that they have the relevant experience to deliver the services/ supplies as described in part II.2.4 of the Find a Tender Service Contract Notice or the relevant section of the Site Notice. 2. Bidders will be required to confirm whether they intend to subcontract and, if so, for what proportion of the contract. 3. The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001 (or equivalent), or provide additional supportive information as detailed within "PS 259 27 Document 4 SPD (Scotland) Standardised Statements". 4. The bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance in accordance with ISO 45001:2018 (or equivalent) or provide additional supportive information as detailed within "PS 259 27 Document 4 SPD (Scotland) Standardised Statements". 5. The Bidder must hold a UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance with BS EN ISO 14001 (or equivalent) or a valid EMAS (or equivalent) certificate or provide additional supportive information as detailed within "PS 259 27 Document 4 SPD (Scotland) Standardised Statements". NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=845333. The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx. Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems. A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363 Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: Points Based System We use a point’s-based system to ensure each Contract or Framework Agreement has appropriate community benefits as an essential component. Each action is worth a varying number of points based on how well it contributes to our priorities. Full details can be found within "PS 259 27 ITT Document Schedule 6 and Appendix C - Community Benefits Points Based List (for information only). (SC Ref:845333) Download the ESPD document here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ESPD/ESPD_Download.aspx?id=845333
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via Public Contracts ScotlandTender documents are also served through a separate tool: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk ↗
- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Appointment period ends
- 16 Nov 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 180 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 16 Nov 2026, 11:00 GMT
Timeline
16 Oct 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 4 dates- Notice published1 day ago16 Oct 2026, 09:23 BST
- Today17 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsin 30 days · period end, not a bid countdown16 Nov 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Bids openedin 30 days16 Nov 2026, 11:00 GMT
- Contract startsin 166 days1 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
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Falkirk Sheriff Court and Justice of the PeaceReview body
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Technical selection criteria