Official UK procurement notice
HCC Nov 25 - The Provision of a Framework for Grounds Maintenance Services
Authority: Hertfordshire County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis opportunity has been awarded and is now closed.
Herts Fullstop, (“HFS”) the trading arm of Hertfordshire County Council (“the Council” or “HCC”) went out to tender for a Grounds Maintenance Framework to provide general Grounds Maintenance Services to sites throughout the County.
This Framework may be utilised by all departments of the Council including establishments such as Schools, Fire Stations, Disused Sites, Day Centers, Libraries etc. It may also be used for Grounds Maintenance work outside of the Council as requested by our partners and Customers (this may be outside the geographical area of Hertfordshire in some cases). The Grounds Maintenance Service includes items such as grass cutting, hedge cutting, sports field line marking, shrub bed maintenance and leaf clearance.
The figures quoted in the Tender notice and Award Notice are for guidance only and have been uplifted to include any possible spend from other sites, bodies/Councils may join at any time during the life of the Framework.
The Awarded Contractors are -
Churchill Contract Services Ltd
Glendale Countryside Ltd
John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd
Mark Walker (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd
PGSD Ltd
Stewart Bullard and Son Ltd
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 27 Nov 2030, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Grounds maintenance services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Open framework
- Call-offs
- every call-off is a further competition among the appointed suppliers
- Bids received
- 7 bids received · 6 suppliers appointed
- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 1 Aug 2026
- Buyer regions
- UKH2
Who may buy through it
Please be aware that Sites and the sites of other bodies/Councils may join at any time during the life of the Framework. However, the Call-Off process, including the Mini-Competition, will be carried out by Hertfordshire County Council.
The advertised spend has allowed for some or all of the districts, boroughs and /or parish and town Councils join this Framework at a later stage (Devolution).
Published description of the framework
This is a Contract Details Notice and this opportunity is now closed.
Hertfordshire County Council went out to procurement for the Provision of a Framework for Grounds Maintenance Services.
The Council used the Open Procedure as defined in the Procurement Act 2023
The Council is awarding the Framework to the six bidders as listed in the Contract Award Notice.
Call-Offs Contracts under this Framework will be awarded in accordance with the ordering procedure detailed in Schedule 3 of the Framework which also contains the mini competition documents. All tenderers on the Framework will be invited to bid for the Call-Off Contracts.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£60,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.
- Technical & professional ability
Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.
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 award criteria (2)
- Price: Weightings - Price 40%, Quality 60%. Please refer to Section 4 of the Instructions to Tenderers for a full breakdown of the Award Criteria.
- Quality: Weightings - Price 40%, Quality 60%. Please refer to Section 4 of the Instructions to Tenderers for a full breakdown of the Award Criteria.
- Economic & financial standing
Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.
- Technical & professional ability
Please refer to the Instructions to Tenderers document.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “HCC Nov 25 - The Provision of a Framework for Grounds Maintenance…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: each call-off is a further competition, so the pricing contest starts after appointment.
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
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Please be aware that Sites and the sites of other bodies/Councils may join at any time during the life of the Framework. However, the Call-Off process, including the Mini-Competition, will be carried out by Hertfordshire County Council. The advertised spend has allowed for some or all of the districts, boroughs and /or parish and town Councils join this Framework at a later stage (Devolution).
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 27 Nov 2030
- First published
- 27 Nov 2025, 14:44 GMT
- Last source update
- 5 Aug 2026, 13:49 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 15 Apr 2026
- Authority reference
HCC2517236- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-077736- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ea47Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Invoices are to be submitted to the Council, in accordance with the Prices and Payment clause in the Conditions of the Framework. Payment will normally be made within thirty (30) days of receipt of a correct invoice.
- Risks
In furtherance of the UK Government's plans for English devolution, Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is consulting on plans for the reorganisation of local government structures in its county. This reorganisation may result in the county, district and borough councils of Hertfordshire being re-organised into a multi tiered unitary authority. HCC is required to submit its full plan for re-organisation to UK Government by November 2025, and any changes are estimated to take effect in April 2028 (although this is subject to change). Such changes could directly affect the structure, scope, or continuation of the contract beyond 1st April 2028. Whilst it is anticipated that existing contracts will be novated to the replacement authority, HCC can offer no guarantee at this stage.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 21 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 12 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
27 Nov 2025 → 5 Aug 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published329 days ago27 Nov 2025, 14:44 GMT
- Clarification questions by314 days ago12 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends274 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown21 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by189 days ago15 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent156 days ago19 May 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends142 days ago1 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts82 days ago1 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published78 days ago5 Aug 2026, 13:49 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 27 Nov 2025- Tender notice published27 Nov 2025, 14:44 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published20 May 2026, 08:47 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete20 May 2026, 08:47 BST
- Contract signature expected31 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published5 Aug 2026, 13:49 BSTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chequers Contract Services LimitedSME, Glendale Countryside Limited, John O'Conner Grounds Maintenance LtdSME, Mark Walker (Grounds Maintenance) LimitedSME, PGSD LimitedSME, Stewart Bullard and Son LimitedSMEThe Provision of a Framework for Grounds Maintenance Services1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030 | £60,000,000 | 19 May 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
HCC Nov 25 - The Provision of a Framework for Grounds Maintenance Services · Chequers Contract Services LimitedSME, Glendale Countryside Limited, John O'Conner Grounds Maintenance LtdSME, Mark Walker (Grounds Maintenance) LimitedSME, PGSD LimitedSME, Stewart Bullard and Son LimitedSME
- Signed
- 3 Aug 2026
- Value
- £60,000,000
- Period
- 3 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2030
- Status
- active
1 agreed KPI: Quality Assurance
- Quality Assurance, The use of the QA audit return sheets from schools/sites to ascertain the performance of the contract is a requirement of the Contractor to implement. A minimum of termly (3 x per year) for each school / site. Each QA must be signed off by the school / site and any actions required stated. All QAs are to be provided to the HCC Contract Manager before the next HCC Contractor meeting. A separate list of any issues and actions and resolutions is also to be provided by the Contractor before the HCC Contractor meeting.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7final-stage tenders | 5 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonCHEQUERS CONTRACT SERVICES LIMITED · East of England
- wonGLENDALE COUNTRYSIDE LIMITED · North West England
- wonJOHN O'CONNER (GROUNDS MAINTENANCE) LIMITEDSME · East of England
- wonMARK WALKER (GROUNDS MAINTENANCE) LIMITEDSME · East of England
- wonPGSD LIMITEDSME · Greater London
- wonSTEWART BULLARD & SON LIMITEDSME · East of England
- did not winAPA Contract Services Limited T/a ArborcareSME · East of England
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
13 commercial parties on the notice · 12 awarded- APA Contract Services Limited T/a ArborcareBidder / tenderer
- CHEQUERS CONTRACT SERVICES LIMITEDFramework contractor
- Chequers Contract Services LimitedFramework contractor
- GLENDALE COUNTRYSIDE LIMITEDFramework contractor
- Glendale Countryside LimitedFramework contractor
- JOHN O'CONNER (GROUNDS MAINTENANCE) LIMITEDFramework contractor
- John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) LtdFramework contractor
- MARK WALKER (GROUNDS MAINTENANCE) LIMITEDFramework contractor
- Mark Walker (Grounds Maintenance) LtdFramework contractor
- PGSD LIMITEDFramework contractor
Show 3 more suppliers
- PGSD LtdFramework contractor
- STEWART BULLARD & SON LIMITEDFramework contractor
- Stewart Bullard & Son LtdFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Please either register or log in to the above web address, and then 'express interest' and 'opt in' in order to view the full set of documentation relating to this tender opportunity.
- Signed contract
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender