Official UK procurement notice
Lost Peatlands Connections (LPC) Project Evaluation
Authority: Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (Local council)
The Countryside & Wildlife Team (C&W Team) of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (the Council) are administrating a landscape-scale partnership project: Lost Peatlands Connections. The project intends to restore habitats in the upland landscape and four valleys of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taff whilst engaging and encouraging local communities and school children to get outside in their landscape to get healthier, carry out practical conversation management and learn about their local heritage. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), LPC must demonstrate its impact against project aims and NLHF investment principles. Stakeholder engagement will be required during the mid-term and final evaluation phases, including interviews with project partners, volunteers, and community representatives.
What is being bought
Published requirement description- INTRODUCTION
The Countryside & Wildlife Team (C&W Team) of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (the Council) are administrating a landscape-scale partnership project: Lost Peatlands Connections.
The project intends to restore habitats in the upland landscape and four valleys of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taff whilst engaging and encouraging local communities and school children to get outside in their landscape to get healthier, carry out practical conversation management and learn about their local heritage.
- BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Lost Peatlands Connections (LPC) project is a landscape-scale partnership led by Neath Port Talbot Council, working with Natural Resources Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, Coed Lleol, Vattenfall, the Woodland Trust, and the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.
The project aims to restore upland habitats, strengthen community connections to nature and heritage, and deliver inclusive engagement opportunities across the South Wales Valleys.
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), LPC must demonstrate its impact against project aims and NLHF investment principles.
The Council seeks to appoint an independent consultant to deliver a comprehensive evaluation of the project, ensuring accountability, learning, and legacy.
The evaluation will measure:
- Environmental outcomes (habitat restoration, biodiversity, climate resilience).
- Community engagement (education, volunteering, wellbeing).
- Cultural heritage impact (skills, storytelling, digital engagement).
- Organisational sustainability (partnership effectiveness, governance, legacy planning).
Evaluation must follow NLHF guidance:
www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/good-practic… ↗
2.1 LOCATION
The evaluation will be primarily desk-based, using monitoring data and documentation provided by the Lost Peatlands Connections (LPC) team.
Stakeholder engagement will be required during the mid-term and final evaluation phases, including interviews with project partners, volunteers, and community representatives.
Meetings and presentations will be conducted virtually or at Neath Port Talbot Council offices, with occasional site visits if deemed necessary for context.
2.2 PROJECT TIMESCALE
The evaluation is scheduled to run from December 2026 to July 2029, covering the full three-year delivery phase of the project.
Indicative milestones:
Contract Award & Inception Meeting: Q4 December 26
Preliminary Evaluation Report: March 2027
o Review project plans, grant documentation, and monitoring tools.
o Provide recommendations to ensure effective data collection.
Mid-Term Evaluation Report: April 2028
o Assess progress against project aims and NLHF principles.
o Include stakeholder interviews and recommendations for improvement.
Final Evaluation Report: August 2029
o Comprehensive analysis of project outcomes, governance, and legacy.
o Assess response to mid-term recommendations and overall impact.
Earlier delivery of any elements is welcomed and will be considered positively during evaluation, provided quality standards and compliance requirements are met.
- CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS
The appointed consultant will deliver an independent evaluation of the Lost Peatlands Connections (LPC) project, ensuring compliance with NLHF evaluation guidance and project objectives. The evaluation will cover environmental, social, cultural, and organisational outcomes.
Scope of Work
- Review Existing Monitoring Tools
a. Assess current monitoring systems and recommend improvements.
b. No requirement to design a full suite of tools from scratch.
- Data Analysis
a. Analyse monitoring data provided by the LPC team.
b. Data will be supplied in a structured, analysable format; consultant is not expected to digitize raw paper records.
- Evaluation Phases
a. Preliminary Evaluation (2027): Review project plans, grant documentation, and monitoring framework; provide recommendations for effective data collection.
b. Mid-Term Evaluation (2028): Assess progress against project aims and NLHF principles; include stakeholder interviews and recommendations.
c. Final Evaluation (2029): Comprehensive analysis of project outcomes, governance, and legacy; assess response to mid-term recommendations.
- Stakeholder Engagement
a. Stakeholder interviews will focus on project partners, volunteers, and community representatives during mid-term and final phases only.
- Reporting
a. Produce three reports: Preliminary, Mid-Term, and Final (English and Welsh for final report).
b. Reports must be clear, concise, and aligned with NLHF evaluation guidance.
- Compliance
a. Adhere to NLHF Evaluation Guidance:
www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding/good-practic… ↗
b. Ensure GDPR compliance; no collection of personal data beyond agreed stakeholder engagement.
c. Meet Welsh Language Standards for all outputs.
- Liaison and Updates
a. Provide regular progress updates via email and virtual meetings.
b. Attend inception and review meetings as agreed.
- Health & Safety
a. Comply with Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and relevant codes of practice.
- Future Use
a. Evaluation outputs should be suitable for dissemination to funders, stakeholders, and for informing future projects.
- DELIVERABLES
The consultant will provide:
- Preliminary Evaluation Report (March 2027)
a. Review of project plans, grant documentation, and monitoring framework.
b. Recommendations for effective data collection and evaluation approach.
- Mid-Term Evaluation Report (April 2028)
a. Assessment of progress against project aims and NLHF principles.
b. Stakeholder interviews and recommendations for improvement.
- Final Evaluation Report (August 2029)
a. Comprehensive analysis of project outcomes, governance, and legacy.
b. Assessment of response to mid-term recommendations.
- Bilingual Output
a. Final report provided in English and Welsh.
- Stakeholder Engagement
a. Interviews during mid-term and final evaluation phases.
- Regular Progress Updates
a. Liaison with the LPC team via email and virtual meetings at agreed intervals.
Maximum budget available: £35,175 excluding VAT. Submissions exceeding this amount will be disqualified.
CPV: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) services other than for construction · Environmental issues consultancy services · Environmental monitoring other than for construction · Evaluation consultancy services
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 sub-criteria (5)
- Understanding of Evaluation Requirements and Project Context: 21%
- Approach and Methodology: 21%
- Relevant Experience and Technical Expertise relevant to deliver this RFQ requirements: 21%
- Reporting and Innovation: 7%
- Cost: 30%
Published award criteria (5)
- Cost
- Understanding of Evaluation Requirements and Project Context
- Approach and Methodology
- Relevant Experience and Technical Expertise relevant to deliver this RFQ requirements
- Reporting and Innovation
No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £25,938 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council buys Environmental management (CPV 9071), and who usually turns up
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Environmental management (CPV 9071) →
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.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in Wales (Cymru).
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 57 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.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
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 bid33% / 26%
2–333% / 30%
4–620% / 21%
7+13% / 22%
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.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate53% / 51%
Within ±2%41% / 42%
Above estimate6% / 8%
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
Lot #1CPV 9071Published estimate£35k
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 bid41%
2–338%
4–617%
7+4%
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.
Based on 6 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£29k–£35k
Estimate£35k
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.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £5.1m33 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 12 live · £1.2m 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=1 | |
| £1.4m4 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 3 live · £191k 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. | 27% below n=1 | |
| £871k3 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 3 live · £871k 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=1 | |
| £84k2 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 1 live · £54k 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. | 18% below n=2 | |
| £325k6 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 1 live · £67k 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=3 |
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. Contracts Finder contracts appear on the Retender Radar, not yet in these figures.
- 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 earlier-work matches 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.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Below threshold - open competition
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 3 Nov 2026, 10:30 GMT
- Last source update
- 3 Nov 2026, 10:30 GMT
- Authority reference
CPU26-27-73- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-104059- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-07963fFind a Tender
How to participate & submission route
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 25 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 18 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
Suppliers’ Instructions ‘How to Express Interest in this ITT’:
- Register your company on the etenderwales portal (this is required only once. However if your details have changed since you registered you will need to up-date them).
- Browse to the eSourcing Portal: www.etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk ↗
- Click the ‘Suppliers register here’ link.
- Complete the ‘Organisation Details’ and ‘User Details’ sections.
- Note the username you choose and click ‘save’ when complete.
- You will shortly receive and email with your unique password (please keep this secure).
- Agree to the terms and conditions and click ‘continue’.
- Express an interest in the ITT.
- Login to the portal with the username / password.
- Click the ‘ITT Open to all Suppliers’ link.
- Alternatively, search for the relevant ITT (itt_128115).
- Click on the relevant ITT to access the content.
- Click the ‘Express Interest’ button on the right-hand side of the screen.
- This will move the ITT into your ‘My ITT pages’. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only.)
- Click on the ITT code, you can now access any attachments by selecting ‘Buyer Attachments’.
- Responding to the ITT.
- You can now choose to ‘Respond’ or ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining).
- Note the ‘Closing Date’, and then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the ITT.
Timeline
3 Nov 2026 → 16 Dec 2026 · 4 dates- Tender notice published15h ago3 Nov 2026, 10:30 GMT
- Today4 Nov 2026
- Clarification questions byin 14 days18 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 21 days25 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Contract startsin 41 days16 Dec 2026
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published3 Nov 2026, 10:30 GMTUK4
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
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender