Mid Sussex District Council Hard Facilities Management Services

The purpose of this preliminary market engagement is to:

• raise awareness of the Council's potential future Hard FM opportunity;
• understand the level of supplier interest and market capacity;
• seek feedback on the proposed scope, delivery model and contract structure;
• identify options for packaging, lots, mobilisation and transition;
• understand market views on risk allocation, compliance management, performance reporting and commercial mechanisms;
• explore opportunities for innovation, social value, sustainability and whole-life asset management; and
• inform the Council's future procurement strategy and specification development.

The Council is interested in supplier feedback on a potential Hard FM service model covering some or all of the following areas:

• statutory inspections, testing, certification and compliance management;
• mechanical, electrical and public health maintenance;
• planned preventative maintenance programmes;
• reactive maintenance and emergency response;
• fire safety systems, alarms, emergency lighting and associated servicing;
• water hygiene and legionella control;
• lifts, hoists and lifting equipment maintenance;
• heating, ventilation, air conditioning and boiler plant maintenance;
• building fabric, roofing, gutters, doors, windows and drainage maintenance;
• asset registers, condition data, compliance records and CAFM reporting;
• Streetlighting, height restrictors, civils and hard landscaping, key lock, as required.
• minor works, works projects, small projects and lifecycle replacement activity; and
• performance management, helpdesk arrangements, KPI reporting and continuous improvement.

The contract is also expected to include appropriate arrangements for out-of-hours emergency response, escalation and support where required, to ensure service continuity and effective management of urgent property-related issues.

Suppliers are invited to review this published preliminary market engagement notice and, if they wish, provide brief feedback by completing the short market engagement response. The notice will be available to the full market and is intended to raise awareness of the potential opportunity ahead of the formal tender notice.

All suppliers will be provided with the same core information. Any future procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Council's procurement governance requirements and relevant public procurement legislation.

Participation in this engagement is voluntary. Participation, or non-participation, will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement process. This notice does not formally commence a procurement process and does not constitute a call for competition.

The Council is particularly interested in supplier feedback on:

• whether the proposed scope is clear, deliverable and attractive to the market;
• views on the proposed contract duration of four years, with the option to extend by up to two further periods of one year each;
• supplier experience of delivering Hard FM services under NEC4 forms of contract, including any comments on contract management, early warning processes, compensation events and performance mechanisms;
• mobilisation requirements and realistic mobilisation timescales;
• approaches to compliance assurance, risk management and statutory reporting;
• CAFM, helpdesk, asset data and performance reporting requirements;
• opportunities for local supply chain involvement, social value and sustainability;
• how social value could be delivered through the contract, including local employment, apprenticeships, skills development, local supply chain involvement, sustainability and community benefit;
• key risks that the Council should consider before tendering; and
• any barriers that may prevent suppliers from bidding.

Suppliers wishing to provide feedback should send a response to [email protected], containing your answers to our list of questions below.

Suppliers should not submit tenders, priced proposals or detailed solutions at this stage. Any information provided will be used solely to inform the Council's consideration of its future procurement approach.

Suppliers should clearly identify any information in their response that they consider to be confidential or commercially sensitive and explain the reason for this. The Council will take reasonable steps to treat such information appropriately; however, suppliers should note that the Council is subject to statutory transparency obligations, including the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The Council cannot therefore guarantee that information will not be disclosed where disclosure is required by law. Suppliers should avoid submitting detailed pricing, proprietary solutions or information that is not necessary for this preliminary market engagement exercise.

Your email response should contain your Organisation Name, Contact Name, Contact Role/Title, Email Address, Telephone Number, Website and a brief description of your organisation.

Our Questions are as follows:

1. Would your organisation be interested in bidding for a future Hard FM opportunity with Mid Sussex District Council? Please briefly explain your interest.
2. Does the proposed scope appear clear, deliverable and attractive to the market? Please highlight any significant omissions, exclusions or areas requiring clarification.
3. Does the proposed contract model appear workable, including a four-year term with two optional one-year extensions, anticipated use of NEC4, and a Summer 2027 commencement date?
4. What should the Council consider in relation to mobilisation, statutory compliance, CAFM/reporting and service continuity?
5. Are there any key barriers to bidding, market issues or social value opportunities that the Council should be aware of before publishing the formal advert?
6. Do you have any thing else to add, particularly around the subject areas the Council is interested in supplier feedback on as outlined above?