Official UK procurement notice
Pole Planting Framework · UK public procurement notice
Authority: NATIONAL GRID UK LIMITED (Public body)
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNational Grid's objective is to select appropriate suppliers to create a Pole Planting Framework to supply services across the East and West Midlands, South West England and South Wales regions. The anticipated term of the framework will be a 5 year initial term with 3 1-year extension options if National Grid choose to exercise the right to extend.
National Grid UK spend approximately £27,000,000 per annum on Pole Planting Services however please note, this is an indicative figure across all areas and there is no guarantee of volumes under this Framework.
The Works cover some or all of the activities listed below, exact requirements will be detailed in the relevant Work Instruction:
- Provision of plant, machinery, and operatives for the excavation and standing of wood poles and/or associated stays.
- Transportation of transformers, switchgear, poles, and associated materials to site, including support with their erection, dismantling, and the removal of redundant equipment as scrap.
- Trenching, installation, repair, and testing of earthing systems; trenching and installation of service cables; and construction of joint bays at the base of overhead line poles operating on:
- Low Voltage (up to 1000 V)
- High Voltage (11,000 V)
- Extra High Voltage (33,000 V / 66,000 V) networks
The Works may include:
- Activities undertaken on the Public Highway and where specified, excavation and reinstatement works. Traffic management is to be carried out by National Grid's nominated provider.
- Provision of a 24-hour emergency response service, which may include planned standby, unplanned callouts, and response during significant weather-related events.
- Completion of all activities in compliance with National Grid Policies and Standard Techniques.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 May 2034, 23:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest on Wednesday 29th July 2026. The tender stages will be as follows: Pre-qualification; shortlisted suppliers invited to ITT/RFP; shortlisted suppliers invited to negotiations; award. The specific award criteria will be announced in the ITT/RfP documentation.
CPV: Construction machinery and equipment · Construction-related services · Overhead line construction
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Framework period
- 5 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 1 Feb 2027
Published description of the framework
Contract will be split into Lots according to NGED's four license areas. Up to 10 Contractors will be awarded a place on the framework per license area. The award decision will depend on a number of factors across the tender stages including technical and safety capabilities; ability to deliver the Works; Commercial offering and geographical coverage across all four license region(s). For the avoidance of doubt, Bidders will need to achieve a minimum satisfactory overall score to be considered for contract award.
The contracting entity for this Framework is National Grid UK Limited, and the following Group subsidiary companies within the National Grid UK Limited Group will be able to call-off the Framework Lots:
- National Grid Electricity Distribution (South West)
- National Grid Electricity Distribution (South Wales)
- National Grid Electricity Distribution (West Midlands)
- National Grid Electricity Distribution (East Midlands)
The call-off procedure under the Framework will be:
- Direct Award
- Mini-Competition
The method of allocation selected by National Grid for any particular Works shall be at National Grid's sole discretion and National Grid shall not be required to justify its choice of allocation method.
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Pole Planting Framework - East MidlandsRenewalPublished value£30,240,000
The Works cover some or all of the activities listed below across the East Midlands, exact requirements will be detailed in the relevant Work Instruction:
- The provision of plant, machinery, and operatives for the excavation and standing of wood poles and/or associated stays.
- Transportation of transformers, switchgear, poles, and associated materials to site, including support with their erection, dismantling, and the removal of redundant equipment as scrap.
- Trenching, installation, repair, and testing of earthing systems; trenching and installation of service cables; and construction of joint bays at the base of overhead line poles operating on:
- Low Voltage (up to 1000 V)
- High Voltage (11,000 V)
- Extra High Voltage (33,000 V / 66,000 V) networks
The Works may include:
- Activities undertaken on the Public Highway and where specified, excavation and reinstatement works. Traffic management is to be carried out by National Grid's nominated provider.
- Provision of a 24-hour emergency response service, which may include planned standby, unplanned callouts, and response during significant weather-related events.
- Completion of all activities in compliance with National Grid Policies and Standard Techniques.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers wishing to participate in this opportunity should complete the attached 'Expression of Interest (EOI) & SAP Ariba On-boarding Form' and return it to [email protected]
Completed forms must be returned no later than 16:00 BST on Monday 13th July 2026 to allow for suppliers to be on-boarded for the next stage of the tender process.
After the Tender Notice is issued on Find a Tender, National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest in response to this notice. The tender stages will be as follows: Pre-qualification; shortlisted suppliers invited to ITT/RFP; shortlisted suppliers invited to negotiations; award.
Lot #2Pole Planting Framework - West MidlandsRenewalPublished value£28,080,000
The Works cover some or all of the activities listed below across the West Midlands, exact requirements will be detailed in the relevant Work Instruction:
- The provision of plant, machinery, and operatives for the excavation and standing of wood poles and/or associated stays.
- Transportation of transformers, switchgear, poles, and associated materials to site, including support with their erection, dismantling, and the removal of redundant equipment
as scrap.
- Trenching, installation, repair, and testing of earthing systems; trenching and installation of service cables; and construction of joint bays at the base of overhead line poles operating on:
- Low Voltage (up to 1000 V)
- High Voltage (11,000 V)
- Extra High Voltage (33,000 V / 66,000 V) networks
The Works may include:
- Activities undertaken on the Public Highway and where specified, excavation and reinstatement works. Traffic management is to be carried out by National Grid's nominated provider.
- Provision of a 24-hour emergency response service, which may include planned standby, unplanned callouts, and response during significant weather-related events.
- Completion of all activities in compliance with National Grid Policies and Standard Techniques.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers wishing to participate in this opportunity should complete the attached 'Expression of Interest (EOI) & SAP Ariba On-boarding Form' and return it to [email protected]
Completed forms must be returned no later than 16:00 BST on Monday 13th July 2026 to allow for suppliers to be on-boarded for the next stage of the tender process.
After the Tender Notice is issued on Find a Tender, National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest in response to this notice. The tender stages will be as follows: Pre-qualification; shortlisted suppliers invited to ITT/RFP; shortlisted suppliers invited to negotiations; award.
Lot #3Pole Planting Framework - South WestRenewalPublished value£103,680,000
The Works cover some or all of the activities listed below across the South West of England, exact requirements will be detailed in the relevant Work Instruction:
- The provision of plant, machinery, and operatives for the excavation and standing of wood poles and/or associated stays.
- Transportation of transformers, switchgear, poles, and associated materials to site, including support with their erection, dismantling, and the removal of redundant equipment
as scrap.
- Trenching, installation, repair, and testing of earthing systems; trenching and installation of service cables; and construction of joint bays at the base of overhead line poles operating on:
- Low Voltage (up to 1000 V)
- High Voltage (11,000 V)
- Extra High Voltage (33,000 V / 66,000 V) networks
The Works may include:
- Activities undertaken on the Public Highway and where specified, excavation and reinstatement works. Traffic management is to be carried out by National Grid's nominated provider.
- Provision of a 24-hour emergency response service, which may include planned standby, unplanned callouts, and response during significant weather-related events.
- Completion of all activities in compliance with National Grid Policies and Standard Techniques.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers wishing to participate in this opportunity should complete the attached 'Expression of Interest (EOI) & SAP Ariba On-boarding Form' and return it to [email protected]
Completed forms must be returned no later than 16:00 BST on Monday 13th July 2026 to allow for suppliers to be on-boarded for the next stage of the tender process.
After the Tender Notice is issued on Find a Tender, National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest in response to this notice. The tender stages will be as follows: Pre-qualification; shortlisted suppliers invited to ITT/RFP; shortlisted suppliers invited to negotiations; award.
Lot #4Pole Planting Framework - South WalesRenewalPublished value£54,000,000
The Works cover some or all of the activities listed below across South Wales, exact requirements will be detailed in the relevant Work Instruction:
- The provision of plant, machinery, and operatives for the excavation and standing of wood poles and/or associated stays.
- Transportation of transformers, switchgear, poles, and associated materials to site, including support with their erection, dismantling, and the removal of redundant equipment
as scrap.
- Trenching, installation, repair, and testing of earthing systems; trenching and installation of service cables; and construction of joint bays at the base of overhead line poles operating on:
- Low Voltage (up to 1000 V)
- High Voltage (11,000 V)
- Extra High Voltage (33,000 V / 66,000 V) networks
The Works may include:
- Activities undertaken on the Public Highway and where specified, excavation and reinstatement works. Traffic management is to be carried out by National Grid's nominated provider.
- Provision of a 24-hour emergency response service, which may include planned standby, unplanned callouts, and response during significant weather-related events.
- Completion of all activities in compliance with National Grid Policies and Standard Techniques.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers wishing to participate in this opportunity should complete the attached 'Expression of Interest (EOI) & SAP Ariba On-boarding Form' and return it to [email protected]
Completed forms must be returned no later than 16:00 BST on Monday 13th July 2026 to allow for suppliers to be on-boarded for the next stage of the tender process.
After the Tender Notice is issued on Find a Tender, National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest in response to this notice. The tender stages will be as follows: Pre-qualification; shortlisted suppliers invited to ITT/RFP; shortlisted suppliers invited to negotiations; award.
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)
- Technical: 70%
- Commercial: 30%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical
- Commercial
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers wishing to participate in this opportunity should complete the attached 'Expression of Interest (EOI) & SAP Ariba On-boarding Form' and return it to [email protected]
Completed forms must be returned no later than 16:00 BST on Monday 13th July 2026 to allow for suppliers to be on-boarded for the next stage of the tender process.
After the Tender Notice is issued on Find a Tender, National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest in response to this notice. The tender stages will be as follows: Pre-qualification; shortlisted suppliers invited to ITT/RFP; shortlisted suppliers invited to negotiations; award.
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Pole Planting Framework” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 May 2034
- First published
- 3 Jul 2026, 12:35 BST
- Last source update
- 23 Jul 2026, 08:42 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 7 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
WS5718691657- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-069416- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c361Find a Tender
- How it runs
National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest on Wednesday 29th July 2026. The tender stages will be as follows: Pre-qualification; shortlisted suppliers invited to ITT/RFP; shortlisted suppliers invited to negotiations; award.
The specific award criteria will be announced in the ITT/RfP documentation.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 31 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Appointment period ends
- 14 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Responses to be submitted electronically via National Grid's Ariba SLP eSourcing platform. Full details of how to participate will be shared once National Grid receives Expressions of Interest.
Suppliers wishing to participate in this opportunity who did not respond to the previously issued 'UK3: Planned procurement notice - Pole Planting Framework' should complete the attached 'Expression of Interest (EOI) & SAP Ariba On-boarding Form' and return it to [email protected]
National Grid Procurement will issue the tender documents via SAP Ariba to those suppliers that have expressed their interest in response to this notice or the previous UK3 Notice issued at www.find-tender.service.gov.uk ↗ on Wednesday 29th July 2026
Timeline
3 Jul 2026 → 1 Feb 2027 · 7 dates- Planning notice published110 days ago3 Jul 2026, 12:35 BST
- Next notice expected93 days ago20 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published90 days ago23 Jul 2026, 08:42 BST
- Expressions of interest by82 days ago31 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends7 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown14 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 47 days7 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 102 days1 Feb 2027
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 3 Jul 2026- Planned procurement notice published3 Jul 2026, 12:35 BSTUK3
- Tender notice published23 Jul 2026, 08:42 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £216,000,00023 Jul 2026, 08:42 BST
- Status changed to active23 Jul 2026, 08:42 BST
- Procurement method changed23 Jul 2026, 08:42 BST
- Deadline published: 14 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST23 Jul 2026, 08:42 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Expression of Interest (EOI) & SAP Ariba On-boarding Form
- Bidding documents and specifications
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: The tender documents will be issued to interested parties via SAP Ariba.
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender