Official UK procurement notice
Port Waste Management Services
Authority: Belfast Harbour (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBHC is seeking to enter into a contract with a suitably qualified and experienced supplier for the provision of port waste management services.
BHC is seeking to appoint a supplier to provide port waste management services to facilitate the landing of waste from all vessels, excluding scheduled ferry services and other exempted vessels arriving at Belfast Harbour. The service provided shall include the provision of waste receptacles to facilitate the landing and segregation of waste from commercial vessels including cruise ships arriving at any quays and wharves operated by BHC and from leisure vessels visiting Belfast Marina. The service shall include the provision of appropriate waste receptacles on quays, segregations of waste streams, supervision of waste and recycling activities on site, the provision of appropriate waste transfer notes and receipts, transfer of waste to licensed recycling and final disposal sites and the maintenance of associated records in accordance with the Port Waste Management Plan and prevailing legislation.
Currently the services consist of the collection, transfer, storage and re-use, recycling or disposal of all solid waste produced by vessels calling at Belfast Harbour. The current service is based on the provision of up to 28 covered and lockable skips for special (Category 1 international catering/galley waste), up to 28 skips for ship (non-galley) and up to 7 roll on roll off containers for cargo generated waste located in accordance with the Port's Waste Management Plan, the current draft of which is attached at Appendix 3 of the PQQ. Current facilities for Belfast Harbour Marina consist of 8 x 240L waste receptacles located at the service areas on the pontoon located in Abercorn Marina adjacent to the Odyssey Arena. All waste receptacles are required to be marked and colour coded. Any waste receptacle must be capable of being moved, removed or replaced at any time for operational reasons anywhere within the Harbour at no additional cost. The services are required 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Appropriate records of services provided must be retained and maintained and produced to BHC upon request at any time.
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations and/or the Service Provision Change (Protection of Employment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 may apply to the staff/operatives currently engaged in the provision of the services. Further information will be provided at the Invitation to Tender stage of the process. Bidders will be required to seek their own advice, make their own investigations and include for this if applicable in their tender responses.
Further information on the scope of services required by BHC is provided at Appendix 5 (Specification) to the PQQ.
In terms of further specific functional and performance requirements for the services:
(a) the services will be required on a 24/7/365 basis;
(b) the successful Bidder will be responsible for the collection, removal, treatment/recycling and final disposal of ships waste and cargo waste in accordance with all applicable legislation, regulations and codes of conduct throughout the duration of the contract, including, without limitation, the legislation and regulations outlined in the draft Port Waste Management Plan enclosed at Appendix 3 to the PQQ;
(c) Bidders should note that the waste services required for the Harbour Office, Harbour workshops and port operations facilities are excluded from the scope of services required;
(d) the successful Bidder will be expected to deal with small quantities of hazardous waste, such as oily rags, filters, paint, fluorescent tubes, small quantities of waste electrical equipment, lubricants and spent cleaning materials within the scope of the contract awarded and at no extra cost to BHC;
(e) the successful Bidder will be required to deal with all cruise ship waste, a breakdown of the composition of which is attached as Appendix 6 to the PQQ;
(f) a minimum of 90% of collected non-category 1 international catering/galley waste must be diverted from landfill by the service provider by applying the waste hierarchy;
(g) all requisite documentation and licences (e.g. waste transfer notes) must be retained, maintained and made available for inspection by BHC at any time upon request, both during the term of the contract and for a period of 2 years thereafter;
(h) all Category 1 international catering/galley waste must be handled and disposed of to the satisfaction of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland; and
(i) the only facilities BHC will make available for provision of the services are sites for the location of waste receptacles at the plan attached at Appendix 4 of the PQQ.
The supplier will be required to maximise opportunities for re-use and recycling of waste streams and to ensure efficiency by identifying opportunities for improvement and waste reduction
Bidders should further note that:
(a) cruise ship visits to the Harbour are estimated to be likely to increase from 141 in total during 2026 to 150 in 2030 (largely during the months of April to October);
(b) BHC holds a waste exemption licence for short term storage of ship's waste on designated quays within Belfast Harbour;
(c) any alterations proposed to the Port Waste Management Plan, enclosed at Appendix 3 to the PQQ, must be approved in advance by the Maritime Coastguard Agency; and
(d) scheduled ferry services are excluded from the services.
- How the procedure runs: It is anticipated that the tender process will proceed through the following stages: 1. Tender Notice published and pre-qualification documentation made available. 2. Pre-Qualification responses evaluated and shortlist of Bidders selected. 3. Invitation to Tender and associated documents issued to shortlisted Bidders. 4. Tender submissions evaluated. 5. Optional BAFO stage. 6. BAFO submissions (if requested) evaluated. 7. Issue assessment summaries and publish contract award notice. 8. Standstill period 9. Contract award finalised. BHC reserves the right at any time to: - reject any or all responses and to cancel or withdraw from this tender process at any time; - award a contract without prior notice; - change the basis of, the procedures and timescales set out or referred to within the tender documents; - require a Bidder to clarify any submissions in writing and/or to provide additional information. The costs of responding to this notice and participation in this process will be borne by each Bidder. All discussions and correspondence will be deemed strictly subject to contract until a formal contract is entered into. The formal contract shall not be binding until it has been signed and dated by the duly authorised representatives of both parties. If at any time during the tender process or post award it comes to the attention of BHC (by whatever means) that a supplier has become 'excluded' or 'excludable' (as defined by section 57 of the Procurement Act 2023) BHC, after complying with its obligations under the Procurement Act 2023, reserves the right to exclude that supplier from the procurement process or terminate any contract awarded to that supplier. Bidders are advised that BHC has appointed Carson McDowell to act on its behalf in relation to this procurement process, as per the terms of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. Given Carson McDowell's prior involvement in the preparation for and/or during the procurement process, Carson McDowell may not be a part of a Bidder's Team or act as a Bidder's advisor in relation to this procurement process. Bidders must not contact Carson McDowell, directly or indirectly, with a view to obtaining information in relation to this procurement process.
CPV: Refuse and waste related services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£1,400,000
- Economic & financial standing
Conditions of Participation are as stated in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
- Technical & professional ability
Conditions of Participation are as stated in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Subject to a sufficient number of compliant responses being received, BHC intends (in accordance with the process described in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) to invite a maximum of the top five (5) ranked compliant Bidders to the Invitation to Tender stage of this process, provided that BHC, acting at its discretion, reserves the right to invite less than five (5) Bidders to tender. Where there is a tie for fifth (5th) place, all Bidders in fifth (5th) place will be invited to tender. For the purposes of this exercise, a tie for fifth (5th) place is deemed to occur where two or more Bidders have identical scores.
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)
- Quality
- Price
- Economic & financial standing
Conditions of Participation are as stated in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
- Technical & professional ability
Conditions of Participation are as stated in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Subject to a sufficient number of compliant responses being received, BHC intends (in accordance with the process described in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) to invite a maximum of the top five (5) ranked compliant Bidders to the Invitation to Tender stage of this process, provided that BHC, acting at its discretion, reserves the right to invite less than five (5) Bidders to tender. Where there is a tie for fifth (5th) place, all Bidders in fifth (5th) place will be invited to tender. For the purposes of this exercise, a tie for fifth (5th) place is deemed to occur where two or more Bidders have identical scores.
- Price carries 60 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 6 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
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
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA, CPTPP)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 7 Jul 2026, 09:06 BST
- Last source update
- 7 Jul 2026, 09:06 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 31 Oct 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-063419- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c4c0Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Payment terms will be set out in the contract.
Bidders should note that:
- BHC reserves the right to require bonds, deposits, guarantees or other forms of security to ensure proper contractual performance. The financial capacity Conditions of Participation for this tender process (as set out in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) also set out specific requirements in this regard.
- Subject to the status and involvement of the parties, BHC may require the parties to commit to joint and several liability in respect of the contract. Alternatively, BHC may require the lead operator to take total responsibility or a consortium to form a legal entity before entering into any contract.
- How it runs
It is anticipated that the tender process will proceed through the following stages:
- Tender Notice published and pre-qualification documentation made available.
- Pre-Qualification responses evaluated and shortlist of Bidders selected.
- Invitation to Tender and associated documents issued to shortlisted Bidders.
- Tender submissions evaluated.
- Optional BAFO stage.
- BAFO submissions (if requested) evaluated.
- Issue assessment summaries and publish contract award notice.
- Standstill period
- Contract award finalised.
BHC reserves the right at any time to:
- reject any or all responses and to cancel or withdraw from this tender process at any time;
- award a contract without prior notice;
- change the basis of, the procedures and timescales set out or referred to within the tender documents;
- require a Bidder to clarify any submissions in writing and/or to provide additional information.
The costs of responding to this notice and participation in this process will be borne by each Bidder. All discussions and correspondence will be deemed strictly subject to contract until a formal contract is entered into. The formal contract shall not be binding until it has been signed and dated by the duly authorised representatives of both parties.
If at any time during the tender process or post award it comes to the attention of BHC (by whatever means) that a supplier has become 'excluded' or 'excludable' (as defined by section 57 of the Procurement Act 2023) BHC, after complying with its obligations under the Procurement Act 2023, reserves the right to exclude that supplier from the procurement process or terminate any contract awarded to that supplier.
Bidders are advised that BHC has appointed Carson McDowell to act on its behalf in relation to this procurement process, as per the terms of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. Given Carson McDowell's prior involvement in the preparation for and/or during the procurement process, Carson McDowell may not be a part of a Bidder's Team or act as a Bidder's advisor in relation to this procurement process. Bidders must not contact Carson McDowell, directly or indirectly, with a view to obtaining information in relation to this procurement process.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 11 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 11 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 31 Jul 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Not allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Requests to participate (i.e. completed Pre-Qualification Questionnaires) must be submitted by email to [email protected] in accordance with the instructions specified in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
The pre-qualification documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/corporate/tenders ↗
Bidders who wish to participate in this tender process will be required to provide their contact details before downloading the pre-qualification documents. Bidders who fail to provide their details to BHC or register in this manner will not receive any clarifications or updated information provided by BHC during the tender process.
Bidders are advised not to include marketing information, brochures or links to other documents within their Pre-Qualification Questionnaire responses. Emails which contain suspicious contents or links to third party servers or websites may be quarantined or rejected by the BHC email filtering systems.
It is the Bidder's responsibility to ensure that a delivery receipt is received for Pre-Qualification Questionnaire submissions. BHC does not accept any responsibility for the premature opening or mishandling of PQQ documents that are not submitted in accordance with these instructions.
Timeline
7 Jul 2026 → 1 Dec 2026 · 5 dates- Tender notice published107 days ago7 Jul 2026, 09:06 BST
- Clarification questions by83 days ago31 Jul 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline72 days ago11 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 10 days31 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 40 days1 Dec 2026
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published7 Jul 2026, 09:06 BSTUK4
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications List of associated tender documents is provided in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, which is available at: https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/corporate/tenders/
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender