Official UK procurement notice
Supply of spring / summer bedding and horticultural products
Authority: Birmingham City Council (Local council)
What is being bought5 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionBirmingham City Council's framework for the provision of Supply of spring / summer bedding and horticultural products
The goods and services are required to be delivered within Birmingham. The framework will commence on or around 1st March 2026 and will be in place for a period of 3 years with the option to extend for a further 1 year subject to satisfactory performance, business needs and funding availability.
This framework will supply finished plant material and sundries, so the nursery can carry out its contractual obligations to supply BCC Parks with their bedding requirements, Floral Enhancement requirements for the cities BID Areas, external plant production & provide a service to the public via the retail outlet.
The framework agreement will be for the sole use of Birmingham City Council
The framework will consist of 5 lots;
- Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
- Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
- Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
- Lot 4 The supply of Compost
- Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
Tenderers may bid for one or more or all Lots.
A maximum of 3 Providers will be appointed to each lot.
The Framework Agreement and Call-off Contract have been included in the tender document pack.
Lots 1, 3, 4 and 5 were not awarded due to no tender submissions.
- How the procedure runs: This will be detail in the tender documentation.
- No preliminary market engagement: A well-established nature of the UK bedding plant and horticultural supply sector. The market is mature, with a wide range of capable suppliers both local and national who are familiar with the requirements of public sector contracts, particularly those involving seasonal bedding plants, compost, and horticultural sundries and who could undertake the work. Bedding plants remain a core category in garden centre sales, particularly during spring and early summer, with strong consumer demand driven by interest in seasonal colour and pollinator-friendly varieties.
CPV: Bedding plants · Composting services · Horticultural and nursery products · Horticultural products · Live plants, bulbs, roots, cuttings and slips · Plants
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Places
- up to 15 suppliers · 3 bids received (0.2 per place) · 2 appointed
- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 Mar 2026
Published description of the framework
The Framework Agreement and Call-off Contract are included in the tender document pack.
There are two routes which the Council can utilise to award Call-Off Contracts for the goods/ services required, either calling-off without competition or by conducting a further competition. Under the framework contracts can only be awarded to the approved framework providers. The Council will identify the call-off route which best meets its requirements but retains the option to use either method.
Call-off without competition - The provider ranked first for each Lot will be approached to confirm if they are able to meet the Council's timescales and confirm their costs to deliver the goods/services. If they are able to do so, they will be awarded the Call-Off Contract.
Further competition - All the providers for the relevant Lot of the framework will be invited to tender for the goods/services. Only those providers awarded under each Lot will be able to tender for competition within the individual lot.
A maximum of 3 Providers will be appointed to each lot.
Lots and requirements (5)Procurement structure
5 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lotEvery one of these 2 lots carries the same published figure, £128,000: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1The supply of Plant ProductionAwardedRenewalceiling above
To Supply a various selection of Perennial, Annual & Pot plant plugs, that are disease free, well rooted & ready to pot on.
- Economic & financial standing
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All conditions of participation are detailed in the tender documents, including the following requirements: bidder's financial capacity, legal capacity and technical ability.
- Technical & professional ability
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All technical specifications related to this Framework Agreement can be accessed via the tender documents.
Lot #2The Supply of Finished Bedding PlantsAwardedRenewalPublished value£266,000
To supply Summer, Autumn & Floral enhancement finished bedding. Must conform to BS3936 & be free from Pest & disease.
- Economic & financial standing
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All conditions of participation are detailed in the tender documents, including the following requirements: bidder's financial capacity, legal capacity and technical ability.
- Technical & professional ability
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All technical specifications related to this Framework Agreement can be accessed via the tender documents.
Lot #3The Supply of Horticultural Materials/SundriesAwardedRenewalceiling above
Supply high quality horticultural materials, sundries & some Ad-hoc horticultural supplies. To include nursery equipment such as patio containers & baskets that are required for the general day-to-day running of the nursery & all the associate tasks in plant production.
- Economic & financial standing
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All conditions of participation are detailed in the tender documents, including the following requirements: bidder's financial capacity, legal capacity and technical ability.
- Technical & professional ability
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All technical specifications related to this Framework Agreement can be accessed via the tender documents.
Lot #4Supply of CompostAwardedRenewalPublished value£140,000
To supply a professional Quality Mix designed to look after plants in hanging baskets, containers, general bedding, potting & multipurpose retail mix. Can be delivered lose, bulk bags or individual bags & must be sourced from FSC certified forest.
- Economic & financial standing
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All conditions of participation are detailed in the tender documents, including the following requirements: bidder's financial capacity, legal capacity and technical ability.
- Technical & professional ability
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All technical specifications related to this Framework Agreement can be accessed via the tender documents.
Lot #5The Supply of Speed PlantersAwardedRenewalPublished value£18,000
To Supply a number of pre-planted speed planter units, that can be used for basket or container planting.
- Economic & financial standing
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All conditions of participation are detailed in the tender documents, including the following requirements: bidder's financial capacity, legal capacity and technical ability.
- Technical & professional ability
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All technical specifications related to this Framework Agreement can be accessed via the tender documents.
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).
- Economic & financial standing
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All conditions of participation are detailed in the tender documents, including the following requirements: bidder's financial capacity, legal capacity and technical ability.
- Technical & professional ability
Lot 1 The supply of Plant Production
Lot 2 The supply of Finished Bedding
Lot 3 The supply of Horticultural sundries e.g. containers etc.
Lot 4 The supply of Compost
Lot 5 The supply of Speed Planters
All technical specifications related to this Framework Agreement can be accessed via the tender documents.
- “Supply of spring / summer bedding and horticultural products” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 15 suppliers, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 2 Sept 2025, 16:12 BST
- Last source update
- 17 Dec 2025, 17:28 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 21 Nov 2025
- Authority reference
P1113- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-053277- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-059281Find a Tender
- How it runs
This will be detail in the tender documentation.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 1 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 24 Sept 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
This framework agreement is being issued using the Council's e-tendering system 'In-tend' and organisations must ensure that they are registered users. The procurement process will be managed using this system and therefore all bids must be submitted by Tenderers via the 'in-tend' system. in-tendhost.co.uk/birminghamcc ↗ Registration and use of in-tend is free. All correspondence for this procurement process must be via the in-tend correspondence function and you should not contact any individual directly either by email or by telephone. If you are already a registered user, you do not have to re-register. If you are unable to register with in-tend or are experiencing difficulties, please email the [email protected]. Tender deadline submission is noon on 1st October 2025.
Timeline
2 Sept 2025 → 1 Mar 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published2 Sept 2025, 16:12 BST
- Clarification questions by391 days ago24 Sept 2025, 12:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends384 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown1 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by333 days ago21 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent308 days ago17 Dec 2025
- Latest notice published307 days ago17 Dec 2025, 17:28 GMT
- Standstill ends294 days ago30 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts234 days ago1 Mar 2026
Notice history
6 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 2 Sept 2025- Tender notice published2 Sept 2025, 16:12 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published8 Sept 2025, 13:26 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published8 Sept 2025, 15:24 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published17 Dec 2025, 17:28 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete17 Dec 2025, 17:28 GMT
- Contract signature expected20 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-09: 1 release · 2 Sept 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 2 · The Supply of Finished Bedding Plants1 award | |||
| Amethyst Horticulture LtdSME, Nottingham City Council (Local Government Authority)The supply of Finished Bedding1 Mar 2026 – 28 Feb 2029 · up to 1 Mar 2030Extensions: This will be subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability | £113,604 | 17 Dec 2025standstill to 30 Dec 2025 | Standstill |
| Across several lots1 award | |||
| supplier not published | — | 17 Dec 2025 | Awarded |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 · The Supply of Finished Bedding Plants | 3final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
2 commercial parties on the notice- Amethyst Horticulture LtdFramework contractor
- Nottingham City CouncilFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender