Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 1 Nov 2026, 16:04 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Vigo Parish Council - Grounds Maintenance, Grass Cutting and Tree Works Contract

Authority: Vigo Parish Council (Local council)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£396,000≈ £99k / year · £475,200 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 30 Nov 202623:59 GMT · 28 days left
Clarification cut-off 20 Nov 202623:59 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 4 yrsends 31 Mar 2031 · up to 31 Mar 2033 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027
Notice summaryFrom the published notice

Vigo Parish Council invites tenders from suitably qualified and experienced contractors for the provision of grounds maintenance, grass cutting and tree works within the parish of Vigo, Kent. The contract covers the maintenance of Parish Council owned land and public open spaces, including grass cutting, grassland management, tree and woodland maintenance, shrub and vegetation management, and associated grounds maintenance activities. The contract will be for an initial period of four years, with the option to extend for two further periods of one year each, giving a maximum duration of six years. The successful contractor will be required to provide suitably qualified personnel, appropriate equipment, effective supervision and emergency response arrangements in accordance with the Council's Service Specification. Full details of the services, required standards, frequencies, contract conditions and tender evaluation criteria are provided in the tender documentation.

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Vigo Parish Council invites tenders from suitably qualified and experienced contractors for the provision of grounds maintenance, grass cutting and tree works within the parish of Vigo, Kent.

The contract covers the maintenance of Parish Council owned land and public open spaces, including grass cutting, grassland management, tree and woodland maintenance, shrub and vegetation management, and associated grounds maintenance activities.

The contract will be for an initial period of four years, with the option to extend for two further periods of one year each, giving a maximum duration of six years.

The successful contractor will be required to provide suitably qualified personnel, appropriate equipment, effective supervision and emergency response arrangements in accordance with the Council's Service Specification.

Attendance at a pre-tender site visit is mandatory. Full details of the services, required standards, frequencies, contract conditions and tender evaluation criteria are provided in the tender documentation.

  • Not divided into lots: The Parish Council considered dividing the contract into separate lots for grounds maintenance, grass cutting and tree works. However, a single contract is considered more appropriate to provide a coordinated approach to the management and maintenance of Parish Council-owned land, ensure clear lines of responsibility, and reduce the administrative burden of managing multiple contracts. The Council considers that a combined contract will support efficient service delivery, consistent standards and effective coordination of routine and emergency works. Subcontracting of specialist activities will be permitted, subject to the requirements of the contract.
  • The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Oct 2032, 23:59 BST.

CPV: Grounds maintenance services · Tree pruning and hedge trimming · Tree-maintenance services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 4 yrsSMEPublished value£396,000
Contract period: 1 Apr 2027 – 31 Mar 2031 (4 yrs) · up to 31 Mar 2033 with extensionsValue: £396,000 exc. VAT · £475,200 inc. VAT
Delivery: South EastEligibility: SME eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£197,864/yr≈ 2× annual value
Extensions: The contract may be extended by up to two additional periods of one year each, following the initial four-year term. Each extension will be subject to the Parish Council's decision to exercise the relevant extension in accordance with the contract terms. The maximum total contract duration, including both extensions, will be six years.
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Tenderers must confirm that they have, or will obtain no later than 14 days before commencement of the Contract, public liability insurance of at least £10 million and employers' liability insurance where legally required.

    Tenderers must also confirm that they have sufficient financial capacity to deliver the contract for its duration. The Council reserves the right to seek proportionate supporting evidence where reasonably necessary before making an award decision.

    No audited accounts are required as a condition of participation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Tenderers must demonstrate that they have the relevant experience, technical competence, staffing, resources and equipment necessary to deliver the grounds maintenance services described in the tender documents.

    Tenderers must demonstrate appropriate health and safety competence, including the qualifications, training and experience necessary for any specialist activities, including tree work where applicable.

    Tenderers must explain how they will provide sufficient staff, suitable plant and equipment (which may be owned or hired), and manage any subcontractors used to deliver the contract. The main contractor will remain responsible for the performance of subcontractors.

    Tenderers must describe their approach to delivering the required quality of service and managing environmental considerations relevant to the contract.

    Relevant experience and references must be provided as specified in the tender documents. Equivalent qualifications, standards and evidence will be accepted where appropriate.

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids are scored
Quality: 65%Price: 35%
Published sub-criteria (6)
  • Emergency response, resilience and ability to access Vigo: 20%
  • Experience and relevant track record: 15%
  • Staffing, resources and continuity: 15%
  • Quality and approach to service delivery: 10%
  • Understanding of Vigo and the Contract: 5%
  • Price: 35%
Published award criteria (6)
  • Price: Evaluation of the total tender price for the contract, in accordance with the pricing schedule and the evaluation methodology set out in the Invitation to Tender. Weighting: 35%.
  • Emergency response, resilience and ability to access Vigo: Assessment of the tenderer's ability to respond to urgent and emergency work, provide resilient service cover, and access Vigo reliably, including during adverse weather and other operational difficulties.
  • Experience and relevant track record: Assessment of relevant experience delivering comparable grounds maintenance, tree work and open-space services, supported by appropriate examples and references.
  • Staffing, resources and continuity: Assessment of staffing levels, supervision, equipment and other resources, together with arrangements for absence cover, continuity and maintaining the required service throughout the contract.
  • Quality and approach to service delivery: Assessment of the proposed approach to delivering the specification, maintaining appropriate standards of workmanship, managing environmental considerations and ensuring reliable service delivery.
  • Understanding of Vigo and the Contract: Assessment of the tenderer's understanding of Vigo's sites, local conditions, service requirements and practical challenges, and how these will be addressed when delivering the contract.
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Tenderers must confirm that they have, or will obtain no later than 14 days before commencement of the Contract, public liability insurance of at least £10 million and employers' liability insurance where legally required.

    Tenderers must also confirm that they have sufficient financial capacity to deliver the contract for its duration. The Council reserves the right to seek proportionate supporting evidence where reasonably necessary before making an award decision.

    No audited accounts are required as a condition of participation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    Tenderers must demonstrate that they have the relevant experience, technical competence, staffing, resources and equipment necessary to deliver the grounds maintenance services described in the tender documents.

    Tenderers must demonstrate appropriate health and safety competence, including the qualifications, training and experience necessary for any specialist activities, including tree work where applicable.

    Tenderers must explain how they will provide sufficient staff, suitable plant and equipment (which may be owned or hired), and manage any subcontractors used to deliver the contract. The main contractor will remain responsible for the performance of subcontractors.

    Tenderers must describe their approach to delivering the required quality of service and managing environmental considerations relevant to the contract.

    Relevant experience and references must be provided as specified in the tender documents. Equivalent qualifications, standards and evidence will be accepted where appropriate.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 35 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £197,864 (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 Vigo Parish Council buys Logging services (CPV 7721), and who usually turns up

Vigo Parish Council has little published record in this market. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Logging services (CPV 7721) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerVigo Parish Council · this authority
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no supplier sizes published · market: CPV 7721 · South East England, n=11
—91%

Across this market, small firms won 91% of awards with a known supplier size.

How often do local suppliers win?
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 South East England.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no winner locations published · market: CPV 7721 · South East England, n=18
—78%

Across this market, 78% of winners were registered in the delivery region.

How long to a decision?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no decision dates published · market: CPV 7721 · UK-wide, n=22
—35 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 35 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no awards on record · market: CPV 7721 · South East England, n=18
—28%

Across this market, at least 28% of awarded procurements had no recorded rival.

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyerNo bid counts published
The market5 lots with bid counts · CPV 7721 · South East England
20% had one bid
Market · select a colour for counts
1 bid20%
Market: 1 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
2–30%
Market: 0 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
4–660%
Market: 3 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
7+20%
Market: 1 of 5 lots with published bid counts.

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyerNo estimate-and-award pairs published
The market8 lots with estimate and award · CPV 7721 · South East England
63% below estimate
Market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate63%
Market: 5 of 8 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%13%
Market: 1 of 8 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate25%
Market: 2 of 8 lots with an estimate and award.
2

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.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 7748 monthsSME suitablePublished estimate£396k

This lot lists more than one class in CPV 77. The comparison uses that group.

Expected competition
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.

5expected bids9% chance of a single bid
similar past contests in this category: 10
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid9%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 9%. This is a forecast.
2–310%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 10%. This is a forecast.
4–659%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 59%. This is a forecast.
7+21%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 21%. This is a forecast.
Commercial price forecast
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 9 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.

£396kLevel with estimate
9 comparable awards
Forecast compared with the buyer’s estimate
Middle 50%£382k–£396k
Half of likely prices fall between £382,429 and £396,000.
Estimate£396k
The buyer published an estimate of £396,000 for this lot.
A 44% chance the award lands exactly on the estimate.

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.

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.

SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
7 panel places
£146m32 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago18 live · £107m
i

Public 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=17
8 panel places
£11m36 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago11 live · £3.6m
i

Public 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=12
£356k3 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago2 live · £342k
i

Public 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.

7% below n=2
£101k1 award in 36m · last 9 months ago1 live · £101k
i

Public 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.

no comparable pairs
£157k3 awards in 36m · last 8 months agoNone on file33% below 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.
  • 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
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Yes · next expected 1 Oct 2032
First published
1 Nov 2026, 16:04 GMT
Last source update
1 Nov 2026, 16:04 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 18 Jan 2027
Authority reference
VPC-GM-2027
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-103504
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Grounds maintenance servicesTree pruning and hedge trimmingTree-maintenance services
Delivery area
South East (UKJ4)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-079513 Find a Tender
Contract terms summary

Vigo Parish Council will pay valid, undisputed invoices within 30 days of receipt, in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

Invoices must clearly identify the services provided and the relevant billing period. Any disputed invoices will be raised with the contractor for resolution.

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via portal
Submission portal named on this notice: portal not identified
Electronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Tender submission deadline
30 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Clarification deadline
20 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Tenders must be submitted electronically to

[email protected]

by the deadline stated in this notice.

The dedicated tender mailbox will remain unopened until the submission deadline has passed. Late submissions will not be accepted.

All tender documents must be completed and submitted in accordance with the Invitation to Tender.

Clarification questions must be sent to [email protected], not to the tender submission address.

Council website: www.vigo-pc.gov.uk/Tender_Documents_443… ↗

Published estimate £396,000 excludes VAT (£475,200 including VAT).

Timeline

1 Nov 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published8h ago
    1 Nov 2026, 16:04 GMT
  2. Today
    2 Nov 2026
  3. Clarification questions byin 18 days
    20 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  4. Submission deadlinein 28 days
    30 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  5. Award decision expected byin 77 days
    18 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract startsin 149 days
    1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    1 Nov 2026, 16:04 GMT
    UK4

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

Vigo Parish Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJPD-5727-HBBH Vigo Parish Council, Village Hall The Bay, Vigo, Vigo, Gravesend, South East, DA13 0TDContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (9)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Technical specifications tenderTechnical specificationsVigo Parish Council Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031 - Service Specification, site maps and supporting tender documents.
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPDFInvitation to Tender - Vigo Parish Council Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPDFDraft Contract - Vigo Parish Council Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031, including provisions for two optional one-year extensions.
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPDFService Specification - Vigo Parish Council Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031, setting out the required grass cutting, grounds maintenance, tree and woodland management services.
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPDFAppendix A - Grass Cutting Schedule and Maps, detailing the grass cutting areas and requirements for Vigo Parish Council's Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031.
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPDFAppendix B - Site Information and Community Land Maps, identifying the principal areas and assets covered by Vigo Parish Council's Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031.
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsDOCXTender Response Form (Editable) - Vigo Parish Council Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031, to be completed and submitted by tenderers with their supporting documents.
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsPDFEvaluation and Award Criteria - Vigo Parish Council Grounds Maintenance Contract 2027-2031, detailing the tender assessment methodology and scoring criteria, with 65% quality and 35% price weighting.

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender