Witham Town Council Christmas Lights

1. INTRODUCTION

Witham Town Council invites tenders for the supply, installation, removal, and storage of Christmas lights for a five-year period, with a total contract value not exceeding £65,000. The successful contractor will provide a complete service to ensure the town's festive lighting is installed in time for the Christmas Market (second from last Saturday in November 2025), maintained during the season, removed in January, and stored securely for the following year.

2. CONTRACT OVERVIEW

• Contract Duration: 5 years (starting in November 2025)
• Total Budget: £65,000 (inclusive of all costs and expenses, excluding VAT)
• Client: Witham Town Council
• Locations: Various sites throughout Witham town centre (see Section 5)
• Key Dates:

o Installation to be completed by the second from last Saturday in November each year but not before Remembrance Sunday

o Removal and storage to take place in the first or second week of January

3. SPECIFICATION OF REQUIREMENTS

The successful contractor will be required to:

• Supply (lease), fit, install, remove, and securely store all festive lighting displays listed below for the contract period
• Provide two remote controls for operation of the lighting scheme
• Fit wi-fi receivers to all relevant items and supply a pre-programmed wi-fi transmitter
• Test and certify all electrical and mounting infrastructure, including catenary wire wall brackets
• Attend site for installation, removal, and any necessary maintenance or emergency call-outs
• Ensure all lighting is operational for the Christmas Market and throughout the festive period
• Remove and store all lighting in January each year

Lighting Requirements:

• At least 3 x 10-metre lines of twinkling lights (or similar) on the Town Hall building
• 1 x 14-metre cross-street light display across Newland Street (between buildings 55 and 64), including testing and certifying 4 wall brackets for the catenary wire
• 16 lamp column displays, each a minimum of 2 metres high
• Lighting incorporated into the live tree outside 70 Newland Street (Prezzo)
• At least 3,000 mini LED lights for the Christmas tree opposite the Town Hall
• Wi-fi receivers on all above items and a pre-programmed wi-fi transmitter
• Removal and storage of all lights during the contract period

Additional Information:

• The Christmas tree is typically 20-25 ft high and is installed opposite the Town Hall
• The live tree currently has 7 x 50cm spheres and 1,000 mini LEDs
• The contractor shall at all times comply with the requirements of all relevant Health and Safety legislation and all associated Acts, Regulations and Approved Codes of Practice relating to provisions of Christmas lighting installation and display.
• Under this project, the contractor is expected to pay its workers at least the Living Wage rate.
• The lights must be maintained during the period they are on display. A scheduled inspection of the display is required to ensure that everything is functioning correctly and to attend to any minor faults. In addition, a call out response of no more than 24 hours is required for major faults including, but not limited to, complete failure of light string, Christmas tree light failure, damage caused through vandalism, storms or road traffic accidents. All other faults require a 48 hour response time. If there is a charge for call outs, this must be stated in the quotation.
• The Contractor will also provide an out of hour's telephone number for contact during emergencies.

4. TENDER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Tenderers must submit:

• A fully costed proposal covering all aspects of the contract for the five-year period
• A suggested lighting design plan for the scheme
• Technical specification of all lighting and control equipment
• Risk and Method Statements will be required covering all elements of the works.
• Details of call-out and emergency procedures
• Evidence of public liability insurance (£10 million minimum)
• Evidence of employer's liability insurance (£10 million minimum)
• Professional Indemnity Insurance = £ 5,000,000
• Information on key personnel involved in the contract
• Details of similar projects completed in the last 12 months, with references
• Confirmation that all costs are included and accurate (unlisted costs will be deemed free of charge)
• Confirmation of site visits (if required)
• A statement of acceptance that the tender will remain open for up to six weeks from the closing date