The Provision of Treatment of Street Sweeping Arisings from North Herts and Welwyn Hatfield 2026-2030

HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

30 Apr 2026 at 11:01

Award

30 Apr 2026 at 10:34

PlanningUpdate

21 May 2025 at 15:16

Planning

20 May 2025 at 16:42

Summary of the contracting process

Hertfordshire County Council has awarded a contract to BIFFA Waste Services Limited for the treatment of street sweeping arisings from North Herts and Welwyn Hatfield, spanning from 2026 to 2030. Located in Stevenage, the council is a sub-central government authority in the United Kingdom. The procurement process was completed through a direct award method after the initial competitive tender failed to attract any suitable bids for two specific lots. The contract, valued at £690,000, focuses on services within the waste management industry category and will commence on 14th May 2026, with potential for an optional one-year extension. The award was published on 30th April 2026, underlining an approach necessitated by time constraints and limited market interest, aiming to ensure consistent service delivery across the Hertfordshire region.

The tender represents a strategic opportunity for businesses specialising in waste management services, particularly those able to provide comprehensive solutions for street sweepings. Large-scale companies or those capable of adapting their collection methodologies to utilise articulated lorries would find this contract advantageous for expansion. Moreover, the contract's configuration supports ongoing business growth through its renewal potential beyond 2030. Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) may find opportunities in sub-contracting roles or by preparing to bid for possible future adjustments or rebids of this or similar contracts. The procurement highlights the advantage of having flexibility and the ability to conform to direct award requirements when market competition is sparse.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

The Provision of Treatment of Street Sweeping Arisings from North Herts and Welwyn Hatfield 2026-2030

Notice Description

The collection, transport and treatment of street sweepings collected by North Hertfordshire District Council and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Procurement Information

In November 2025, the Waste Management Unit (WMU) team at Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) issued an open procurement for HCC2517040 - The Provision of Treatment of Street Sweeping Arisings 2026-2030. The contract covered the collection, transport and treatment of street sweepings collected by all ten (10) Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs) in Hertfordshire. To facilitate the tender process and reflect the operational boundaries, the procurement was divided into ten (10) lots, one for each district/borough. By the submission deadline in January 2026, only one tender was received. The sole tenderer, Biffa Waste Services Ltd (Biffa), submitted bids for eight (8) out of the ten (10) lots. North Herts and Welwyn Hatfield received no bids. Evaluation and call-in procedure were completed in February 2026. Biffa on 5th March 2026 was awarded a contract for the eight (8) lots it tendered for. The HCC WMU team held further discussions with Biffa regarding the two unbid lots. Biffa expressed interest in delivering these services, subject to a minor adjustment to the collection methodology, moving from the current "collect and swap container" model to the use of an articulated lorry. HCC is satisfied that the conditions of contract have not been significantly altered. As no suitable tenders were received following a competitive process, HCC determined that it was appropriate to proceed with a direct award for the remaining two lots as permitted under Section 43(1) of the Procurement Act 2023, where a competitive process has failed to produce any suitable bids. HCC considers that an award under Section 19 is not possible in the circumstances. The original open tender attracted only a single bid for eight (8) out of the ten (10) lots. The collection methodology for the eight (8) lots was the use of an articulated lorry. This outcome demonstrates a very limited level of market interest in delivering the service model. HCC has assessed whether amending the two lots which received no bids through a minor change to the collection methodology (to the use of an articulated lorry) would be likely to generate additional competition. HCC has concluded that such changes would not materially alter supplier capability or appetite. On this basis, HCC considers this to indicate that, even if the unsuccessful lots were amended by making a minor adjustment to the collection methodology, the likelihood of receiving a bid from another supplier would remain remote. The successful Bidder has also confirmed that they would honour the same pricing applied to the eight (8) lots they were awarded for the remaining two (2) lots. Given this, it is unlikely that re-running the procurement would deliver better value. Moreover, the time constraints would have made it highly challenging to maintain continuity of service across Hertfordshire's network. Without this direct award, the only viable alternative would have been to dispose of street sweepings through more expensive and less environmentally sustainable methods.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-051985
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039805-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

90500000 - Refuse and waste related services

90612000 - Street-sweeping services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,100,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£690,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Apr 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
27 Apr 20261 months ago
Contract Period
13 May 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
STEVENAGE
Postcode
SG1 2FQ
Post Town
Stevenage
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Stevenage
Electoral Ward
Symonds Green
Westminster Constituency
Stevenage

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BIFFA WASTE SERVICES

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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