Award

Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)

NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

22 Dec 2025 at 01:12

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

22 Dec 2025 at 00:39

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

North Hertfordshire District Council has completed the procurement process for a contract titled "Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)." This contract involves the provision of specialist urban planning consultancy services, particularly to support the Baldock and East of Luton development sites, which are part of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan. The buying organisation, located in Letchworth Garden City, utilised a direct award procurement method due to an absence of competition and the unique technical requirements that can only be met by the incumbent supplier, THE OYSTER PARTNERSHIP LIMITED. The award was made on 22 December 2025, and the contract is scheduled to start on 7 January 2026, lasting until 6 January 2027. This procurement falls under the services category, specifically focusing on strategic development management and Environmental Impact Assessment processes.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specialising in urban planning consultancy services, as it involves high-value strategic projects within the public sector. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly those with expertise in planning performance agreements and complex site management, would find this contract advantageous for growth. The specialised nature of the project, involving coordination with developers and other stakeholders, provides a platform for suppliers to deepen their engagement with local government projects and enhance their portfolio in the planning consultancy field.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)

Notice Description

North Hertfordshire District Council intends to directly award a public contract for the provision of specialist planning consultancy services in the role of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites). The services relate to supporting the progression and processing of a series of complex, strategic development management activities and Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) associated with the Baldock and East of Luton development sites, as allocated in the adopted North Hertfordshire Local Plan. The scope includes, but is not limited to: - Progression and coordination of strategic development management applications - Support to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping and associated statutory processes - Attendance at Design Review Panels, site visits and multi-disciplinary workshops - Liaison with developers, statutory consultees and internal Council stakeholders - Provision of continuity of embedded project knowledge across live planning applications and the transition from masterplanning into outline planning submissions The services are funded through Planning Performance Agreements with developers.

Procurement Information

North Hertfordshire District Council intends to make a direct award in accordance with Contract Procurement Rules 20.6(e) and Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023. Due to an absence of competition for objective technical reasons, the services required can only be effectively provided by the incumbent supplier. The consultant supplied by Oyster Partnership Ltd has been embedded in the Baldock and East of Luton strategic planning projects for over 12 months and possesses detailed, project-specific technical knowledge that cannot be replicated without significant duplication of work, delay, and material risk to delivery. The services relate to live development management applications, Environmental Impact Assessment scoping opinions, Design Review Panels, and Planning Performance Agreements associated with strategic housing allocations in the adopted North Hertfordshire Local Plan. Replacing the supplier at this stage would result in unacceptable operational disruption, increased risk of non-determination and appeal, loss of applicant confidence and funding, and harm to the Council's ability to discharge its statutory planning functions. A review of alternative suppliers has confirmed that no reasonable or technically equivalent alternative is available without disproportionate duplication of previous work and consequential operational risk. Competition is therefore absent for objective technical reasons within the meaning of Schedule 5, paragraph 6. Any change of supplier would undermine continuity of the existing services and embedded technical knowledge and would create disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and delivery, further evidencing the absence of reasonable alternatives.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085197-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71410000 - Urban planning services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£300,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Dec 20252 months ago
Contract Period
7 Jan 2026 - 6 Jan 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement.team@north-herts.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY
Postcode
SG6 3JF
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
North Hertfordshire
Electoral Ward
Letchworth South West
Westminster Constituency
North East Hertfordshire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THE OYSTER PARTNERSHIP

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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