Award

Mystery Shopping at Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC's)

KENT COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

24 Mar 2026 at 08:47

Tender

13 Jan 2026 at 14:05

Summary of the contracting process

Kent County Council, a public authority within sub-central government, is overseeing the procurement process for "Mystery Shopping at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC's)" across Kent. The procurement falls under the customer survey services category, with a focus on assessing and improving service delivery at 19 HWRC sites in the UKJ region. The process utilised an open, below-threshold competition method. The contract period, starting from May 2026 to April 2029, includes an option for a 12-month extension. The procurement process is complete as of 24 March 2026, following the tender and award stages, with the contract valued at £160,000 (gross £192,000).

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in customer survey services, particularly those well-acquainted with the mystery shopping approach. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) like Mystery Shoppers Ltd, who possess the necessary capacity for conducting regular and discrete site visits, maintaining comprehensive data storage, and providing detailed monthly reports, would be well-positioned to compete. As the awarded supplier, Mystery Shoppers Ltd will have the chance to further establish its credibility in the public sector, potentially leading to future business opportunities with councils aiming to enhance service quality and operational efficiencies in waste management facilities.

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Notice Title

Mystery Shopping at Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC's)

Notice Description

KCC has the statutory responsibility to provide a Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) service to residents, of which we currently have 19 in Kent. The HWRCs are for the disposal of household waste and accept a wide range of materials. Trade waste is accepted at a number of sites. Mystery shopping has proven to be an effective tool for independently assessing the quality of service delivery, identifying areas for improvement, identifying health and safety issues, informing staff training, operational decisions and maintaining site cleanliness at each of the HWRC's. KCC requires a contract for Mystery Shopping at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) for a period of 36 months from May 2026 to April 2029 , with the option of an additional 12 month extension if required. The supplier must have the following as a minimum: *Capacity - the supplier must have the capacity to undertake four monthly visits to each of the 19 sites across Kent. *Personnel - the supplier must have sufficient personnel resources to ensure the Mystery Shopper are not recognised by HWRC staff. *Data Storage - the suppliers must have the ability to store the data it collects. *Monthly Reporting - the supplier must have the ability to provide monthly reporting to the Council on the results of its surveys.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The contract may be extended by a further period of up to 1 year.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0604b6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026574-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

79342310 - Customer survey services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£160,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£160,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£160,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
9 Feb 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
23 Mar 20261 months ago
Contract Period
30 Apr 2026 - 30 Apr 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
KENT 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
MAIDSTONE
Postcode
ME14 1XQ
Post Town
Rochester
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ45 Mid Kent
Delivery Location
TLJ South East (England)

Local Authority
Maidstone
Electoral Ward
Penenden Heath
Westminster Constituency
Maidstone and Malling

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MYSTERY SHOPPERS

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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