Award

Complete Seeding Line

FORESTRY COMMISSION

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

04 Feb 2026 at 12:02

Award

04 Feb 2026 at 11:54

Summary of the contracting process

The Forestry Commission, operating from Bristol, United Kingdom, has successfully completed a procurement process for a "Complete Seeding Line" intended for enhancing seedling production. The procurement falls under the industry category of tree-nursery products and involves goods. This direct award contract, valued at £360,000 gross, with a net amount of £300,000, was awarded to BCC AB, a supplier based in Sweden known for their expertise in nursery equipment. The award date is set at 4th February 2026, with the contract period running from 16th February 2026 to 15th April 2026. The procurement method utilised was a direct award due to specific technical reasons, particularly the need for compatible equipment to handle peat-free substrate, identified through extensive market research.

This contract presents a substantial opportunity for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and those focused on innovative agricultural solutions, to capitalise on the demand for advanced nursery equipment. The project highlights the critical role of specialised machinery that supports sustainable practices, such as peat-free growing, aligning with the Forestry Commission's strategic objectives. Companies offering complementary technologies or those already equipped to handle advanced tray-filling and seeding technologies are well-positioned to benefit from similar future opportunities and collaborations. The emphasis on both efficiency and sustainability in this procurement indicates a market shift towards environmentally conscious and technically advanced solutions, setting a precedent for upcoming tenders in similar fields.

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Notice Title

Complete Seeding Line

Notice Description

New complete seedling line for container-grown production including bale-breaker, tray-filling equipment, cork covering equipment and drum seeder including drum replacements for different tray configurations and seed morphology.

Procurement Information

Active market research has been conducted over the past years visiting other nurseries in the UK and Europe speaking with other growers and machinery manufacturers. Evidence of this research can be provided upon request. There are no other suppliers considered in this procurement that are able to deliver turn-key solutions like the BCC/Flier seeding line. BCC is the main contractor, working with Flier Systems to deliver highly specialized nursery equipment. Having done extensive research into comparable tray-filling equipment, it has not been possible to locate another suitable supplier that provides a tray-filler that combines vibration and active compaction. Existing JAVO and Da Ros fillers have proven insufficient to fill our trays with peat free substrate, resulting in machinery downtime, increased maintenance and service costs, and significantly lower yield. Vibration and active compaction has proven essential for effectively processing peat-free compost as demonstrated by the existing BCC tray-filler on site. Peat free growing is a switch that was made 3 years ago and placed us as leaders in the sector. The flow and filling of trays is vital to producing plugs that are suitable for automation equipment, therefore making this a crucial step to optimizing start-to-finish processes that formed part of the recent investments. When the plugs are not sufficiently held together, the new transplanting equipment struggles to effectively transplant miniplugs, which puts efficiency and cost-savings proposed through the investment at risk. Aligning machinery with existing equipment would also be critical for maintenance and service. Adding new equipment from different machine suppliers increases complexity of maintenance schedules and costs and reduces operational agility. Many machine suppliers such as Viscon are based in mainland Europe, increasing difficulty of part imports. Whilst Flier/BCC are also based in mainland Europe, parts ordering and service provision is already in placed for existing equipment, reducing barriers for service and repair. Additionally parts are interchangeable between machinery, allowing for faster repairs and more efficient parts management.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0646c1
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009912-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

03 - Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products


CPV Codes

03450000 - Tree-nursery products

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
4 Feb 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
4 Feb 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
16 Feb 2026 - 15 Apr 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FORESTRY COMMISSION
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
commercial.services@forestryengland.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS16 1EJ
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Stoke Park & Cheswick
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BCC

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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