Planning

Operational Services Plant Health

FORESTRY COMMISSION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

06 Mar 2026 at 13:43

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Forestry Commission, a public authority under sub-central government, is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "Operational Services Plant Health." This initiative, which focuses on forestry services, aims to bolster plant health operations across the UK, including England, Wales, and Scotland. The engagement addresses a range of services like forest works management, incineration, and arboricultural operations, and potential suppliers are invited to partake by 10 April 2026. Interested parties can express interest by completing an online questionnaire, facilitating essential data collection to inform procurement strategy. The contract for these services is set to commence on 1 September 2026, providing a significant opportunity in the forestry industry.

This procurement presents tangible opportunities for businesses in the forestry industry to expand their operations and participate in a multi-lot framework agreement. Suitable for SMEs and VCSEs, the initiative allows suppliers to tender for one or more specialised lots covering diverse services such as ecological assessments and groundworks. Companies with expertise in forestry operations or related services can leverage this opportunity to engage in mini-competitions, potentially securing contracts valued at £240,000. The preliminary market engagement phase ensures that the Forestry Commission can understand the interest and capacity of suppliers, enabling strategic decisions that promise equitable opportunities for all participants.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Operational Services Plant Health

Notice Description

Provision of operational plant health services to ensure rapid, effective, and compliant responses to tree health incidents across the UK. These services may include, but are not limited to, Forest Works Management, Incineration, and Arboricultural operations, enabling a flexible and scalable response capability that can be deployed in England, Wales, and Scotland in support of the UK's Plant Health Service. As part of this procurement, a range of forestry operational services will be considered, with each work area appointed under separate lots and awarded through mini-competitions. Suppliers may tender for one or more lots aligned to the services they are able to deliver. Work areas currently anticipated to fall within scope include: - Forestry operations including harvesting - Forest works management - Ecological and operational site assessment - Land Agent services - Incineration - Vegetation management - Groundworks, including civil engineering and ground reparation activities

Planning Information

The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement is to gather information from the market to help shape the upcoming procurement for forestry operational services that support plant health operations. The information collected will support the Forestry Commission in understanding supplier capacity, geographic coverage, and interest across proposed work areas. Suppliers will be invited to participate by completing an online questionnaire, accessed directly through a link provided in this notice. Please copy and paste this into your browser. https://forms.office.com/e/xE1QuGiRS7. The questionnaire will gather essential information including: Company name and contact details Regional coverage Work areas they can deliver, aligned to the forestry operational service categories under consideration. This format provides a quick and efficient way for suppliers to express interest and ensures that we collect consistent, comparable data to inform lot design and procurement strategy. Suppliers must complete the online form no later than 10 April 2026. This exercise is not a call for competition, and responses will not be used to evaluate or shortlist suppliers. Participation in this engagement does not guarantee inclusion in any future procurement process. The Forestry Commission may refine the scope or approach based on the information received. All suppliers will be treated fairly, and no organisation will receive an unfair advantage as a result of this engagement.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066436
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020417-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

77 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

CPV Codes

77200000 - Forestry services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£200,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Jun 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 30 Aug 2034 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FORESTRY COMMISSION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

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

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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