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Mid Sussex District Council Hard Facilities Management Services

Mid Sussex District Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

08 Sep 2026 at 15:42

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Mid Sussex District Council is planning a future Hard Facilities Management services contract across its property estate in West Sussex, including Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and surrounding villages and rural areas. The estate is expected to cover approximately 118 office, operational, commercial, public-facing, community and temporary residential properties. The potential service covers planned preventative maintenance, statutory inspections and compliance, mechanical and electrical systems, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, boilers, fire safety, water hygiene and legionella control, lifts and lifting equipment, building fabric, roofing, drainage, streetlighting, civils and hard landscaping. It may also include reactive repairs, emergency call-outs, minor works, lifecycle replacement, asset records, compliance reporting, CAFM, helpdesk and performance management. The main service category is repair and maintenance services.

This procurement is at the planning stage and the current activity is voluntary preliminary market engagement, not a competition or invitation to tender. Suppliers may provide feedback by email by 25 September 2026. The Council expects to publish a further notice around 12 October 2026 and anticipates a Summer 2027 start. The proposed contract would run for four years from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2031, with extensions potentially taking it to 30 June 2033. Its estimated value is £2.4 million excluding VAT, or £2.88 million including VAT. The Council currently anticipates an NEC4 contract, with one lot and a route, lotting structure, final scope and evaluation approach to be developed through engagement. The potential contract is above threshold.

The engagement will suit established hard FM providers able to manage a varied public-sector estate and coordinate planned, reactive and emergency services across multiple building types. Relevant capability includes statutory compliance assurance, mechanical and electrical maintenance, fire systems, water hygiene, lifts, HVAC and boiler plant, building fabric and specialist servicing, alongside minor works and lifecycle projects. Suppliers should be able to maintain accurate asset and compliance records, operate CAFM and helpdesk systems, manage work orders, report performance and support KPI-led contract management. Experience of NEC4 delivery, mobilisation, risk allocation, service continuity and statutory reporting will be particularly relevant. The Council is seeking views on local supply chains, social value, apprenticeships, skills development, sustainability, innovation and whole-life asset management. The opportunity is identified as suitable for SMEs, and suppliers can help shape the future specification now.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Mid Sussex District Council Hard Facilities Management Services

Notice Description

Mid Sussex District Council is undertaking preliminary market engagement to inform the development of a potential future procurement for the provision of Hard Facilities Management services across its property estate. Mid Sussex District Council is a local authority in West Sussex, covering a district that includes the towns of Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead, together with surrounding villages and rural areas. The Council manages a varied property estate supporting public services, operational delivery, commercial activity and community use. Approximately 118 properties are expected to be included within the scope of the contract, subject to final confirmation of the property list, service requirements and procurement strategy. The Council is seeking to understand market interest, capacity, delivery models and supplier feedback before finalising its procurement strategy, service specification, commercial approach and timetable. This notice is intended to encourage early interest from suitably experienced providers and to support an open, fair and proportionate future procurement process. The anticipated scope may include, but is not limited to, planned preventative maintenance, statutory compliance, mechanical and electrical services, building fabric maintenance, reactive repairs, emergency call-outs, specialist servicing, asset data management, lifecycle advice, compliance reporting, minor works and works projects. The Contract may include provision for the delivery of minor works and project works up to an agreed value threshold, where these fall within the scope of the Hard FM Services. Any such works would be instructed in accordance with the MSDC Procurement Code, financial regulation and the Council's governance requirements. The Council would retain the right to test the market, seek alternative quotations, or otherwise satisfy itself that value for money is beng achieved. The appointed supplier will be expected to use the Council's CAFM system as required for receiving and managing work orders, updating asset and compliance records, reporting progress, and supporting effective contract management. The Council's estate may include, office, operational, commercial, public-facing and community buildings including temporary residential accommodation. The final property list, service scope, contract value, procurement route, lotting structure and contract duration have not yet been confirmed and may be refined following this engagement. The Council is currently proposing a contract term of four years, with the option to extend by up to two further periods of one year each, subject to performance, ongoing need and the Council's governance requirements. The anticipated contract commencement date is Summer 2027, subject to completion of procurement, award, governance approvals and mobilisation arrangements. The Council currently anticipates that the contract will be based on the NEC4 form of contract and will include requirements relating to social value, local supply chain opportunities, sustainability and wider community benefit. The detailed contractual model, performance mechanisms and social value requirements will be developed as part of the procurement preparation process and may be informed by supplier feedback received through this engagement. This preliminary market engagement exercise is not a procurement competition and does not commit the Council to commencing any procurement, awarding any contract, or accepting any proposal. The Council reserves the right to amend the scope, timetable, procedure, contract structure or any other aspect of any future opportunity following this engagement. Failure to respond to this notice will not affect your ability to participate in any future procurement exercise. The Council will take appropriate steps to ensure that any preliminary market engagement is conducted transparently and does not distort competition or provide any supplier with an unfair advantage.

Planning Information

The purpose of this preliminary market engagement is to: - raise awareness of the Council's potential future Hard FM opportunity; - understand the level of supplier interest and market capacity; - seek feedback on the proposed scope, delivery model and contract structure; - identify options for packaging, lots, mobilisation and transition; - understand market views on risk allocation, compliance management, performance reporting and commercial mechanisms; - explore opportunities for innovation, social value, sustainability and whole-life asset management; and - inform the Council's future procurement strategy and specification development. The Council is interested in supplier feedback on a potential Hard FM service model covering some or all of the following areas: - statutory inspections, testing, certification and compliance management; - mechanical, electrical and public health maintenance; - planned preventative maintenance programmes; - reactive maintenance and emergency response; - fire safety systems, alarms, emergency lighting and associated servicing; - water hygiene and legionella control; - lifts, hoists and lifting equipment maintenance; - heating, ventilation, air conditioning and boiler plant maintenance; - building fabric, roofing, gutters, doors, windows and drainage maintenance; - asset registers, condition data, compliance records and CAFM reporting; - Streetlighting, height restrictors, civils and hard landscaping, key lock, as required. - minor works, works projects, small projects and lifecycle replacement activity; and - performance management, helpdesk arrangements, KPI reporting and continuous improvement. The contract is also expected to include appropriate arrangements for out-of-hours emergency response, escalation and support where required, to ensure service continuity and effective management of urgent property-related issues. Suppliers are invited to review this published preliminary market engagement notice and, if they wish, provide brief feedback by completing the short market engagement response. The notice will be available to the full market and is intended to raise awareness of the potential opportunity ahead of the formal tender notice. All suppliers will be provided with the same core information. Any future procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Council's procurement governance requirements and relevant public procurement legislation. Participation in this engagement is voluntary. Participation, or non-participation, will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement process. This notice does not formally commence a procurement process and does not constitute a call for competition. The Council is particularly interested in supplier feedback on: - whether the proposed scope is clear, deliverable and attractive to the market; - views on the proposed contract duration of four years, with the option to extend by up to two further periods of one year each; - supplier experience of delivering Hard FM services under NEC4 forms of contract, including any comments on contract management, early warning processes, compensation events and performance mechanisms; - mobilisation requirements and realistic mobilisation timescales; - approaches to compliance assurance, risk management and statutory reporting; - CAFM, helpdesk, asset data and performance reporting requirements; - opportunities for local supply chain involvement, social value and sustainability; - how social value could be delivered through the contract, including local employment, apprenticeships, skills development, local supply chain involvement, sustainability and community benefit; - key risks that the Council should consider before tendering; and - any barriers that may prevent suppliers from bidding. Suppliers wishing to provide feedback should send a response to procurement@horsham.gov.uk, containing your answers to our list of questions below. Suppliers should not submit tenders, priced proposals or detailed solutions at this stage. Any information provided will be used solely to inform the Council's consideration of its future procurement approach. Suppliers should clearly identify any information in their response that they consider to be confidential or commercially sensitive and explain the reason for this. The Council will take reasonable steps to treat such information appropriately; however, suppliers should note that the Council is subject to statutory transparency obligations, including the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The Council cannot therefore guarantee that information will not be disclosed where disclosure is required by law. Suppliers should avoid submitting detailed pricing, proprietary solutions or information that is not necessary for this preliminary market engagement exercise. Your email response should contain your Organisation Name, Contact Name, Contact Role/Title, Email Address, Telephone Number, Website and a brief description of your organisation. Our Questions are as follows: 1) Would your organisation be interested in bidding for a future Hard FM opportunity with Mid Sussex District Council? Please briefly explain your interest. 2) Does the proposed scope appear clear, deliverable and attractive to the market? Please highlight any significant omissions, exclusions or areas requiring clarification. 3) Does the proposed contract model appear workable, including a four-year term with two optional one-year extensions, anticipated use of NEC4, and a Summer 2027 commencement date? 4) What should the Council consider in relation to mobilisation, statutory compliance, CAFM/reporting and service continuity? 5) Are there any key barriers to bidding, market issues or social value opportunities that the Council should be aware of before publishing the formal advert? 6) Do you have any thing else to add, particularly around the subject areas the Council is interested in supplier feedback on as outlined above?

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f4e1
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085032-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

50 - Repair and maintenance services

CPV Codes

50000000 - Repair and maintenance services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,400,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
12 Oct 20264 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2031 4-5 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
Mid Sussex District 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
HAYWARDS HEATH
Postcode
RH16 1SS
Postcode Area
Redhill
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ28 West Sussex (North East)
Delivery Location
TLJ28 West Sussex (North East)
Local Authority
Mid Sussex
Electoral Ward
Haywards Heath Lucastes & Bolnore
Westminster Constituency
Mid Sussex

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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