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Appointment of a Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy Team for Cemetery Provision Project

Ards and North Down Borough Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

16 Oct 2026 at 13:57

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Ards and North Down Borough Council is planning to appoint a multidisciplinary consultancy team for a cemetery provision project in the borough. The work is intended to secure long-term burial capacity through a new cemetery on an approximately 24-acre site, currently being acquired, and an extension to an existing Council cemetery. The new site is expected to be developed from RIBA Stage 0 through design, construction, commissioning and operational handover, including planning approval and statutory consents. The existing cemetery extension may require detailed design input, with possible further extension proposals during the appointment. The project aims to provide for the borough’s burial needs for more than 30 years. The Council is seeking supplier feedback to shape the eventual scope, which remains subject to change.

This is the planning and pre-market engagement stage, not a formal tender. The Council intends to run a competitive tender under the Procurement Act 2023 after scoping the requirement. The engagement questionnaire is due by 6 November 2026; participation is voluntary and will neither advantage nor disadvantage suppliers in the later competition. The engagement does not commit the Council to proceed. The estimated procurement value is £800,000 excluding VAT (£960,000 including VAT). The planned contract period is from 1 May 2027 to 31 December 2029. The procurement is currently described as a single lot. Its detailed scope and the eventual evaluation criteria have not yet been settled; supplier feedback is intended to help define the appointment.

The work is likely to suit multidisciplinary consultancies able to bring together the design and project management expertise needed to take a cemetery development from early-stage planning through construction, commissioning and handover. Relevant experience includes securing planning permission and statutory consents, designing cemetery facilities and associated infrastructure, and supporting delivery of operational public facilities. Suppliers with capability in cemetery planning and design, and in advising on burial capacity over the long term, may be well placed to contribute. Experience with detailed design for extensions to existing cemetery sites would also be relevant, with possible further extension work envisaged. The Council is using this engagement to hear from experienced suppliers and refine the scope, so firms can help inform the future requirement before the formal competition.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Appointment of a Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy Team for Cemetery Provision Project

Notice Description

Ards and North Down Borough Council has a statutory responsibility to provide sufficient burial provision to meet the present and future needs of the Borough. The Council is progressing a Cemetery Provision project to secure long-term burial capacity through the extension of an existing provision, and the development of a new cemetery site capable of serving the Borough's needs for the next 30+ years. Council is progressing the acquisition of a new cemetery site of approximately 24 acres. This site will need to be developed from RIBA Stage 0. The Cemetery Provision project also includes an extension to an existing Council cemetery of 0.95 hectares, for which planning approval is currently being sought. The ICT may be required to provide detailed design input for this site and support the development of any future extension proposals arising during the appointment. The scope of the ICT is not finalised at this stage and is subject to change at the Council's discretion. Anticipated Project Deliverables For the new site; * RIBA Stages 0-7 including; * Planning approval and statutory consents for the proposed new cemetery development. * Design and development of a new cemetery facility to meet the Borough's future burial needs for the next 30+ years. * Construction and commissioning of a fully operational cemetery, including associated infrastructure and facilities. * Operational handover of the completed facility to the Council. For the existing site; * Detailed design input into extension of an existing cemetery site. * Potential design and development of future extension of an existing cemetery site. The purpose of this preliminary market engagement is to seek feedback and insights from experienced suppliers to help shape the scope for the appointment of a multi-disciplinary Consultancy Team.

Planning Information

The Council's intention is to commence a competitive tender process under the Procurement Act 2023 through eTendersNI. Interested suppliers will not be advantaged or prejudiced by participation or non-participation in the pre-market engagement. Participation or non-participation in this PME exercise will not prevent any supplier from participating in any future procurement process. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of a formal procurement process. In accordance with section 82 of the Procurement Act 2023, the Council will take all reasonable steps to ensure that no conflict of interest puts any supplier at an unfair advantage or disadvantage in relation to this procurement. To ensure a level playing field for all parties and without breaching commercial confidentiality, all relevant information shared or gathered during this engagement will be made available to all potential suppliers as part of the forthcoming competitive tender process. This market engagement process does not commit the Council to any course of action and is not a formal part of the tender process that will follow. Suppliers who wish to participate in the market engagement exercise should complete the PME questionnaire which can be downloaded from the CfT documents area of Resource ID 6790076 on eTendersNI (https://etendersni.gov.uk). The questionnaire must be completed and returned via the CfT's Messaging area on eTendersNI in accordance with the instructions detailed in the PME Questionnaire document. There are no formal tender documents to be completed other than the questionnaire. **Please Note: All completed questionnaires must be submitted via the CfT's (Resource ID 6790076) messaging area on eTendersNI (https://etendersni.gov.uk)**

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078996
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097981-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

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

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

72224000 - Project management consultancy services

79415200 - Design consultancy services

98371110 - Cemetery services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£800,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 May 2027 - 31 Dec 2029 2-3 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
Ards and North Down Borough 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
BANGOR
Postcode
BT20 4BT
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN09 Ards and North Down
Delivery Location
TLN09 Ards and North Down
Local Authority
Ards and North Down
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
North Down

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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