Tender

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Grounds maintenance

Cottenham Parish Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

17 Oct 2026 at 10:35

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Cottenham Parish Council sought grounds maintenance and village upkeep services across Cottenham, Cambridgeshire. The work is divided into three lots: maintenance of Cottenham Recreation Ground, village grass cutting, and general village maintenance. Recreation Ground duties cover football pitches, the cricket square and outfield, play areas and skatepark, including line marking, seasonal pitch preparation and monthly equipment safety checks. Grass cutting covers six village sites, with five additional sites subject to specialist regimes and some areas left uncut during May. Village maintenance includes upkeep of planted and open spaces, noticeboards, the war memorial and village sign, hedge and weed control, bin emptying, litter picking, bus shelter cleaning and planter care. The recreation ground also accommodates community and sports facilities, so work must be planned around their use.

The council invited quotations through an open procedure, with bids submitted in English in a sealed envelope to the Parish Clerk. The submission deadline was 16 November 2026 at 12:00 UTC; the stated award decision date was 2 December 2026. The contract was due to run from 1 January to 31 December 2027, with options to extend annually to a maximum total term of three years, subject to budget availability, price negotiation and satisfactory performance. Estimated values are £37,000 for the Recreation Ground lot, £9,500 for grass cutting and £7,500 for village maintenance, excluding VAT. Each lot is evaluated on quality (60%) and cost (40%). Quality scoring includes references, staff experience, method statements, public liability insurance, training or safety certification, and equalities policies. The lots are identified as suitable for SMEs.

This opportunity suits grounds-maintenance contractors able to deliver recurring, scheduled work across sports facilities, amenity grassland and public spaces. Bidders for the recreation-ground work need capability in maintaining football pitches and cricket facilities, including line marking, seasonal preparation and cricket-square care; experience using PitchPower assessments is advantageous. The specification calls for appropriate machinery, equipment and materials, competent staff, and the ability to maintain facilities to standards agreed with the council, sports clubs and governing bodies. Across the lots, suppliers must work flexibly around fixtures, bookings and community activities, support biodiversity through suitable regimes, and comply with health and safety, environmental and waste-disposal requirements. The council expects reliable delivery, effective seasonal planning, prompt reporting of hazards or defects, accurate work records and good communication. References, staff experience, method statements, valid public liability insurance, relevant training or safety certification, and equalities policies contribute to the quality assessment. The work is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Grounds maintenance

Notice Description

Cottenham Parish Council is seeking a suitably experienced and reliable contractor to provide grounds maintenance, grass cutting and general village maintenance services throughout Cottenham, Cambridgeshire. The contract will include routine grass cutting across designated areas of the village, including specialist cutting regimes for ecological and biodiversity areas, and comprehensive grounds maintenance at Cottenham Recreation Ground. The Recreation Ground accommodates seasonal football and cricket pitches, children's playgrounds, a skatepark and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA). It is also home to Cottenham Village Hall, the sports pavilion, a pre-school and a nursery facility. The contractor will be responsible for maintaining sports pitches to the standards required by the Parish Council, local sports clubs and their respective governing bodies. Works will include regular grass cutting, football pitch line marking, cricket outfield maintenance, seasonal pitch preparation and other associated maintenance. Experience of PitchPower assessments and implementing the resulting maintenance recommendations would be advantageous. General village maintenance will include emptying designated public refuse bins, litter picking, cleaning bus shelters and noticeboards, and maintaining designated verges, green spaces and other public areas. The contract may also include seasonal maintenance, weed control and other routine environmental tasks specified by the Parish Council. The successful contractor will be expected to: Deliver services in accordance with agreed schedules, seasonal requirements and specified maintenance standards. Apply appropriate maintenance regimes to sports pitches, amenity grassland and ecological areas, supporting biodiversity while maintaining safe, accessible and attractive public spaces. Plan works around sporting fixtures, facility bookings and community activities, minimising disruption to users and visitors. Provide suitably trained and competent staff, appropriate machinery, equipment and materials. Comply with relevant health and safety legislation, risk assessments, safe working practices, environmental requirements and waste disposal regulations. Maintain effective communication with the Parish Council and promptly report defects, hazards, vandalism or other issues identified during site visits. Maintain accurate records of completed works and report any incidents or work that cannot be completed as scheduled. Demonstrate reliability, flexibility, value for money and a proactive approach to maintaining public spaces. The contract requires a high standard of workmanship, effective seasonal planning and a responsive service that meets the needs of the Parish Council, sports clubs, community facilities and residents. Detailed specifications, site locations, work frequencies and required service standards will be provided in the tender documentation.

Lot Information

Recreation Ground

Mowing - Football pitches, cricket outfield playgrounds and other grassed public areas at the recreation ground (with the exception of the MUGA BNG Grassland) Football line marking Cricket Square - Cutting, watering (as required), spiking (as required), marking, rolling Seasonal maintenance for football and Cricket square Play areas and skatepark - Grass cutting and strimming around equipment as required + monthly safety check of equipment General recreation ground maintenance The main sports facility is currently divided into three distinct areas, Fields 1-3 (F1-3). * F1 has the primary adult 11v11 football pitch * F2 has 11v11 and 9v9 football pitches, football training area, cricket square and field * F3 has 11v11, small 11v11, 9v9, 7v7 and 5v5 football pitches

Renewal: The contract is for an initial 1-year term, with the option to extend each and every year up to a total of a 3-year term (each additional year will be subject to budget availability, price negotiation and satisfactory contractor performance).

Grass cutting

Fortnightly cutting to six sites around the village with some areas to remain uncut during May ("No Mow May"). In addition there are 5 'specialist' sites with their own regime as detailed in the tender document.

Renewal: The contract is for an initial 1-year term, with the option to extend each and every year up to a total of a 3-year term (each additional year will be subject to budget availability, price negotiation and satisfactory contractor performance).

Village Maintenance

CPC is responsible for several open spaces around the village, both formally planted and not planted, which require regular maintenance. - War Memorial - weeding and maintenance as required (minimum twice per year) - Village Sign - weeding and maintenance - Council noticeboards (6), cleaning, inspection and light maintenance - The Pound (car park) - hedge cutting, removal and suppression of weeds & other obstructing vegetation - Refuse Bin emptying - Recreation Ground & Lambs Lane - Litter picking - Recreation Ground - Bus shelter cleaning - Footpath planters/ tubs - weeding and general maintenance. Watering to be carried out if required or during extreme weather

Renewal: The contract is for an initial 1-year term, with the option to extend each and every year up to a total of a 3-year term (each additional year will be subject to budget availability, price negotiation and satisfactory contractor performance).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078a32
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/098227-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

77310000 - Planting and maintenance services of green areas

77320000 - Sports fields maintenance services

77330000 - Floral-display services

77340000 - Tree pruning and hedge trimming

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£54,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£54,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
16 Nov 20263 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Cottenham Parish 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
COTTENHAM, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Postcode
CB24 8TA
Postcode Area
Cambridge
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH42 Cambridgeshire CC
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
South Cambridgeshire
Electoral Ward
Cottenham
Westminster Constituency
Ely and East Cambridgeshire

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...