---
title: "Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL"
published: "2025-12-22"
---

# Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)

Buyer: NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d

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## Summary

North Hertfordshire District Council has completed the procurement process for a contract titled "Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)." This contract involves the provision of specialist urban planning consultancy services, particularly to support the Baldock and East of Luton development sites, which are part of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan. The buying organisation, located in Letchworth Garden City, utilised a direct award procurement method due to an absence of competition and the unique technical requirements that can only be met by the incumbent supplier, THE OYSTER PARTNERSHIP LIMITED. The award was made on 22 December 2025, and the contract is scheduled to start on 7 January 2026, lasting until 6 January 2027. This procurement falls under the services category, specifically focusing on strategic development management and Environmental Impact Assessment processes.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specialising in urban planning consultancy services, as it involves high-value strategic projects within the public sector. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly those with expertise in planning performance agreements and complex site management, would find this contract advantageous for growth. The specialised nature of the project, involving coordination with developers and other stakeholders, provides a platform for suppliers to deepen their engagement with local government projects and enhance their portfolio in the planning consultancy field.

## Notice

North Hertfordshire District Council intends to directly award a public contract for the provision of specialist planning consultancy services in the role of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites). The services relate to supporting the progression and processing of a series of complex, strategic development management activities and Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) associated with the Baldock and East of Luton development sites, as allocated in the adopted North Hertfordshire Local Plan. The scope includes, but is not limited to: - Progression and coordination of strategic development management applications - Support to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping and associated statutory processes - Attendance at Design Review Panels, site visits and multi-disciplinary workshops - Liaison with developers, statutory consultees and internal Council stakeholders - Provision of continuity of embedded project knowledge across live planning applications and the transition from masterplanning into outline planning submissions The services are funded through Planning Performance Agreements with developers.

### Procurement Information

North Hertfordshire District Council intends to make a direct award in accordance with Contract Procurement Rules 20.6(e) and Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023. Due to an absence of competition for objective technical reasons, the services required can only be effectively provided by the incumbent supplier. The consultant supplied by Oyster Partnership Ltd has been embedded in the Baldock and East of Luton strategic planning projects for over 12 months and possesses detailed, project-specific technical knowledge that cannot be replicated without significant duplication of work, delay, and material risk to delivery. The services relate to live development management applications, Environmental Impact Assessment scoping opinions, Design Review Panels, and Planning Performance Agreements associated with strategic housing allocations in the adopted North Hertfordshire Local Plan. Replacing the supplier at this stage would result in unacceptable operational disruption, increased risk of non-determination and appeal, loss of applicant confidence and funding, and harm to the Council's ability to discharge its statutory planning functions. A review of alternative suppliers has confirmed that no reasonable or technically equivalent alternative is available without disproportionate duplication of previous work and consequential operational risk. Competition is therefore absent for objective technical reasons within the meaning of Schedule 5, paragraph 6. Any change of supplier would undermine continuity of the existing services and embedded technical knowledge and would create disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and delivery, further evidencing the absence of reasonable alternatives.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085197-2025 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 17 Dec 2025 |
| Contract period | 7 Jan 2026 - 6 Jan 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £300,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL |
| Locality | LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY |
| Post town | Stevenage |
| Postcode | SG6 3JF |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLH26 North and East Hertfordshire |
| Local authority | North Hertfordshire |
| Electoral ward | Letchworth South West |
| Westminster constituency | North East Hertfordshire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THE OYSTER PARTNERSHIP |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71410000 - Urban planning services

## Release History

- 22 Dec 2025 at 01:12 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085197-2025
- 22 Dec 2025 at 00:39 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085196-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085197-2025
  22nd December 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085196-2025
  22nd December 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d.json.