{ "tag": [ "compiled" ], "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06cc0b-2026-07-15T14:41:01+01:00", "date": "2026-07-15T14:41:01+01:00", "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06cc0b", "initiationType": "tender", "tender": { "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06cc0b", "legalBasis": { "id": "32014L0024", "scheme": "CELEX" }, "title": "Deed of Variation of John O'Conner Grounds Maintenance Contract", "status": "complete", "classification": { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "77314000", "description": "Grounds maintenance services" }, "mainProcurementCategory": "services", "description": "St Albans City and District Council (the Authority) intends to enter into a deed of variation with John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd (the Contractor) in relation to extending the Grounds Maintenance contract with John O'Conner (JOC) until 2031.", "lots": [ { "id": "1", "description": "St Albans City and District Council (the Authority) intends to enter into a deed of variation with John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd (the Contractor) in relation to extending the Grounds Maintenance contract with John O'Conner (JOC) until 2031. The Council had regard for the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR) and the provisions within Regulation 72. The Council relied on Regulation 72 of the 2015 Public Contract Regulations before making the decision to extend the contract. The reasons why the contract needed to be extended was: * The option to extend the agreement by one year, does not allow for the changes that will be forthcoming as a result of the Local Government Reorganisation. A one-year extension will mean that the contract would end in March 2029, within the first year of the new unitary organisation. The new unitary will need to procure the contract and they would not have the time available to undertake this work within their first year. A typical contract of this scale requires an 18 month to 2-year procurement timeframe. The Officers and Councillors of the new unitary would also wish to ensure any new contract is in line with the geography and strategy of the new authority. * If we began a procurement exercise in summer 2026, the procurement would be caught up in the transition work required by LGR and the government statutory changes order, making this impractical with the risk that the contract would expire just prior to the new unitary being established.", "hasOptions": false } ], "items": [ { "id": "1", "deliveryAddresses": [ { "region": "UKH23" } ], "relatedLot": "1" } ], "procurementMethod": "limited", "procurementMethodDetails": "Negotiated without publication of a contract notice", "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [ { "id": "D_EXTREME_URGENCY", "scheme": "TED_PT_AWARD_CONTRACT_WITHOUT_CALL", "description": "Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority/entity and in accordance with the strict conditions stated in the directive" } ], "procurementMethodRationale": "If we began a procurement exercise in summer 2026, the procurement would be caught up in the transition work required by LGR and the government statutory changes order, making this impractical with the risk that the contract expired just prior to the new unitary being established. Agreeing to extend the contract now ensures that the St Albans Officer resource who understand the current contract and the geography of the place are able to complete the work to extend the contract. Having a shorter extension period, could result in a tendering process being required whilst the new council is being created and/or is evaluating its options for service delivery. Shorter extension may not achieve the economy of scale and potential savings for the Council. The Procurement would cost a considerable amount of money and take a significant amount of officer time, with a difficult risk profile for both the client and contractor at this time. This is not a good time to procure given the uncertainty of LGR. It is important to enable service continuity, flexibility and alignment of contracts across the County. It is the best use of time and resource to undertake any tendering process once St Albans District Council is part of the new larger unitary council, rather than in the run up to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), or when the new council is in its infancy. Extending to 2031 beyond the current maximum extension of 2029, ensures a consistent service whilst allowing the new council to look at all the Public Realm services across the new geographical area, to achieve efficiencies and get best value for money by aligning these services at that time." }, "awards": [ { "id": "066822-2026-1", "relatedLots": [ "1" ], "status": "active", "suppliers": [ { "id": "GB-COH-02617638", "name": "John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd" } ] } ], "parties": [ { "id": "GB-FTS-177118", "name": "St Albans City and District Council", "identifier": { "legalName": "St Albans City and District Council", "noIdentifierRationale": "notOnAnyRegister" }, "address": { "streetAddress": "Civic Centre, St Peter's Street", "locality": "St Albans", "region": "UKH23", "postalCode": "AL13JE", "countryName": "United Kingdom" }, "contactPoint": { "name": "Nicholas Baxter", "telephone": "+44 1727819306", "email": "procurement@stalbans.gov.uk" }, "roles": [ "buyer" ], "details": { "url": "https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/", "classifications": [ { "id": "REGIONAL_AGENCY", "scheme": "TED_CA_TYPE", "description": "Regional or local agency/office" }, { "id": "01", "scheme": "COFOG", "description": "General public services" } ] } }, { "id": "GB-COH-02617638", "name": "John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd", "identifier": { "legalName": "John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd", "id": "02617638", "scheme": "GB-COH" }, "address": { "locality": "Welwyn", "region": "UKH23", "countryName": "United Kingdom" }, "roles": [ "supplier" ], "details": { "scale": "large" } }, { "id": "GB-FTS-8667", "name": "None", "identifier": { "legalName": "None" }, "address": { "locality": "None", "countryName": "United Kingdom" }, "roles": [ "reviewBody" ] } ], "buyer": { "id": "GB-FTS-177118", "name": "St Albans City and District Council" }, "contracts": [ { "id": "066822-2026-1", "awardID": "066822-2026-1", "status": "active", "value": { "amount": 4510000, "currency": "GBP" }, "dateSigned": "2026-05-07T00:00:00+01:00" } ], "language": "en" }