--- title: "Colne Town Council - Grounds Maintenance" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078785" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078785" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078785.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078785.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "Colne Town Council" published: "2026-10-14" --- # Colne Town Council - Grounds Maintenance Buyer: Colne Town Council Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078785 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078785) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078785.json) ## Summary Colne Town Council is buying gardening and grounds maintenance services for the beds, plants and bushes at Alkincoats Park in Colne, Lancashire. Grass and hedge maintenance are expressly excluded. The contractor must prepare annual work plans, restore the beds to the required standard during the first year, then maintain them throughout the contract. The work also includes monthly progress updates in an agreed electronic format, a weekday contact for routine queries and work requests, an out-of-hours emergency contact, and quarterly attendance at council working group meetings. Weed control must use chemical-free solutions unless the Town Clerk specifically authorises otherwise. This is a single park maintenance contract, rather than a wider grounds service covering grass cutting or hedge work. The council invited tenders through an open procedure, and the stated tender submission deadline was 5pm on 27 November 2026. The contract was scheduled to start on 1 January 2027 and run for 2.25 to five years; the council may extend it by a further two years, subject to performance and review. The tender states that the successful supplier was expected to be advised by 11 December 2026. Bids had to be submitted in writing, in English, and remain valid for 120 days. The evaluation uses a marking matrix, with possible additional weighting at the council’s discretion if there is no clear winner. Tender compliance requirements must be met for evaluation to proceed; alternative bids are not allowed. This opportunity suits a grounds maintenance or horticultural contractor able to improve and sustain ornamental park beds, plants and shrubs to a defined standard. Suppliers need to plan a substantial initial improvement programme and then deliver consistent routine maintenance, using chemical-free weed control unless expressly authorised otherwise. The council expects a named point of contact during weekday working hours, emergency cover outside those hours, monthly electronic reporting and a representative able to attend quarterly review meetings. Bids must include two written references from existing customers addressing professional competence, reliability and suitability; failing to provide them results in automatic disqualification. The tender also requires staff names and qualifications, so bidders should be able to identify the personnel assigned to the work. Performance is monitored against specified outputs, with financial penalties that may escalate to contract termination. ## Notice Tenders are invited in respect of one contract, with a duration of 2.25-5 years, detailed below and effective from 1st January 2027. GM5 Alkincoates Park gardening services (excluding Grass and Hedge Maintenance). ### Lot Information Lot 1 To be submitted within one month of award of tender and thereafter on a year-by-year basis. To prepare and submit an annual work plan of activity in order to achieve and maintain the park beds shown in Appendix 5A, plants and bushes etc to a high level of appearance being litter and weed free and otherwise maintained in accordance with GM5 Appendix 5B Bed Maintenance Specification. It is anticipated that significant work will be required within the first twelve months to bring the beds up to the required standard. The work plan must show how each bed will be brought up to the required standard during the course of the first twelve months and the work intended to maintain them at the required standard through the course of the contract period. (Only chemical free weedkilling solutions to be administered, unless specifically authorised by the Town Clerk.) Provide the Town Clerk with an update on the first of each month in relation to the work plan including any planned or completed work within the park that month and subsequent months. This update must include information in an agreed electronic format. To provide a single point of contact to the Town Council to assist in monitoring of the contract, dealing with incidents and enquires and receive work requests, Monday through to Friday, between 8am and 5pm daily as and when by email and/or telephone To provide an out of hours contact for emergency works. Send a representative to attend Working Group Meetings on a quarterly basis to report on the progress of the contract and to receive feedback on the work performed in the park. Options: If you are successful in your tender contract, Colne Town Council may be prepared to extend this contract for a further 2 year period subject to good performance across all areas of contract awarded. Indication of a desire to extend, must be provided in writing to the Town Council approximately 12 months prior to the contract end date. The contract extension will be awarded at the discretion of the Town Council and subject to a successful contract review, which will be carried out shortly after reciept of the extension request. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096987-2026 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 14 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | 27 Nov 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | Colne Town Council | | Locality | COLNE, LANCASHIRE | | Postcode area | Blackburn | | Postcode | BB8 0AQ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLD4 Lancashire | | ITL 3 | TLD46 East Lancashire | | Local authority | Pendle | | Electoral ward | Vivary Bridge | | Westminster constituency | Pendle and Clitheroe | | Delivery location | TLD North West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 77 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services ### Codes - 77312000 - Weed-clearance services - 77314000 - Grounds maintenance services - 77342000 - Hedge trimming ## Release History - 14 Oct 2026 at 12:59 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096987-2026 ## Notice URLs - https://www.colnetowncouncil.gov.uk/ - https://www.colnetowncouncil.gov.uk/the-council/tendering-opportunities/ ## 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-078785. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078785.json.