---
title: "ESPO Framework 536 - Plant without operator"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078d1c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078d1c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078d1c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078d1c.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Leicestershire County Council"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# ESPO Framework 536 - Plant without operator

Buyer: Leicestershire County Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078d1c

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## Summary

Leicestershire County Council procured construction plant and machinery for use without an operator, through direct award contracts under the ESPO Framework 536 plant-without-operator agreement. The equipment was for delivery in Leicestershire. This is a supply and equipment-hire requirement, rather than a contract for plant operators or construction works. The procurement was divided into one lot, with two suppliers selected to provide the equipment.

The procurement is complete and contracts were awarded to GAP Group Limited and Sunbelt Rentals Limited. Both contracts were signed on 30 June 2026 and cover the period from 1 July to 30 September 2026. GAP Group’s contract is valued at £56,358.80 excluding VAT (£67,630.56 including VAT); Sunbelt Rentals’ contract is valued at £38,084.22 excluding VAT (£45,701.06 including VAT). Both awards were made under the ESPO Framework 536 agreement by direct award; the published process data does not give further evaluation criteria. The contracting route is recorded as below threshold. The awards relate to the same lot and are separate contracts; their values are reported individually.

For suppliers of construction plant and machinery, this award shows Leicestershire County Council’s demand for equipment supplied without operators, sourced through the ESPO Framework 536 agreement and delivered within Leicestershire. Two large plant-hire suppliers were selected for this requirement, indicating that credible competitors need the equipment range and operational capacity to fulfil plant supply and local delivery requirements. A supplier seeking comparable work should be able to serve the council through the relevant framework route and demonstrate dependable equipment availability and delivery capability. The requirement is specifically for plant without operators, so operator staffing is not the service being bought. This is evidence of council demand for short-term plant supply; it does not establish that a future requirement will use the same arrangement.

## Notice

Placement of compliant direct award contracts under ESPO Framework 536 - Plant without operator agreement

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099598-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - unknown |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Jul 2026 - 30 Sep 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £94,442 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Leicestershire County Council |
| Locality | LEICESTER |
| Postcode area | Leicester |
| Postcode | LE3 8RA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland |
| Local authority | Blaby |
| Electoral ward | Glenfield Faire |
| Westminster constituency | Mid Leicestershire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | GAP Group Limited; Sunbelt Rentals Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 43 - Machinery for mining, quarrying, construction equipment

### Codes

- 43300000 - Construction machinery and equipment

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2026 at 15:21 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099598-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099598-2026
  21st October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.leics.gov.uk
- http://www.sunbeltrentals.co.uk
- https://www.gap-group.co.uk/
- 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-078d1c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078d1c.json.