The Provision of Treatment of Street Sweeping Arisings from North Herts and Welwyn Hatfield 2026-2030

Location

Description

The collection, transport and treatment of street sweepings collected by North Hertfordshire District Council and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• None found

Legal Justification

In November 2025, the Waste Management Unit (WMU) team at Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) issued an open procurement for HCC2517040 - The Provision of Treatment of Street Sweeping Arisings 2026-2030. The contract covered the collection, transport and treatment of street sweepings collected by all ten (10) Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs) in Hertfordshire. To facilitate the tender process and reflect the operational boundaries, the procurement was divided into ten (10) lots, one for each district/borough. By the submission deadline in January 2026, only one tender was received. The sole tenderer, Biffa Waste Services Ltd (Biffa), submitted bids for eight (8) out of the ten (10) lots. North Herts and Welwyn Hatfield received no bids. Evaluation and call-in procedure were completed in February 2026. Biffa on 5th March 2026 was awarded a contract for the eight (8) lots it tendered for. The HCC WMU team held further discussions with Biffa regarding the two unbid lots. Biffa expressed interest in delivering these services, subject to a minor adjustment to the collection methodology, moving from the current "collect and swap container" model to the use of an articulated lorry. HCC is satisfied that the conditions of contract have not been significantly altered. As no suitable tenders were received following a competitive process, HCC determined that it was appropriate to proceed with a direct award for the remaining two lots as permitted under Section 43(1) of the Procurement Act 2023, where a competitive process has failed to produce any suitable bids. HCC considers that an award under Section 19 is not possible in the circumstances. The original open tender attracted only a single bid for eight (8) out of the ten (10) lots. The collection methodology for the eight (8) lots was the use of an articulated lorry. This outcome demonstrates a very limited level of market interest in delivering the service model. HCC has assessed whether amending the two lots which received no bids through a minor change to the collection methodology (to the use of an articulated lorry) would be likely to generate additional competition. HCC has concluded that such changes would not materially alter supplier capability or appetite. On this basis, HCC considers this to indicate that, even if the unsuccessful lots were amended by making a minor adjustment to the collection methodology, the likelihood of receiving a bid from another supplier would remain remote. The successful Bidder has also confirmed that they would honour the same pricing applied to the eight (8) lots they were awarded for the remaining two (2) lots. Given this, it is unlikely that re-running the procurement would deliver better value. Moreover, the time constraints would have made it highly challenging to maintain continuity of service across Hertfordshire's network. Without this direct award, the only viable alternative would have been to dispose of street sweepings through more expensive and less environmentally sustainable methods.

Other Information

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