Commissioning of External Advisors for Neighbourhood Services/Waste Consultancy

Neighbourhood Services currently have 3 contracts in place with external advisors to provide expertise and additional support to key projects. These contracts are due to expire 31st March 2027, Buckinghamshire Council is undertaking procurement for new contracts to replace the current arrangements upon expiry, to ensure the continuation of the required support.

The 3 current contracts, awarded in April 2023 via the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Framework, are for Engineering, Technical, and Financial support and they have assisted on a number of key projects including, but not limited to;

• Energy from Waste (EFW) Litigation
• Development of the High Heavens Waste Complex (HHWC)
• New Buckingham Household Recycling Centre (HRC)
• Persistent Organic Pollutant’s (POPs) Construction Project
• Options appraisal for alternative fuel waste vehicles
• Waste Collection Methodology Options Appraisal and Harmonisation
• HRC Drainage Compliance

Without the expertise and additional resources provided by working with specialist consultants, the Council would find it extremely difficult to deliver these projects to the same standard, timeframe and cost.

Particular areas or expertise that the current arrangements provide include construction, site design, planning application support, ecological surveys, legislative and regulatory positions, market analysis, best practice, financial modelling, and contract documentation drafting.

This procurement is being conducted using a Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023.

Tenders will be evaluated on the basis of the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) using the following award criteria:

Quality – 55%

Price – 40%

Social Value – 5%

Following completion of the initial tender evaluation, the Council may invite selected bidders achieving a minimum overall score of 75% to participate in a negotiation stage. The Council reserves the right not to undertake negotiations and to award based on the initial tenders received.

Where negotiations are undertaken, bidders invited to that stage may be required to participate in clarification discussions, presentations and structured negotiations. Following completion of negotiations, bidders may be invited to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO).

Final award will be made to the bidder submitting the Most Advantageous Tender following completion of all stages of the evaluation process. No new award criteria or weightings will be introduced during the procurement process. Full details of the evaluation methodology, negotiation arrangements and BAFO requirements are set out in the procurement documents.