Outsourcing of Woodland Creation

Concepts

• agriculture, fishing and forestry
• leeds
• young woodlands
• woodland
• woodland creation
• outsourcing
• woodlands
• city targets
• climate change
• additional capacity

Location

Leeds

Description

A contract for the outsourcing of some woodland creation across the city. The outsourcing will support the service in the delivery of planting and managing 50 hectares of woodland every year as we move into the fourth planting season since the start of the initiative. The contract will commence during 2023/2024 planting season up to September 2027.

Total Quantity or Scope

The service is seeking to supplement internal resource with contractors to provide additional capacity to meet the workload needed this winter and up to 2027. Additional capacity will support in the establishment management of sites whilst at a critical stage of development of young woodlands across the city to deliver city targets for climate change and zero carbon.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 77000000 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

Indicators

• Award on basis of price and quality.

Legal Justification

The Council believes that the decision to award new contracts for the Outsourcing of Woodland Creation is permitted pursuant Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the PCRs which states: 32(1) In the specific cases and circumstances laid down in this regulation, contracting authorities may award public contracts by a negotiated procedure without prior publication. (2) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases: (b) Where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons: (ii) Competition is absent for technical reasons,... but only, in the case of paragraph (ii) where no reasonable alternative or substitute exists, and the absence of competition is not the result of an artificial narrowing down of the parameters of the procurement;" The technical reasons why competition is absent and the reasons why no reasonable alternative or substitute exists as required by Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the PCRs that the Council would rely on to justify its decision is as follows; The planting season is limited to set months of the year when the work can be carried out (planting season November to March) and failure to carry out the work immediately will mean the Council will fail to meet the UK Forestry Standards (UKFS) required. This is the technical reason for awarding new contracts to Thorpe Trees Limited and Tilhill Forestry Limited under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the PCRs. The sites will be audited next growing season (2024) by the funding bodies to ensure the standards are being met.