Weedspraying 2016

The purpose of this tender is to appoint a contractor to provide a weed control service for highway and housing estates within the administrative boundary of Reading Borough Council.

Many of the paved areas within the borough are in poor condition, so there is a significant problem with weed growth from joints in the paving and along backlines. The total area of the Borough is just over 4,000 Ha. The centre line length of roads is approximately 400 kms, with a further 75 kms of footpaths and estate alleyways, together with associated parking areas, drying areas etc (but excluding private access alleyways). The grass verges and housing estate grassed areas have a total of 105 kms of margins, approximately 6300 trees, and a large number of miscellaneous obstructions. Parked cars and highway utility works are common and frequent.

It is anticipated that any Contract issued as a result of this Invitation to Tender (ITT) process will run for an initial period of 12 months, commencing April 2016.

Additional information: The procurement exercise will be conducted in accordance with the information contained in the procurement documents. The contracting authority does not bind itself to enter into any contract as a result of the publication of this notice and will not, under any circumstances, have any liability for any costs any person responding to this notice incurs in any part of the tender process. The services are to be procured under an open procedure and organisations interested in expressing an interest should download the procurement documents which are available on the Council's e-tendering system at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc (Project Reference No. RBC 00000082 refers), and complete as instructed. The Portal is free of charge - to register please follow the supplier registration guidance which is available on the Portal. Contractors wishing to be considered for this tendering opportunity must complete the tender documents and return them electronically via the Council's e-tendering portal. The deadline for return of the tender is Monday 11 April 2016 at 12.00 hours. Please note: you must register your interest via the Council's e-tendering portal if you intend to submit a tender. Interested parties must log onto the Council's e-tendering portal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc, to express an interest and download the procurement documents. All communications regarding this procurement exercise will be conducted through the Council's e-tendering portal including requests for clarifications or general enquiries. The procurement documents will be available for download up until the closing time and date for tender submissions, it is the organisation's responsibility to ensure that they download the documents in ample time to ensure that they can be completed and returned electronically, along with supporting documents, prior to the closing time and date stipulated. Before completing the tender, potential providers/suppliers should ensure that the e-mail address that has been used to register their organisation will be checked regularly as the Council's e-tendering system will generate automatic notifications to this e-mail address when there are updates, changes or messages sent relating to the project. Potential bidders should also check that their organisation's details are correct and kept up to date. Technical questions and assistance regarding the use and operation of the Portal should be addressed to the In-Tend Help Desk - e-mail: support@in-tend.co.uk, telephone number +44 8442728810.