GMCA 1185 Salford Road MRF Equipment

Under the national Resources and Waste strategy and requirements of Simpler Recycling policy, waste collection authorities (WCAs) that are part of the GMCA waste management arrangements will be required to make changes to current dry, mixed recycling (DMR) collections increasing the range of materials to be collected.

The existing materials recovery facility (MRF) at Longley Lane, Sharston does not have the capacity or the sorting equipment required to process these additional materials.

GMCA (the Authority) is therefore looking to procure the design, build, installation, commissioning, and testing of new commingled dry recyclable material processing systems to be installed within the existing building at the Salford Road, Over Hulton, Bolton site to create a new Mechanical Recovery Facility (MRF).

The Salford Road site building has previously operated as an In-Vessel Composting facility and most recently a Bio Transfer Loading Station. The previous equipment has been removed and internal structure of the building refurbished to provide a clean operational space to accommodate new recyclable sorting equipment.

On completion of the works the site will be able to process commingled dry recyclable material collected from households across Greater Manchester, with plant outputs in the form of loose material (glass) or baled recyclable materials, with a capacity 140,000 tonnes per annum of input commingled material.

The new plant is expected to operate across two x 8 hours shifts daily (Monday - Friday) plus one additional 8-hour shift (Saturday). It is expected to employ one 8-hour daily cleaning shift (Monday - Friday).

Maintenance which cannot be completed with the plant "on-line" will be scheduled for non-operational periods, i.e. overnight and at weekends.

The key objectives of the procurement are:

• That the Works are executed with the highest regard for Health and Safety.
• In considering Plant performance, the design and equipment selection shall consider the following objectives:
• oHigh equipment availability
• oHigh equipment reliability over the long term
• oConsideration of Capital vs Operational Costs to produce the lowest total cost of ownership
• oMinimising low-grade operator roles through the use of automated processes
• oThe use of AI to enhance capture and purity rates of materials
• oGood access for maintenance, demonstrated through HAZOP and Access, Lifting and Maintenance workshops
• oGood design and access for regular cleaning
• oHigh capture rate and purity of Aluminium
• oHigh capture rate and purity of natural HDPE
• oHigh capture rate and purity of clear PET
• oHigh capture rate of glass
• oHigh capture rate of film
• oFlexibility in the design to allow for the future capture of new materials, or to adapt to changes in market specifications of existing materials (eg purity levels), or to allow integration of AI/automation

Civil works do not form part of this procurement.

Following the Pre-Market Engagement Events, which were carried out on Monday 30th June 2025 and Wednesday 2nd July 2025, the Authority will now commence with the Competitive Flexible Procedure.

The Authority reserves the right to issue updated versions (Modifications) of the documents to Suppliers as and when the need arises, in order to reflect the corresponding stage of the Competitive Flexible Procedure, together with any changes to the Procurement or any other new information.

The Authority also reserves the right following contract award, as reflected in Schedule 8 of the new Procurement Act 2023, to make various Modifications (unforeseen at this moment) as the contract evolves over the full term of the agreement.

In order to bid for this procurement, interested parties must ensure they are registered on the Central Digital Platform (https://www.gov.uk/find-Tender) and the Chest e-tendering portal (www.the-chest.org.uk).