Decision details

Proposed decision:

To procure and enter contractual arrangements for the provision of the Highway Urban Grass, Shrubs, Hedges Maintenance Contract

Reason for the decision

The Council has a statutory duty to maintain a safe highway for all users, which includes ensuring highway vegetation does not cause a hazard or obstruction for motorists and pedestrians.

To ensure this duty is met, the Soft Landscape Highways Team have in place the Highways Urban Grass, Shrubs & Hedges Maintenance Contract. The service is split across the county into 2 lots:  Lot 1 – West & Lot 2 – East.

At present, these services are covered under existing contractual arrangements, which expire in February 2027.

The services will need to be commissioned externally to ensure the Council meets its statutory obligations.

Background

The Contractor for each lot is responsible for the programmed works and additional ad-hoc provision. The main service areas comprise of urban grass, shrub and hedge cutting to contribute to visual amenity and to keep roads and pavements clear of vegetation for the safe passage of highway users.

The annual activities required under this contract consist of the following:

·       Six Programmed Urban Grass Cutting visits. 

·       One Shrub bed maintenance visit.

·       One Hedge maintenance visit. 

·       Conservation Verge and Wildflower programmed maintenance visits. 

·       Other programmed activities.

·       Ad hoc works.

Lotting

To enable delivery across the County the following lots are being sought:

• Lot 1 (West) – Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells

• Lot 2 (East) – Maidstone, Swale, Canterbury and Thanet, Folkestone and Hythe

Dover and Ashford Districts are maintained by the Local District Councils. There will be provision to add these into the contract if this changes.

The tender will allow flexibility, up to a defined point in the procurement process, to adapt the lotting strategy to reflect Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), supported by contractual provisions enabling future service reorganisation to maintain resilience.

How the proposed decision supports the Strategic Statement- Reforming Kent 2025-2028

The contract supports Aim 2: Reforming Kent County Council by ensuring that best value is obtained for the Council, and that LGR is considered in our procurement decisions.

The contract supports Aim 4:  Building Better Communities by ensuring that infrastructure is safe and accessible and that the quality of our roads and street scenes is maintained.

Financial Implications

Contracts have been linked to the GM87 indices for the duration of the contract to ensure prices are maintained in line with prevailing inflation. A competitive procurement process will be undertaken, with the contract awarded to the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT).

The proposed contract term is 5 years with the option to extend for up to a further 3 years.

The overall spend for this contract for programmed works is estimated at £15.23 million over the contracts full term, equating to £1.91 million per year. This spend is currently funded through the highway’s soft landscape revenue budget which allowing for future inflation, will be sufficient.

Due to uncertainty around inflationary pressures, ad hoc works, potential service transfers from District Councils, and possible increases in contract throughput, the published contract value will be set at £22.5 million over the life of the contract, including optional extensions. This provides the necessary contractual and governance headroom to manage change arising from the varying nature of services, support contract longevity, and remain compliant with procurement and governance requirements.

If pressures do occur, additional costs will only be incurred if there is an available funding source, and/or variations will be made to ensure spend remains within the current resource envelope

Decision:

As Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport, I agree to:

1. APPROVAL to procure and award a new Highways Urban Grass, Shrubs and Hedges Maintenance contract for up to five years with an opportunity to extend this for up to three further years,

2. DELEGATE authority to the Director of Highways and Transport to take relevant actions to facilitate the required procurement activity,

3. DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport to take relevant actions including but not limited to awarding, finalising the terms of and entering into the relevant contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary, to implement the decision and

4. DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to award extensions of the contract in accordance with the relevant clauses within the contract.