Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 5 Oct 2026, 12:31 BST

Official UK procurement notice

AP26163 - Mechanical RSM Contract

Authority: Arc Property Services Partnership Limited (Public body)

ServicesAbove threshold
Planned pipeline value£4,166,667pipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 19 Oct 2026from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 2 yrsends 31 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2033 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Arc Property Services Partnership Limited (the Client) is publishing this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (UK2) in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

The purpose of this engagement is to inform the market of an upcoming procurement opportunity and to obtain feedback from suppliers operating within the mechanical repairs, servicing and maintenance (RSM) sector. The information gathered will assist the Client in refining its procurement strategy, contract requirements and tender documentation before the formal procurement process commences.

Participation in this engagement process is entirely voluntary. Information obtained will be used solely to support the development of the proposed procurement and will not form part of any future evaluation process.

The Client intends to procure a single-supplier contract for the provision of RSM services to the mechanical systems it manages across the property portfolio on behalf of it's Customers (including Nottinghamshire County Council) and projects. The proposed contract will support the ongoing operation, compliance and maintenance of mechanical infrastructure across a range of public sector premises located primarily within Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire.

The contract is expected to commence in April 2027 and will be based upon the NEC4 Term Service Short Contract. The proposed contract term is an initial two-year period with options to extend for up to two further periods of two years, giving a maximum potential term of six years (2 + 2 + 2 = maximum 6 years).

The proposed contract is expected to include, but may not be limited to:

  • Mechanical works
  • Plumbing works
  • Drainage
  • General repairs, servicing and maintenance associated with the above.

The Client may utilise the contract for both maintenance activities and construction or refurbishment projects requiring mechanical installation or replacement works.

The Client currently anticipates conducting the procurement under the Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. It is anticipated that the procurement will comprise a selection stage followed by an invitation to tender stage, although the final structure may be amended following market engagement and internal approvals.

Participation in any preliminary market engagement activity will not provide any supplier with an advantage in any future procurement process. The Client will take appropriate measures to ensure compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the principles of transparency, equal treatment and fairness.

The Client particularly welcomes engagement from SMEs, suppliers within the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCAA) region and specialist mechanical contractors who have experience of working within public sector environments. Feedback is sought to ensure the proposed procurement structure is proportionate, accessible and capable of delivering best value throughout the contract term.

CPV: Drainage works · Mechanical installations · Plumbing and sanitary works · Repair and maintenance services · Repair and maintenance services for pumps, valves, taps and metal containers and machinery

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Arc Property Services Partnership Limited buys Mechanical installations (CPV 4535), and who usually turns up

Arc Property Services Partnership Limited’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Mechanical installations (CPV 4535) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerArc Property Services Partnership Limited · all categories
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 2 of 3 known-size awards · market: CPV 4535 · UK-wide, n=50
2 of 370%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 1 of 3 known-location awards · market: CPV 4535 · UK-wide, n=57
1 of 386%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no decision dates published · market: division 45 · UK-wide, n=1,233
—45 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 45 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: exactly 4 of 4 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 4535 · UK-wide, n=77
4 of 429%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyerNo bid counts published
The market1,732 lots with bid counts · division 45 · UK-wide
12% had one bid
Market · select a colour for counts
1 bid12%
Market: 206 of 1,732 lots with published bid counts.
2–327%
Market: 473 of 1,732 lots with published bid counts.
4–630%
Market: 524 of 1,732 lots with published bid counts.
7+31%
Market: 529 of 1,732 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyerNo estimate-and-award pairs published
The market1,392 lots with estimate and award · division 45 · UK-wide
42% below estimate
Market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate42%
Market: 587 of 1,392 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%31%
Market: 427 of 1,392 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate27%
Market: 378 of 1,392 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 452324 monthsPublished estimate£4.2m

This lot is listed as CPV 4523. The table above uses the notice category.

Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 184 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet12% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 184 similar lots
1 bid12%
22 of 184 similar past lots received 1 bid (12%).
2–336%
67 of 184 similar past lots received 2–3 (36%).
4–630%
56 of 184 similar past lots received 4–6 (30%).
7+21%
39 of 184 similar past lots received 7+ (21%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 4 bids.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—No model forecast yet
No comparable awards on record for this lot’s category yet. The published estimate is £4.2m, and the forecast stays empty until the market has a record to read.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Planned procurement
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
5 Oct 2026, 12:31 BST
Last source update
5 Oct 2026, 12:31 BST
Authority reference
AP26163
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-093772
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Drainage worksMechanical installationsPlumbing and sanitary worksRepair and maintenance servicesRepair and maintenance services for pumps, valves, taps and metal containers and machinery
Delivery area
Yorkshire & Humber (UKE3)East Midlands (UKF)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0780ad Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

5 Oct 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 4 dates
  1. Planning notice published21 days ago
    5 Oct 2026, 12:31 BST
  2. Market engagement10 days ago
    16 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST

    The Client is seeking market views on the following matters:

    • Appropriate contract structure and service delivery model.
    • Approaches to delivering 24/7 emergency support services.
    • Industry standards, accreditations and third-party certifications relevant to mechanical RSM.
    • Supply chain resilience and availability of skilled engineers.
    • Recommend approach for the pricing mechanism
    • Appropriate KPIs for this requirement.
    • Any barriers that could reduce SME participation

    The Client is considering holding one or more supplier engagement events, which may include:

    • Questionnaire Responses (please use the contact details identified within this notice to request the questionnaire).
    • Written requests for information and feedback.
    • One-to-one supplier discussions.

    Further details regarding engagement activities, dates and registration arrangements will be communicated separately.

    The Client is currently considering requirements that may include:

    • Registration on the Central Digital Platform.
    • Appropriate levels of employers', public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
    • Relevant health and safety accreditations such as CHAS or equivalent SSIP certification.
    • Enhanced DBS clearance for site-based personnel where required.
    • Commitment to paying the Real Living Wage (as published by the Real Living Wage Foundation).
    • Commitment to supporting social value and carbon reduction objectives.
    • GasSafe accreditations being held

    The final Conditions of Participation and award criteria have not yet been determined and may change following market engagement.

    Suppliers interested in participating in the market engagement activities are encouraged to register their interest through the contact details identified within this notice.

  3. Tender notice expected7 days ago
    19 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Today
    27 Oct 2026
  5. Contract startsin 155 days
    1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    5 Oct 2026, 12:31 BST
    UK2

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Arc Property Services Partnership Limited

Contracting authorityPublic undertaking GB-PPON: PVWR-6662-QTQX 2nd Floor, East West Building, 1 Tollhouse Hill, Nottingham, East Midlands, NG1 6BTContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure