Official UK procurement notice
Ground Care, Agricultural and Plant Equipment for Defra Group Fleet Services
Authority: ENVIRONMENT AGENCY (Public body)·On behalf of: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionDefra Group Fleet Services requires modern, sustainable, and optimised ground care, agricultural and plant equipment to support operational delivery across the group.
The purpose of this project is to establish long-term, Defra group-wide contract(s) for the supply of ground care, agricultural and plant equipment, led by the Environment Agency (as the main customer), with access available for the whole group. The contract(s) will provide a consistent, streamlined, and effective approach to sourcing ground care, agricultural and plant assets, ensuring operational readiness across Defra group sites.
The procurement is split into 4 lots. The Authority is committed to supporting SME participation. Regional lotting was considered during procurement design but was not adopted due to operational, commercial and contract management considerations. Bidders may bid as a consortium and subcontracting arrangements are permitted. Regional suppliers are encouraged to collaborate where appropriate to deliver the requirement.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 26 Jul 2032, 23:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: This Competitive Flexible Procedure will not use a down-select stage but will use a supplementary process of Best and Final Offer (BAFO). Following the evaluation of both the technical questions and pricing schedule, the Authority reserves the right to reissue any or all of the technical evaluation questions and/or pricing schedule to the two highest scoring bidders (or any other bidders that have scored within 3% of the highest scoring bidder) on each lot. Written feedback will be provided to these bidders and then they will have the opportunity to review any reissued evaluation questions to improve their bids. Bidders will be informed which elements they are able to revise to improve their bids. Please note that all invited bidders will be reviewing the same elements. Bidders will have 10 calendar days to review, revise and resubmit their bid via Atamis. The clarification period will also be reopened and run for 5 calendar days. The same scoring mechanisms as originally published will apply unless otherwise communicated by the Authority. The scores from this stage will replace any from the earlier Evaluation Stage(s). Please note that all bidders will be invited to submit improved responses on the same items. Bidders will have 10 calendar days to review, revise and resubmit their bid via Atamis. There will be a period of 5 calendar days for clarification questions. The exact dates of these periods and deadlines for submission will be shared with the relevant bidders. Following the overall evaluation, if there is more than one bidder with the same highest overall score, the Authority reserves the right to award to a bidder following the below Tie-break process. Where a bidder gained a higher commercial score than the other bidders, that bidder will be awarded the contract. There will be a discretionary Preferred Supplier Stage with the bidder who has submitted the most advantageous tender for a lot. This will be used to clarify and confirm commitments made in the tender and address any weaknesses in the submission. Please note that any modifications will not result in increased prices as this stage must not have the effect of altering the award outcome. This stage will consist of a meeting on Microsoft Teams of about an hour between the bidder’s and the Authority’s representatives. Bidders will be limited to two representatives for the meeting, and one must be the Supplier Contract Manager. The stage will be conducted in an auditable and transparent manner. The Authority reserves the right not to conduct this stage for each lot if it feels that the discussions detailed above are not required. Bidders are to note that a condition of participation will be that bidders commit to completing the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool prior to contract award. The Authority will need to see a copy of the bidder’s report of recommendations before awarding the contract.
CPV: Boats · Buckets, shovels, grabs and grips for cranes or excavators · Mechanical excavators · Mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders, and mining machinery · Mowers · Specialised boats · Specialist agricultural or forestry machinery · Tractors · Trailers
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · all with a published value (£69,876,145 together) · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Plant and Towable PlantRenewalPublished value£4,393,468
General purpose trailers, plant trailers, tipper trailers, box trailers, trailers up to 3.5 tonnes, water bowsers, pressure washers, mobile lighting towers, generators, messing units, welfare units, aerators/oxygenators, fuel bowsers and compressors.
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are to note that a condition of participation will be that tenderers commit to completing the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool prior to contract award. The Authority will need to see a copy of the tenderer’s report of recommendations before awarding the contract.
Lot #2Agricultural EquipmentRenewalPublished value£39,057,686
Pedestrian flail mowers, all-terrain mowers, robotic frail mowers, remote-controlled mowers, remote-controlled flail mowers, quad bikes, woodchippers, tractors, reach mowers, ride-on and ride-in mowers and tractor winches.
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are to note that a condition of participation will be that tenderers commit to completing the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool prior to contract award. The Authority will need to see a copy of the tenderer’s report of recommendations before awarding the contract.
Lot #3Heavy PlantRenewalPublished value£13,558,516
Tracked dumpers, telehandlers, excavators, mini excavators, compact excavators, 11.5 tonne excavators, 12 to 18 tonne excavators and over 18 tonne excavators.
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are to note that a condition of participation will be that tenderers commit to completing the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool prior to contract award. The Authority will need to see a copy of the tenderer’s report of recommendations before awarding the contract.
Lot #4Aquatic PlantRenewalPublished value£12,866,475
Weed harvesters and weed boat track and paddles.
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are to note that a condition of participation will be that tenderers commit to completing the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool prior to contract award. The Authority will need to see a copy of the tenderer’s report of recommendations before awarding the contract.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Technical: 30%
- Commercial: 50%
- Sustainability: 20%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical
- Sustainability
- Commercial
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are to note that a condition of participation will be that tenderers commit to completing the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool prior to contract award. The Authority will need to see a copy of the tenderer’s report of recommendations before awarding the contract.
- Price carries 50 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 26 Jul 2032
- First published
- 23 Mar 2026, 17:04 GMT
- Last source update
- 8 Sept 2026, 12:57 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 15 Feb 2027
- Authority reference
C35105- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-079052- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0671f4Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Payments will be made within 30 days for valid, undisputed invoices. All invoicing is to include
- Purchase Order number
- Invoice address
- Detailed description
Payment is to be made following final delivery to site, completion of Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) checks and receipt of all relevant documentation and road registration.
- How it runs
This Competitive Flexible Procedure will not use a down-select stage but will use a supplementary process of Best and Final Offer (BAFO). Following the evaluation of both the technical questions and pricing schedule, the Authority reserves the right to reissue any or all of the technical evaluation questions and/or pricing schedule to the two highest scoring bidders (or any other bidders that have scored within 3% of the highest scoring bidder) on each lot.
Written feedback will be provided to these bidders and then they will have the opportunity to review any reissued evaluation questions to improve their bids. Bidders will be informed which elements they are able to revise to improve their bids.
Please note that all invited bidders will be reviewing the same elements. Bidders will have 10 calendar days to review, revise and resubmit their bid via Atamis. The clarification period will also be reopened and run for 5 calendar days. The same scoring mechanisms as originally published will apply unless otherwise communicated by the Authority.
The scores from this stage will replace any from the earlier Evaluation Stage(s).
Please note that all bidders will be invited to submit improved responses on the same items. Bidders will have 10 calendar days to review, revise and resubmit their bid via Atamis. There will be a period of 5 calendar days for clarification questions. The exact dates of these periods and deadlines for submission will be shared with the relevant bidders.
Following the overall evaluation, if there is more than one bidder with the same highest overall score, the Authority reserves the right to award to a bidder following the below Tie-break process. Where a bidder gained a higher commercial score than the other bidders, that bidder will be awarded the contract.
There will be a discretionary Preferred Supplier Stage with the bidder who has submitted the most advantageous tender for a lot. This will be used to clarify and confirm commitments made in the tender and address any weaknesses in the submission. Please note that any modifications will not result in increased prices as this stage must not have the effect of altering the award outcome. This stage will consist of a meeting on Microsoft Teams of about an hour between the bidder’s and the Authority’s representatives. Bidders will be limited to two representatives for the meeting, and one must be the Supplier Contract Manager. The stage will be conducted in an auditable and transparent manner. The Authority reserves the right not to conduct this stage for each lot if it feels that the discussions detailed above are not required.
Bidders are to note that a condition of participation will be that bidders commit to completing the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool prior to contract award. The Authority will need to see a copy of the bidder’s report of recommendations before awarding the contract.
- Risks
The following known unknown risks may result in future variations to the requirement:
- Risk Category: Geopolitical events and environmental events
Description: There is a reasonable likelihood that exposure to geopolitical shocks and environmental events may cause demand and prices to increase, meaning that the calculations used to estimate the contract value are no longer valid.
Impact on Contract:
- Contract value to accommodate the higher costs and increased demand
- Technical specifications of goods.
- Compliance documentation and reporting processes.
- Delivery timelines.
Modification Mechanism:
In accordance with Schedule 8, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023:
- If these events materialise, the Authority may vary the contract to accommodate the higher prices and/or increased demand.
- Any variation will be limited to what is strictly necessary and will not increase the estimated contract value by more than 50%.
- A UK10 Contract Change Notice will be published to maintain transparency.
- Risk Category: Regulatory Changes
Description: There is a reasonable likelihood of changes to regulations during the contract term. As the Authority does not know what these changes could be, it is unable to address their potential impact at this stage.
Impact on Contract:
Such changes may require adjustments to:
- Technical specifications of goods or services.
- Compliance documentation and reporting processes.
- Delivery timelines and associated costs.
Modification Mechanism:
In accordance with Schedule 8, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023:
- If these regulatory changes materialise and are not caused by either party, the Authority may vary the contract to ensure compliance.
- Any variation will be limited to what is strictly necessary to meet the new legal requirements and will not increase the estimated contract value by more than 50%.
- A UK10 Contract Change Notice will be published to maintain transparency.
- Risk Category: Demand from Defra’s agencies and public bodies.
Description: There is a reasonable likelihood that Defra’s agencies and public bodies may wish to use this Contract, but not all their asset management plans were known at the time the estimated contract value was estimated.
Impact on Contract:
- Contract value to accommodate the increased demand
- Technical specifications of goods.
- Compliance documentation and reporting processes.
Modification Mechanism:
In accordance with Schedule 8, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023:
- If this increased demand from Defra’s agencies and public bodies materialises, the Authority may vary the contract to accommodate increased demand.
- Any variation will be limited to what is strictly necessary and will not increase the estimated contract value by more than 50%.
- A UK10 Contract Change Notice will be published to maintain transparency.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 22 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 10 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome ↗
Any questions, requests to participate or tender submissions must be submitted electronically via this portal.
Timeline
23 Mar 2026 → 1 Mar 2027 · 9 dates- Planning notice published219 days ago23 Mar 2026, 17:04 GMT
- Market engagement198 days ago13 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
The Engagement will be conducted in two parts:
Part 1: Request for Information (RFI)
So that the Authority can understand capability in the market and any factors that need to be considered in designing the procurement, please complete the Request for Information (RFI) using the following link:
forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx ↗
The form will be open for three weeks. The deadline for responding to this form is 12:00 Monday 13th April 2026.
Part 2: Preliminary-Market Engagement Event (PME)
The Environment Agency (Defra Group Fleet Services, DGFS), supported by Defra Group Commercial (DgC), is hosting a virtual PME event (via Microsoft Teams) on Thursday 16th April 2026 (16/04/26). Details to be confirmed.
Please use the appropriate response box in the RFI form to sign up to this event if you are interested in finding out more about this opportunity.
At the Authority's discretion, we may host individual meetings with suppliers following the initial PME event. This is expected to take place in the week commencing 20th April 2026, and would be for the Authority to gain more of an understanding of the market. If this is to take place, an invitation will be sent to suppliers following the preliminary market engagement event.
- Next notice expected106 days ago14 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published71 days ago19 Aug 2026, 14:26 BST
- Latest notice published51 days ago8 Sept 2026, 12:57 BST
- Clarification questions by49 days ago10 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline7 days ago22 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today29 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 109 days15 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 122 days1 Mar 2027
Notice history
12 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 23 Mar 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published23 Mar 2026, 17:04 GMTUK2
- Pipeline notice published4 Jun 2026, 17:22 BSTUK1
- Published value updated to £69,000,0004 Jun 2026, 17:22 BSTwas £80,000,000
- Status changed to planned4 Jun 2026, 17:22 BST
- Tender notice published19 Aug 2026, 14:26 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £69,876,14519 Aug 2026, 14:26 BSTwas £69,000,000
- Status changed to active19 Aug 2026, 14:26 BST
- Procurement method changed19 Aug 2026, 14:26 BST
- Deadline published: 30 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST19 Aug 2026, 14:26 BST
- Tender notice published19 Aug 2026, 14:30 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published8 Sept 2026, 12:57 BSTUK4
- Deadline moved to 22 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST8 Sept 2026, 12:57 BST+22 days · was 30 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
Published amendments (2)
Change of title
Amended submission deadline and estimated award decision date.
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-06: 1 release · 4 Jun 2026
- 2026-03: 1 release · 23 Mar 2026
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRSProcuring entityDefra Group Commercial (DgC) will be managing procurement on behalf of the Environment Agency (Defra Group Fleet Services).
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender