Official UK procurement notice
Herring and Haven Bridge · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Norfolk County Council (Local council)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNorfolk County Council is responsible for the maintenance of the Haven Bridge, and the maintenance and operation of the Herring Bridge, which are both twin-leaf lifting bridges located in the port town of Great Yarmouth. The Haven Bridge is operated by Peel Ports on behalf of Great Yarmouth Port Authority, who have a statutory obligation to operate the bridge for navigation.
On 19 November 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness made a written statement [UIN HCWS1071] saying that three proposals for unitary local government in Norfolk had been received - these could entail the creation of one, two or three unitary councils.
The Minister announced a consultation exercise, which ended on 11 January 2026. The Minister stated that "once the consultations have concluded, the Government will assess the proposals against the criteria in the invitation and decide, subject to parliamentary approval, which, if any, proposals are to be implemented, with or without modification.
On 4 December 2025, the Secretary of State for Local Government made a written statement [UIN HCWS1128] stating that the government intends to establish a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk as soon as possible, and that it is minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections in May 2028.
Should these processes lead to unitary local government in Norfolk and/or to the establishment of a Mayoral Strategic Authority covering Norfolk (i) the contract may be transferred, assigned or novated to any successor authority(ies) to the council, or to any joint body incorporating or formed by any such successor and/or to any Mayoral Strategic Authority; and/or (ii) the council or a successor authority or joint body may order services on behalf of other local authorities serving any area within Norfolk's current geographical boundaries.
- How the procedure runs: The Council will be using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined in the Procurement Act 2023. 1. Applicants will complete and submit the Invitation to Initial Tender (including pricing) in accordance with the timelines stated in the Invitation to Initial Tender. 2. The Council will first review the submitted Forms B, C and D following the processes laid out in the Invitation to Initial Tender 3. Any applications that pass Forms B, C and D will have an initial review made against their response to the quality questions and price submission. During this initial review the responses will not be scored. 4. Applicants will each be invited to attend a short dialogue session where the Council will provide feedback to the applicant regarding the strengths or weaknesses of their initial response. The dialogue will also be an opportunity for both parties to test any assumptions made and seek any final clarifications prior to inviting final tenders. 5. During dialogue the Council reserves the right to amend the specifications, pricing documents and terms and conditions before requesting Final Tenders. 7. Following the dialogue meetings the Council will invite Final Tenders giving applicants the opportunity to enhance their responses before submitting final tenders. 8. Final tenders will be evaluated following the processes laid out in the Invitation to Initial Tender The Council reserves the right during subsequent stages of the Competitive Flexible procedure to refine the award and or assessment criteria, and may alter the relative importance of the award and or assessment criteria. We also reserve the right to amend the stages of the Competitive Flexible procedure where further stages are required to come to a fuller understanding between parties of the scope or requirement or other such necessary elements, or where fewer stages are required due to early mutual understanding between all parties.
CPV: Bridge operating services · Bridge-inspection services · Port and waterway operation services and associated services · Repair, maintenance and associated services related to roads and other equipment · Road bridge construction work · Safety barriers · Scada or equivalent system
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£6,720,000 together) · same conditions of participation on every lot · evaluation weights differ by lotLot #1Maintenance of Haven and Herring BridgeRenewalPublished value£2,080,000
The following maintenance services are required:
- Maintenance (planned and reactive).
- Planned and reactive maintenance of road traffic equipment including movable barriers, flashing beacons, audible warnings and CCTV.
- Providing support to the emergency services in case of maritime or road traffic accident, chemical spillage, fire or other incident.
- LOLER and weekly walkover inspection.
Full details of the requirement can be found in the Service Specification, which forms a Schedule to the Terms and Conditions.
- Economic & financial standing
As stated in the procurement documents.
- Technical & professional ability
As stated in the procurement documents.
Lot #2Operation of Herring BridgeRenewalPublished value£4,640,000
The following operation services are required:
- Operation of the bridge 24/7/365 from a manned control tower on site.
- Soft and hard facilities management [planned and reactive] of the control buildings, control tower and welfare facilities including cleaning, HVAC, and domestic electrical, plumbing and heating systems.
Full details of the requirement can be found in the Service Specification, which forms a Schedule to the Terms and Conditions.
- Economic & financial standing
As stated in the procurement documents.
- Technical & professional ability
As stated in the procurement documents.
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).
Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.
| Lot | Quality | Price | Environmental | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Maintenance of Haven and Herring Bridge | 54% | 40% | 6% | |
| 2 · Operation of Herring Bridge | 60% | 40% | — |
- Economic & financial standing
As stated in the procurement documents.
- Technical & professional ability
As stated in the procurement documents.
- Price carries 40 points on every lot: a 10% discount moves about 4 points.
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
- Services
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 24 May 2025, 11:27 BST
- Last source update
- 25 Aug 2026, 16:50 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 14 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
NCCT43188- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-081005- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-052590Find a Tender
- How it runs
The Council will be using the Competitive Flexible Procedure as defined in the Procurement Act 2023.
- Applicants will complete and submit the Invitation to Initial Tender (including pricing) in accordance with the timelines stated in the Invitation to Initial Tender.
- The Council will first review the submitted Forms B, C and D following the processes laid out in the Invitation to Initial Tender
- Any applications that pass Forms B, C and D will have an initial review made against their response to the quality questions and price submission. During this initial review the responses will not be scored.
- Applicants will each be invited to attend a short dialogue session where the Council will provide feedback to the applicant regarding the strengths or weaknesses of their initial response. The dialogue will also be an opportunity for both parties to test any assumptions made and seek any final clarifications prior to inviting final tenders.
- During dialogue the Council reserves the right to amend the specifications, pricing documents and terms and conditions before requesting Final Tenders.
- Following the dialogue meetings the Council will invite Final Tenders giving applicants the opportunity to enhance their responses before submitting final tenders.
- Final tenders will be evaluated following the processes laid out in the Invitation to Initial Tender
The Council reserves the right during subsequent stages of the Competitive Flexible procedure to refine the award and or assessment criteria, and may alter the relative importance of the award and or assessment criteria. We also reserve the right to amend the stages of the Competitive Flexible procedure where further stages are required to come to a fuller understanding between parties of the scope or requirement or other such necessary elements, or where fewer stages are required due to early mutual understanding between all parties.
- Risks
It should be noted that the values stated in this notice are estimates. There are variable factors for both Lots that could increase or decrease the final contract values including but not limited to:
Lot 1 - the level of reactive maintenance required
Lot 2 - issues arsing from the facilities management requirements
In the event of a change from two-tier to unitary local government in Norfolk and/or the establishment of a Mayoral Strategic Authority covering Norfolk it may be necessary to modify this contract to the extent necessary to permit its continued satisfactory performance.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 28 Sept 2026, 10:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 17 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
This procurement will be managed electronically via the Council`s e-procurement system. To participate in this procurement, applicants must first be registered on the system at in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc ↗.
Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at intendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/Buyer… ↗.
Once registered you will be able to see the procurement project under the `tenders` section and `express an interest` to view the documentation. If you encounter any difficulties whilst using the system you can contact the In-tend support team by phoning +44 8442728810 or e-mailing support@intend.co.uk
The Procurement Act 2023 requires bidders to be registered on Find a Tender (Central Digital Platform) before they are able to bid for contracts. Instructions on what needs to be
done can be found here: www.youtube.com/watch ↗
Timeline
24 May 2025 → 1 Feb 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published24 May 2025, 11:27 BST
- Market engagement5 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST
Interested contractors are invited to provide a response to the market engagement questionnaire that has been made available via the Council's e-procurement system, In-tend.
To express an interest and participate in the market engagement applicants must first be registered on the system at in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc ↗. Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/Buyer… ↗. Once registered you will be able to see the procurement project under the tenders` section and `express an interest` to view the documentation. If you encounter any difficulties whilst using the system you can contact the In-tend support team by phoning +44 8442728810 or e-mailing support@in-tend.co.uk.
On accessing In-tend you will find a link to the questionnaire along with documents providing an overview of each structure.
- Next notice expected86 days ago1 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published63 days ago25 Aug 2026, 16:50 BST
- Clarification questions by40 days ago17 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline29 days ago28 Sept 2026, 10:00 BST
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 48 days14 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 96 days1 Feb 2027
Notice history
7 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 May 2025- Pipeline notice published24 May 2025, 11:27 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published19 Aug 2025, 17:24 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published25 Aug 2026, 16:50 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £6,720,00025 Aug 2026, 16:50 BSTwas £5,500,000
- Status changed to active25 Aug 2026, 16:50 BST
- Procurement method changed25 Aug 2026, 16:50 BST
- Deadline published: 28 Sept 2026, 10:00 BST25 Aug 2026, 16:50 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: Due to size limited the full set of technical documents for both Lots can be found on the Council's e-tendering portal In-tend - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc Full instructions for registration and use of the system can be found at https://intendhost.co.uk/norfolkcc/aspx/BuyerProfiles. Once registered you will be able to see the procurement project under the `tenders` section and `express an interest` to view the documentation. If you encounter any difficulties whilst using the system you can contact the In-tend support team by phoning +44 8442728810 or e-mailing support@intend.co.uk
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender