Hydraulic Systems Maintenance for Floating Bridge 6

The Authority invites response to this Invitation to Tender (ITT) from suitably qualified suppliers (“Suppliers”) for the provision of Hydraulic Systems Maintenance for Floating Bridge 6.

The Cowes Floating Bridge is an essential link that connects the towns of Cowes and East Cowes. It provides direct pedestrian and vehicular access between the two towns and reduces journey times and eases road congestion by providing a direct east-west link through continuous river crossings up to 19½ hours per day. As a facilitator of economic growth on the Island, the Floating Bridge service should be regarded as a vital link supporting businesses in the Cowes and East Cowes area, enhancing the Tourism offer of both towns and in attracting new business and investment in the area.

Consequently, it is essential that Floating Bridge 6 provides a reliable and resilient service with downtime kept to a minimum. As a result, the Authority requires the Supplier to contract with a suitably qualified supplier for the provision of hydraulic systems maintenance contract for Floating Bridge 6.

The Supplier will be suitably skilled and qualified in a range of hydraulics tasks including monthly filter changes, hydraulic oil analysis on a monthly basis; undertaking a hydraulic oil change on a yearly basis; a complete inspection of all pipes and unions on a year basis.

The Supplier will be expected to change and service selected components as directed by the Planned Maintenance Schedule.

The list is not exhaustive and the Supplier would be expected to offer technical advice and a range of solutions on an ad hoc basis and work alongside specialist contractors from other fields to ensure the resilience and reliability of Floating Bridge 6 and that downtime is kept to a minimum. Accordingly, the Supplier must be available for critical, urgent and routine call outs.

For full details of the specification requirements can be found in the Specification Document and annexe.

The contract period is 8 September 2025 until 7 September 2028 with the option to extend for up to a further 2 years on a yearly basis at the sole discretion of the Authority. Each extension will be advised a minimum of two months before it is required