Official UK procurement notice
Milewater Operations Building Development
Authority: Belfast Harbour (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBHC is seeking expressions of interest from the contractors who are interested in tendering for the construction of a proposed three-storey extension to the existing Operations Engineering Workshop to provide a replacement Port Operations Control Centre, incorporating office accommodation and staff welfare facilities and all associated site works. The approximate Gross Internal Area is 1,155sqm.
Further information regarding this opportunity is available within the pre-qualification documents available at the weblink provided in this notice.
- Two-stage procedure: up to 6 candidates will be invited to tender.
- How the procedure runs: It is anticipated that the tender process will proceed through the following stages: 1. Tender Notice published and pre-qualification documentation made available. 2. Pre-Qualification submissions evaluated and shortlist of Applicants selected. 3. Invitation to tender and associated documents issued to shortlisted Applicants. 4. Tender submissions evaluated. 5. Optional BAFO/value engineering stage. 6. BAFO submissions (if requested) evaluated. 7. Issue assessment summaries and publish contract award notice 8. Standstill period 9. Contract award finalised BHC reserves the right at any time to: • Reject any or all responses and to cancel or withdraw from this tender process at any time; • Award a contract without prior notice; • Change the basis of, the procedures and timescales set out or referred to within the tender documents; • Require a bidder to clarify any submissions in writing and/or to provide additional information. The costs of responding to this notice and participation in this process will be borne by each bidder. All discussions and correspondence will be deemed strictly subject to contract until a formal contract is entered into. The formal contract shall not be binding until it has been signed and dated by the duly authorised representatives of both parties. If at any time during the tender process or post award it comes to the attention of BHC (by whatever means) that a supplier has become 'excluded' or 'excludable' (as defined by section 57 of the Procurement Act 2023) BHC, after complying with its obligations under the Procurement Act 2023, reserves the right to exclude that supplier from the procurement process or terminate any contract awarded to that supplier. Applicants are advised that BHC has appointed certain independent professional services firms to act on its behalf in relation to this procurement process, as named in the PreQualification Questionnaire. Given these parties' prior involvement in the preparation for and/or during the procurement process, none of these parties may be part of an Applicant's team or advisors in relation to this procurement process. Applicants must not contact these parties, directly or indirectly, with a view to obtaining information in relation to this procurement process. All requests for clarification must be submitted strictly in accordance with the clarification procedure set out in this document.
CPV: Building completion work · Building construction work · Building demolition and wrecking work and earthmoving work · Electrical installation work · Insulation work · Mechanical installations · Plumbing and sanitary works
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Published value£5,700,000
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Subject to a sufficient number of compliant responses being received, BHC intends (according to the process described in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) to invite a maximum of the top 6 (six) ranked compliant Applicants to the invitation to tender stage of the process, provided that BHC, acting at its discretion, reserves the right to invite less than 6 (six) Applicants to tender. Where there is a tie for 6th (sixth) place, all Applicants in 6th (sixth) place will be invited to tender. For the purposes of this exercise, a tie for 6th (sixth) place is deemed to occur where two or more Applicants have identical scores.
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 (2)
- Tender quality: 40%
- Tender price: 60%
Published award criteria (2)
- Tender price: As per tender documentation
- Tender quality: As per tender documentation
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Subject to a sufficient number of compliant responses being received, BHC intends (according to the process described in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) to invite a maximum of the top 6 (six) ranked compliant Applicants to the invitation to tender stage of the process, provided that BHC, acting at its discretion, reserves the right to invite less than 6 (six) Applicants to tender. Where there is a tie for 6th (sixth) place, all Applicants in 6th (sixth) place will be invited to tender. For the purposes of this exercise, a tie for 6th (sixth) place is deemed to occur where two or more Applicants have identical scores.
- Price carries 60 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 6 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £9,721,963 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Belfast Harbour buys Building construction work (CPV 4521), and who usually turns up
Belfast Harbour’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: Building construction work (CPV 4521) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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.
No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.
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. The market figure counts awards delivered in Northern Ireland.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered.
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.
Half of these awards have an award date within 29 days of the bid deadline.
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.
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.
1 bid86% / 31%
2–314% / 17%
4–60% / 19%
7+0% / 33%
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.
Below estimate29% / 31%
Within ±2%21% / 14%
Above estimate50% / 55%
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.
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 45Published estimate£5.7m
This lot lists more than one class in CPV 45. The comparison uses that group.
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.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid39%
2–322%
4–626%
7+12%
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.
Based on 73 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£5.7m–£5.9m
Estimate£5.7m
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.
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.
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.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1.4bn61 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 1 live · £21m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 7% above n=9 | |
| £79m108 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 10 live · £28m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=30 | |
| £1.2bn43 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 3 live · £171m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=9 | |
| £1.2m3 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 1 live · £200k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=1 | |
| £393k7 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 1 live · £46k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 41% above n=1 |
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- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Works
- Notice status
- Requests to participate open
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 9 Oct 2026, 13:06 BST
- Last source update
- 9 Oct 2026, 13:06 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 May 2027
- Authority reference
P.447- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-095664- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0784c0Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Refer to draft Conditions of Contract.
Contract value is estimated between £5.5-6.5 million (ex VAT). The Total value stated above therefore represents the upper end of BHC's best estimate of the total potential cost of the contract.
Applicants should note that:
- BHC reserves the right to require bonds, deposits, guarantees or other forms of security to ensure proper contractual performance. The financial capacity conditions of participation for this tender process (as set out in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire) also set out specific requirements in this regard.
- Subject to the status and involvement of the parties, BHC may require the parties to commit to joint and several liability in respect of the contract. Alternatively, BHC may require the lead operator to take total responsibility or a consortium to form a legal entity before entering into any contract.
- How it runs
It is anticipated that the tender process will proceed through the following stages:
- Tender Notice published and pre-qualification documentation made available.
- Pre-Qualification submissions evaluated and shortlist of Applicants selected.
- Invitation to tender and associated documents issued to shortlisted Applicants.
- Tender submissions evaluated.
- Optional BAFO/value engineering stage.
- BAFO submissions (if requested) evaluated.
- Issue assessment summaries and publish contract award notice
- Standstill period
- Contract award finalised
BHC reserves the right at any time to:
- Reject any or all responses and to cancel or withdraw from this tender process at any time;
- Award a contract without prior notice;
- Change the basis of, the procedures and timescales set out or referred to within the tender
documents;
- Require a bidder to clarify any submissions in writing and/or to provide additional information.
The costs of responding to this notice and participation in this process will be borne by each bidder. All discussions and correspondence will be deemed strictly subject to contract until a
formal contract is entered into. The formal contract shall not be binding until it has been signed and dated by the duly authorised representatives of both parties.
If at any time during the tender process or post award it comes to the attention of BHC (by whatever means) that a supplier has become 'excluded' or 'excludable' (as defined by section 57 of the Procurement Act 2023) BHC, after complying with its obligations under the Procurement Act 2023, reserves the right to exclude that supplier from the procurement process or terminate any contract awarded to that supplier.
Applicants are advised that BHC has appointed certain independent professional services firms to act on its behalf in relation to this procurement process, as named in the PreQualification Questionnaire. Given these parties' prior involvement in the preparation for and/or during the procurement process, none of these parties may be part of an Applicant's
team or advisors in relation to this procurement process. Applicants must not contact these parties, directly or indirectly, with a view to obtaining information in relation to this
procurement process.
All requests for clarification must be submitted strictly in accordance with the clarification procedure set out in this document.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via portal- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Tender submission deadline
- 13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 4 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Not allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
- Shortlist
- up to 6 candidates invited to tender
Requests to participate (i.e. completed Pre-Qualification Questionnaires) must be submitted by email to tendersfc@belfast-harbour.co.uk in accordance with the instructions specified in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire.
The pre-qualification documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/corporate/tenders ↗.
Applicants who wish to participate in this tender process will be required to provide their contact details before downloading the pre-qualification documents. Applicants who fail to provide their details to BHC or register in this manner will not receive any clarifications or updated information provided by BHC during the tender process.
Applicants are advised not to include marketing information, brochures or links to other documents within their Pre-Qualification Questionnaire responses. Emails which contain suspicious contents or links to third party servers or websites may be quarantined or rejected by the BHC email filtering systems.
It is the Applicant's responsibility to ensure that a delivery receipt is received for PreQualification Questionnaire submissions. BHC does not accept any responsibility for the premature opening or mishandling of PQQ documents that are not submitted in accordance with these instructions.
Timeline
9 Oct 2026 → 1 May 2027 · 5 dates- Tender notice published17 days ago9 Oct 2026, 13:06 BST
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 8 days4 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 17 days13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Contract startsin 185 days1 May 2027, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected byin 186 days1 May 2027, 23:59 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published9 Oct 2026, 13:06 BSTUK4
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications List of associated tender documents is provided in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, which is available at https://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk/corporate/tenders
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender