Official UK procurement notice
North Northamptonshire Council Gawthrops Woodland Community Tree Planting and Maintenance Scheme
Authority: North Northamptonshire Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNorth Northamptonshire Council has secured grant funding through the Forestry Commission's England Woodland Creation Offer to plant a new 2.45ha community woodland.
The new woodland has been designated a community woodland and will be planted by volunteers drawn from Kettering and the wider North Northamptonshire area. It is estimated that approximately 150 + volunteers will need to be recruited to undertake the two-year planting schedule.
The delivery partner will manage the physical planting, maintenance and aftercare of the new woodland.
This will include:
(i) the recruitment and training of volunteers drawn from the local area
(ii) mapping out and planning tree planting locations, incorporating pathways as outlined in grant agreement map
(iii) planting of trees at a rate close to 2000 whips per planting season and providing all necessary tools and equipment
(iv) managing the mulching of the whips and delivering a spring/summer watering and maintenance cycle for two years.
CPV: Afforestation services · Planting and maintenance services of green areas
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 9 Sept 2026, 13:06 BST
- Last source update
- 26 Oct 2026, 15:40 GMT
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-101157- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f59cFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Switching Direct Award
- Published justification
An expression of interest exercise was undertaken and generated four responses. Groundwork Northamptonshire was one of the organisations that expressed an interest in delivering the project.
Of the remaining respondents, one organisation demonstrated experience in tree related activities but provided no evidence of delivering large scale community woodland planting schemes. The remaining respondents did not provide sufficient information to enable a detailed assessment of their relevant experience and capacity.
As part of the appraisal process, a review of the information submitted and publicly available information was undertaken. Groundwork Northamptonshire was able to demonstrate relevant
experience in community based environmental projects, established volunteer networks and the organisational capacity required to deliver the programme within the required timescales.
Given that the project is focused on the creation of a community woodland and relies heavily on community participation and volunteer engagement, organisations with a charitable or community focused operating model were considered to be particularly well aligned to the objectives of the
project. Groundwork Northamptonshire is a registered charity and is therefore well placed to support both the planting programme and the wider community engagement outcomes sought
through the scheme.
It is our professional opinion that the EOI did not provide any credible or viable alternatives and our knowledge of the organisations able to provide the social value required of this project is that Groundwork Northamptonshire are best placed to undertake the delivery of the project.
Groundwork Northamptonshire is a locally based organisation with an established volunteer programme and existing experience of delivering community and environmental projects across
the area. Their proximity to the site and established volunteer network provide a practical mechanism for engaging local residents in the delivery of the project. As part of the wider
Groundwork federation, the organisation is also able to draw upon additional expertise and resources where required.
Groundwork Northamptonshire has a proven track record in delivering similar projects and is familiar with both the locality and the operational requirements of community based tree planting
initiatives. Their location close to the site will also minimise travel requirements associated with project delivery.
Groundwork are based within 200m of the planting site and have direct unincumbered access to the new trees.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
9 Sept 2026 → 4 Nov 2026 · 5 dates- Planning notice published50 days ago9 Sept 2026, 13:06 BST
- Market engagement35 days ago23 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
The Council will consider any feedback received to help inform the Council's options and further decision making.
Any potential Supplier which does not respond to this Pre-Market Engagement exercise within the stipulated timescales will not exclude themselves from any potential Procurement process for this project.
For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process, and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process.
Participation or non-participation in the Pre-Market Engagement exercise shall not prevent any provider participating in a potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the Pre-Market Engagement exercise shall place any provider at an advantage in a potential procurement process.
The Council will not reimburse any expenses incurred by any person in the consideration of and/or response to this Pre-Market Engagement exercise.
All documents and materials, which comprise the response, must be written in English only.
If you are interested in participating in this Pre-Market Engagement exercise, please contact the Council by email via
procurement@northnorthants.gov.uk.
and further details will be shared with your organisation.
- Latest notice published3 days ago26 Oct 2026, 15:40 GMT
- Today29 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 3 days2 Nov 2026
- Standstill endsin 6 days4 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 Sept 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published9 Sept 2026, 13:06 BSTUK2
- Transparency notice published6 Oct 2026, 15:49 BSTUK5
- Status changed to complete6 Oct 2026, 15:49 BST
- Procurement method changed6 Oct 2026, 15:49 BST
- Contract award notice published26 Oct 2026, 15:40 GMTUK6
- Contract signature expected5 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| GROUNDWORK NORTHAMPTONSHIREVCSE9 Nov 2026 – 1 Jan 2029 | £34,550 | 6 Oct 2026standstill to 4 Nov 2026 | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- GROUNDWORK NORTHAMPTONSHIREAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender