Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

Tender description

High Speed Two (HS2) Limited (‘HS2 Ltd’) is responsible for developing and promoting the new high speed railway known as High Speed Two (‘HS2’) (also referred to in this Contract Notice as ‘the Project’). HS2 will initially run between London and Birmingham (Phase One) but will subsequently be extended northwards to link Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds (Phase Two). Plant material is required by HS2 Ltd to create new woodland, screen planting, hedgerows, landscape planting, ecological habitats and feature planting as the Project develops. This procurement for the supply of plant material is part of a wider set of HS2 procurements intended to deliver the Project. This procurement and the Plant Material Contract intended to be awarded is to supply plant material for Phase One of the Project only and is subject to the provisions of this Contract Notice and the accompanying Pre-Qualification Pack (PQP) and Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ). The scope of the Plant Material Procurement Contract is to establish a supply agreement by which HS2 Ltd can instruct the collecting of seed, the growing and supply of plant material to meet the Project's tree planting requirements for Phase One. The term would extend over a maximum 10-year period. In the early stages it is envisaged that the Plant Material Procurement Contract will provide HS2 Ltd with 1 800 000 trees grown to contract from seed of local provenance for the advanced planting areas. The advanced planting areas will help fulfil the commitments made by HS2 Ltd in the Hybrid Bill. The plant material grown will be supplied free of charge by HS2 Ltd to HS2 Ltd's enabling contractors (Enabling Works Contractor) and potentially HS2 Ltd's main works civils contractors (MWCC). Although HS2 Ltd provide no warranty or guarantee of volumes to be ordered under the Plant Material Contract (i) estimated seed collection, growing and supply of up to 5 200 000 trees may also be required for route-wide planting subject to the requirements of the MWCC: and (ii) the Plant Material Procurement Contract may also be used over the life of Phase One to further supply plant material required at different times in the overall anticipated construction programme. The precise programme is currently undefined but likely to extend over a considerable time period and further supplies of plant material are also likely to be required in the maintenance period following completion of construction to replace failed or damaged plants. Further details on programme will be included in the Invitation to Tender (ITT).