Refuse and waste related services

Tender description

The contracting authority is seeking to enter into a long term contract for the receipt, acceptance, handling, haulage, processing (including management of the sale of recyclates and securing off-takers), treatment and disposal of its kerbside collected residual waste, residual waste from community recycling centres, kerbside collected dry mixed recyclates, street and gully sweepings and other street cleansing wastes. The services include the management, operation and maintenance of a transfer station which the contracting authority is proposing to build in Winwick Road, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 8HJ. The transfer station will be owned by the Council and leased to the contractor. See further in paragraph II.2.4 below. A key driver for this contract is to continue to maximise diversion of the contracting authority's residual waste from landfill, to retain or enhance recycling targets and to secure value for money. Notwithstanding it is the contracting authority's intention to provide a transfer station, it may decide not to do so for any reason and the contracting authority therefore reserves the right at any stage during the procurement to add into the requirements one or more transfer and /or delivery point(s). The contracting authority will guarantee a minimum tonnage for residual waste and dry mixed recyclates, but the solution must be capable of accepting and handling all the contracting authority's waste as required in the procurement documents. The contracting authority is technology and solution neutral provided the proposal meets the contracting authority's needs and requirements as set out in the procurement documents. The contracting authority does not necessarily require exclusive bespoke facilities to be provided and is willing to consider all options that may be offered provided they are deliverable, will achieve the contracting authority's requirements and subject to cost (such matters all being part of the evaluation). Bidders may wish to propose for example, new facilities potentially alongside third party waste, or existing merchant and shared facilities. The contracting authority is flexible on the method and location of the disposal and processing facilities, although it does require its kerbside collected dry mixed recyclates to be processed in a materials recovery facility. Subject to a maximum waste throughput of 90,000 tonnes per annum (anticipated from year 6 to increase to 120 000 tonnes per annum) and priority of the contracting authority's waste, bidders may propose third party waste receipt at the transfer station. A bidder may propose an RDF facility in the Council's transfer station, whether for third party waste or contract waste. However as stated above, the Council reserves the right not to progress with its own transfer station and bidders who chose to include the RDF facility as part of their technical or commercial solution may be required to revise their solutions at an appropriate stage. If bidders are required to offer transfer and / or delivery points, the evaluation will take into account the distance and the mileage cost impact on the services. The contracting authority is prepared to consider making an investment into a new facility, but applicants should not rely on this investment being available and no assurance, warranty or undertaking is given. However, if an investment is made it will be (if at all) as a commercial loan under a credit agreement that is both assessed and entered entirely separately from this procurement. All bidders wishing to access such loan will be treated equally and investment criteria will be explained in the procurement documents. Bidders who apply for a loan will be informed as to whether their application is successful or otherwise in sufficient time to be able to revise their solution or secure alternative funding before their bid is submitted. The services may change during the contract period including but not limited to: the separate kerbside collection of food waste which may mean that food waste would not be delivered to the transfer station; the delivery of kerbside collected green waste to the transfer station for treatment and disposal; the management, operation and maintenance of the contracting authority's community recycling centres; a change in the delivery times for kerbside collected waste due to a change in collection times; a change in the collection methodology for glass and / or paper and cardboard or other material: a change in the delivery times for gully arisings or street mechanical sweepings due to a change in operational hours: or the delivery of recyclable bring bank waste to the transfer station for processing. Applicants should note that the contracting authority has not made a decision about any of these potential changes. If any are implemented they will be dealt with in accordance with the change protocol in the contract.