Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

Tender description

Devon County Council (DCC) is looking to procure a framework agreement for the inspection and surgery of the tree population on 650+ properties and up to 12 500 km of DCC highways. The corresponds to an estimate of over 3 000 000 trees. Typically in recent years DCC has carried out extensive inspection work, followed up with the removal of dangerous trees. Ash dieback is significantly changing the volumes of tree removal and it is anticipated that, over the course of the new framework, DCC will have need to remove several tens of thousands of trees. It is intended that the framework agreement will operate over a 4-year period, operating in 9 geographical areas throughout Devon (8 district council boundaries and Plymouth) and is likely to comprise Three lots as followed: Lot 1: Tree inspection: this is further subdivided into walked and driven scheduled inspections of highways, scheduled inspections of premises and ad-hoc inspections following safety reports. Lot 2: Tree surgery: again this is subdivided into highways and non-highways work (both planned and emergency work) as well as further categories for crown lift work and a more general hourly rate. Lot 3: Bulk felling of highways and non-highways trees (mainly Ash, infected by Ash dieback) on highways of higher usage. DCC wishes to appoint a number of appropriately skilled, competent and accredited contractors to the framework agreement who can be called upon to undertake the work above. More information regarding the proposed framework agreement can be found here: https://sway.office.com/0JzTRgyyIWw67HAS?ref=Link Additionally a simple questionnaire can be found here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=gzehjWjLP0S7S5l_d_1b-982XsqK-rFMlPeIfEUY-9lUQTJJNjhKSUxTVEtFOTc2M0NPVllHS0dHVi4u To allow prospective bidders to make comments and observations on the intended arrangements. The closing date for responses to the questionnaire is 14 September 2020. Any prospective bidders will need to monitor the supplying the South West portal in early October for the full tender opportunity and the next stage in the application process. Lot 1: this lot is to provide tree inspection services across the nine subdivided regions. It is further subdivided into the following types of inspection. (a) formal, scheduled driven ans walked inspections of DCC Highways; (b) formal, scheduled inspections of DCC sites and premises; (c) ad-hoc inspections of DCC highways (all types) trees, following safety reports from members of the public or DCC staff; (d) ad-hoc inspections of DCC sites and premises trees, following safety reports from members of the public or DCC Staff. All Tree inspections will require identifying what, if any, tree surgery work will need to be performed and on what timescales. Identified work will fall into the categories outlined within the framework agreement to allow commissioning of tree work. Lot 2: Tree surgery — this lot is to provide tree surgery services across the nine subdivided regions. It is further subdivided into the following types of surgery. (a) planned, non-emergency, surgery work of trees on highways and following either a scheduled or ad-hoc inspection; (b) planned, non-emergency, surgery works of non-highways trees, following either a scheduled or ad-hoc inspection; (c) emergency highways tree surgery; (d) emergency non-highways tree surgery; (e) highways and non highways, 3 operative gang, hourly charged work; (f) highways crown lift works. The above groups of work will be awarded to contractors based on their work rates for each of the above on a district by district basis. Lot 3: Activities within this lot will involve the bulk felling of highways trees (mainly Ash Trees infected with Ash Dieback) On designated stretches of higher usage highways.