- Shipston High School cleaning, Mon 26 Oct, 12:00. A big contract with staff transferring to you; details below.
- Haringey and Islington tree works call-offs. Only firms already on their supplier lists can bid; see the end of this email.
Best for small firms
Clear scope, modest value, and buyers who usually just want a reliable local contractor.
Grounds and hedge maintenance Small-firm fit: high
Halstead Parish Council · near Sevenoaks, Kent
Gang mowing and fertilising the recreation ground, hedge cutting around the perimeter and car park, strimming, weed treatment, grass cutting at the village green, a bus shelter and a play area. One tree survey over the three years.
How to bid: contact the clerk, Pip Nott, at clerk@halsteadparishcouncil.gov.uk or 07783 697490.
Planting and maintenance of flower beds Small-firm fit: high
West Bedlington Town Council · Northumberland
Summer and winter bedding schemes, plus watering, weeding, litter removal and inspection of flower beds and planters. Beds must be visited at least twice a month in the growing season.
How to bid: Steven Young, westbedlingtontowncouncil@gmail.com, 01670 457070.
Grounds maintenance and village upkeep Small-firm fit: high
Cottenham Parish Council · Cambridgeshire
Grass cutting around the village, including wildflower and biodiversity areas. Also the recreation ground: football pitch line marking and cricket outfield care, plus emptying bins, litter picking and cleaning bus shelters.
How to bid: contact the clerk, Jo Brook, at clerk@cottenham-pc.gov.uk or 01954 772828.
Grounds maintenance 2027–2032, two contracts Small-firm fit: high
Hythe Town Council · Kent
Edging, grass cutting, weeding, seasonal bedding, pruning and small tree works across the town's parks and open spaces. The South Road contract adds sports pitch maintenance.
How to bid: ask the Town Clerk, Julie Abbott, for the tender pack at Clerk@Hythe-tc.gov.uk or 01303 266152.
Close cleaning and office cleaning 2027–2029 Small-firm fit: high
Clyde Valley Housing Association · Lanarkshire and Glasgow
Cleaning the common closes (shared stairwells) in the association's blocks, plus an office. Split into lots: South Lanarkshire & Glasgow, North Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire, and North Lanarkshire.
How to bid: on Public Contracts Scotland. Contact Monty Langmuir, monty@langmuirandhay.co.uk, 01698 268855.
Tree works and associated services Small-firm fit: medium
Ipswich Borough Council · Suffolk
Ongoing tree work for the council from November 2026 to October 2029.
How to bid: register your interest under "Current Tenders" on Ipswich's e-tendering portal. Email: procurement@ipswich.gov.uk.
Worth a look if you have a bit more capacity
Bigger or spread over several sites, but still within reach of a well-run firm with 10–50 staff.
| Tender | Value | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Grounds maintenance across Yorkshire Your Housing Group · one supplier for all sites · 2 years + up to 3 one-year extensions · MyTenders portal |
£125k a year | Wed 11 Nov, 12:00 |
| Cleaning, Park Hall Infant & Junior Academies Loriners MAT · Walsall · single contract, two schools plus a trust office · Litmus portal. This is a staged process starting with a questionnaire (PSQ), and the listed deadline is months away, so the first stage is probably due sooner. Check the portal. |
about £90k a year | Listed as Fri 5 Mar 2027 |
| Cleaning, Cotham School (two sites plus playing fields) Bristol · 3 years from Aug 2027, +1+1 · fixed monthly price, but credits are due if fewer hours are worked than budgeted · Litmus portal, staged as above |
not stated | Listed as Fri 26 Feb 2027 |
| Window cleaning, Nottingham Trent University Four campuses, multi-storey and period buildings, so expect to evidence safe working at height · Delta e-sourcing portal |
not stated | Mon 16 Nov, 12:00 |
| Pest control for Folkestone & Hythe, Dover and Thanet councils One supplier for all three councils · 3 years from Jan 2027, +1+1 · open procedure |
£321k over 3 years (about £107k a year) | Tue 17 Nov, 13:00 |
| Pest control, Northern Ireland Housing Executive Three area lots: Belfast £162,500, Portadown £41,750, Coleraine £45,750 · eTendersNI |
£250,000 total | Mon 9 Nov, 15:00 |
| Tree safety works Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council · work arising from tree inspections across parks, woods and cemeteries · Kent Business Portal |
not stated | Mon 9 Nov, 12:00 |
| Alkincoates Park gardening (not grass or hedges) Colne Town Council · Lancashire · 2¼ to 5 years from Jan 2027 · includes writing an annual work plan for the park beds · tender details on the council website |
not stated | Fri 27 Nov, 17:00 |
Large contracts: expect TUPE and pension costs
Worth it if you've run school or college contracts before. Price the inherited staff carefully: it's where most bids go wrong.
Cleaning services, Shipston High School Small-firm fit: low
Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire
Fully managed cleaning of a secondary school (about 4,300 m² plus a new sports hall), 40 weeks a year, with no weekend access.
How to bid: info@shipstonhigh.co.uk
| Tender | Value | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning, Bishop Auckland College (three sites) County Durham · from Feb 2027, 3 years +1+1 · some staff need the Local Government Pension Scheme (Durham fund), which usually means existing staff transfer to you · Litmus portal |
£240k a year (£1.2m full term) | Fri 13 Nov, 12:00 |
| Cleaning, Omega Multi-Academy Trust (7 schools) Warrington and Liverpool · one contractor for all schools · site visits in the week of 26 Oct · Teams Q&A 4 Nov · presentations 7 Jan · register at redboxportal.com (admin@redboxcs.com) · the trust says value for money doesn't mean the cheapest quote |
not stated | Tue 24 Nov, 10:00 |
Frameworks, and notices with few details yet
A framework doesn't guarantee any work. Joining puts you on a shortlist the buyer calls on for several years. The lots let specialists bid for the one part they do.
| Framework | Lots | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Specialised cleaning, Lancaster University 3–5 suppliers per lot, starting with a questionnaire (PSQ). Good for specialists: a carpet and upholstery firm could bid for Lot 5 alone. |
Deep cleaning £85k · emergency and hazardous £10k · en-suite pods £110k · ovens £60k · upholstery, curtains, mattresses and carpets £35k · external £50k · plus weekend and ad hoc support | check the notice |
| Ground maintenance, Falkirk Council Up to 5 contractors per lot, topping up the council's own teams · Public Contracts Scotland |
Tree work £1.3m · rural grass cutting £200k | Mon 16 Nov, 11:00 |
| Landscape maintenance, Molendinar Park and Reidvale HAs Glasgow east (G31, G40, G45) · a separate framework contract with each association · Public Contracts Scotland |
one lot, value not stated | Mon 16 Nov, 10:00 |
| Cleaning of properties, communal areas and kitchens, Falkirk Council | value not stated | check the notice |
| Cleaning and associated services, Registers of Scotland Edinburgh · routine, periodic and reactive cleaning, windows, consumables and facilities support |
value not stated | check the notice |
Only for firms already on a supplier list
Call-offs open only to firms already approved. We list them so you can see how much work flows through each list.
| Tender | Value | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Haringey Council tree works, DPS1 1419 and DPS1 1420 Through the London Construction Programme's dynamic purchasing system. Six of these call-offs in the last four weeks. A dynamic purchasing system lets new suppliers apply at any time, so if you do tree work in London, it's worth joining. |
listed at £90k each | Mon 26 Oct |
| Islington Council tree and stump removal, 13682 and 13686 Restricted procedure through adamprocure.co.uk, so for approved suppliers only |
not stated | Tue 20 and Fri 23 Oct |