Hertfordshire County Council (the Contracting Authority) acting on behalf of the Participants is leading on the procurement process to establish a Framework Agreement for the Supply of Pulpboard (hereinafter referred to as ‘Goods’) and is seeking suitably qualified Contractor(s) to supply the Goods under any Agreement resulting from this tendering exercise.

A list of the Goods required is given in the Specification (Schedule 1) of the tender documents.

The authorities that are participating in this tender exercise and any subsequent Agreement are listed below:

Hampshire County Council.

Hertfordshire County Council.

The Contracting Authority reserves the right however to include any other Consortium member, affiliate or associate who may wish to join this arrangement at a future date.

The requirement is for the Supply of Pulpboard for delivery in bulk to the central stores of the participating authorities stated below. The approximate annual spend by authority is as follows;

The anticipated annual joint expenditure, for the Participating Authority's on these Goods is presently circa 155 000 GBP per annum, however the estimated annual range is between 0 GBP to 300 000 GBP. The estimated annual spend by each participating Authority can be broken down as follows -

Hampshire 35000 GBP.

Hertfordshire 120 000 GBP.

The Contract will be for a core period of two (2) years unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of this Contract or extended at the sole discretion of the Council for a period of up to two (2) further years on an annual basis by giving at least six (6) months' prior notice in writing. The value quoted below is for the core Contract period and includes the value of the extension period.

Please note that the Contract requirements will subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands.

There will be no form of exclusivity or volume that is guaranteed under the resultant Framework Agreement and the Council and other participating Authority will be entitled to enter into other contracts and arrangements with other suppliers for the provision of any, or all, of the requirements which are the same as, or similar to those specified under the established Framework Agreement.

To access this procurement opportunity please visit www.supplyhertfordshire.uk and follow the on-screen guidance.

This procurement is an Open (one stage) process. Suppliers wishing to take part in this project are invited to express interest which will give access to the full procurement documents in the e-tendering system.

To be considered as a bidder you must complete and submit a Bid by 12 noon on the Tender submission date. Please allow sufficient time to make your return as late Bids will not be permitted by the system.

Please be aware that any Framework Agreement formed as a result of this procurement process shall be executed as a deed. Organisations should seek independent legal advice on the implications of this prior to submitting their bid, where appropriate.