Whg is seeking to appoint a single Contractor to provide comprehensive Grounds Maintenance Services to communal areas which are situated around High/ Low Rise and Bungalow schemes located predominantly in and around the borough of Walsall. As whg continues to grow, the service requirement from the successful provider may continue to expand beyond Walsall into the wider Midlands area. Services include grass cutting (cut and collect in most instances), shrubs, hedges, flower and rose beds, hard surfaces and other activities generally associated with grounds maintenance. This ITT process will be managed via our electronic tender solution hosted by Due North (referred to in this document as “The Portal”). All document exchange and communication between whg and selected Tenderers will always be via The Portal. The Portal provides a secure, auditable and efficient method of exchanging information and documents between the parties.

The proposed scope of the Grounds Maintenance comprised of grass, shrubs, hedges, flower and rose beds, hard surfaces, litter picking and other activities generally associated with landscaping/grounds maintenance. Some demolition sites exist and a list of existing exisiting Japanese Knotweed sites are included in documentation. Removal of bulk rubbish and fly tipping will not form part of the scope of the works for this contract. The provision of an 'on demand' out of hours service will also be required. Further comprehensive details of the scope of Grounds Maintenance services will be provided in the tender documents.whg does not bind itself to accept the lowest Tender or any Tender and will not be responsible for, or pay any expenses incurred by the Tenderer in the preparation of this tender. Relevant and proportionate suitability assessments will be undertaken e.g. mandatory and discretionary exclusions: taxes, bankruptcy, misconduct and other situations referred to in the 2015 Regs. whg will also check that any bidder has the legal and financial capacities and the technical and professional abilities to perform the contract. The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (“TUPE”) is likely to apply to the workforce of the incumbent contractor(s) in relation to the Services under the Contract, however, ultimately whether or not TUPE applies is a matter of law. The entire process will be carried out electronically via 'The Portal'. Please complete all questions within The Portal and return the Quantitative / Pricing schedule by uploading it within the relevant section; all other scanned documents should be uploaded to the qualitative schedule section or other specified section.whg’s expectation is for the Service Provider to help them benefit their customers and their local communities through the creation and delivery of employment and training opportunities and other community benefits.