AGMA Street Lighting Visual and Structural Inspection and Testing Services Framework Agreement

The purpose of this tender is to establish a framework agreement for visual and structural inspection and testing services of street lighting columns and traffic sign poles (or other similar structures) to determine their condition which can be accessed by organisational bodies participatory to the framework. The street lighting equipment will generally be located on trunk roads, main roads, residential streets, footpaths, car parks and other similar areas.

Visual and structural inspection and testing shall be applied to steel, stainless steel, aluminium and concrete lighting units. The street lighting units will typically be circular, hexagonal or octagonal in cross section and will typically be 4 metres, 5m, 6m, 8m, 10m or 12m in height.

Traffic sign units will typically be circular or box in cross section and will typically be 2,2 metres, 3m, 4m or 5m in height. Occasionally, fold-down street lighting columns or traffic sign poles may be included.

Street lighting columns and traffic sign poles will mainly be of the planted root type, however on occasion they will be of a flange plate type. The framework agreement will consist of 9 lots based on indicative, strength and other test methods that are specified in the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP) Technical Report 22 'Managing a Vital Asset: Lighting Supports'.

All of the test methods must meet the recommendations of that report and follow the guidance of the British Standards Institute's BS5469 and BS EN 40. The services provided must comply with all the standards and regulations stated in the specification within the Invitation to Tender document.

It is the intention to appoint between 3 and 5 providers to each lot (subject to there being sufficient tenderers who satisfy the criteria laid down within the tender process). The services provided under the framework agreement will be made available to members and associate members of the Association of Greater Manchester (AGMA) and other participating authorities and organisational bodies as named within this Contract Notice.

The Invitation to Tender documentation contains further details on those organisations intending to use the framework agreement at its outset, with the estimated number of inspections to be called-off from the framework agreement being shown for indicative purposes only. None of the named organisations will however be obliged to procure through the framework agreement.

Economic operators should note that inclusion on the framework agreement is not a guarantee that any call-off contracts will be awarded. The framework agreement will initially run for a period of 2 years and will allow for 2 further periods of extension of 12 months each.

The maximum duration of the framework agreement will be 4 years. This Contract Notice was submitted for publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 9th August 2016 and published with reference number 2016/S 155-280427.

Additional information: Wigan Council is using the e-procurement portal known as The Chest at https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ to conduct the procurement exercise. To gain access to the tender documents applicants will need to register their details at the following link https://procontract.due-north.com/register. Once registered applicants will be e-mailed a log-in and password which will allow them to gain access to the tender documents.