COLLECTION, TREATMENT AND RECYCLING / RECOVERY OF WASTE WOOD FROM RECYCLING CENTRES

Mid Ulster District Council (MUDC) is currently preparing to initiate a procurement process under the Procurement Act 2023 (Act) to establish a contract(s) with (a) suitably experienced and licensed contractor(s) to collect, treat and recycle / recover waste wood from Household Waste Recycling Centres & Waste Transfer Stations across the district. The potential scale and scope of this service is such that it offers a significant opportunity to contractors.

Prior to initiating the planned procurement, MUDC wishes to conduct a Pre-Market Engagement (PME) exercise in order to meet the objectives set out below. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THIS PRE-MARKET ENGAGEMENT EXERCISE This exercise will be used to assist MUDC in gaining a better understanding of the market / feasibility of the requirements, the most appropriate procurement and operational approach, the capacity of the market to deliver the requirements and an opportunity for the market to highlight any possible risks or issues that may not have previously been considered.

The specific objectives of this exercise are to: • establish the level of market interest in participating in the procurement process; • gain initial contractor awareness, engagement and opinions; • understand the capacity of the market to deliver; • provide confidence around viability of concept; • gain insight to the market possibilities and potential innovative solutions; • understand possible risks and issues that may not have been previously considered; • inform the Outline Business Case (where applicable); • inform the Procurement Strategy; and • prevent the department from advertising an unachievable project at UK e-notification service www.find-tender.service.gov.uk stage. This notice serves as an invitation to interested contractors to participate in the pre-market engagement exercise.

Contractors who wish to participate in the market engagement exercise should complete the pre-market engagement questionnaire provided. Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from the CfT Documents section on eTendersNI.

Contractors should complete the questionnaire and declaration at Appendix A and upload to eTendersNI . Instructions on how to submit your response can be found within the Interactive Walkthrough available through the homepage of the portal.

There are no documents to be completed other than the questionnaire. In responding to this exercise, interested contractors are invited to provide information which may assist with MUDC's consideration of its requirements in respect of any subsequent procurement, along with the options available to it and its preparations of said procurement.

As a result, contractors should note that any information gathered may be used in the development of a business case on the most suitable approach to meeting the operational and management needs of MUDC in relation to the above-mentioned contract(s) and any subsequent future procurement of those contract(s). The procurement procedure, delivery model, scope of services and contract terms required may be further considered by MUDC following this exercise and engagement with contractors Any information gathered through this exercise will exclusively inform internal business planning and development of the procurement strategy for any possible subsequent procurement process and will NOT be appraised in any future tender evaluation exercise.

Please note that participation or non-participation in this exercise shall not prevent any contractor participating in any potential procurement process, nor is it intended that any information supplied shall place any contractor at an advantage or disadvantage in any forthcoming procurement process. MUDC reserves the right to withdraw this document and to make any changes at its sole discretion to the timetable, structure or content of this exercise and to waive any requirements of this exercise.

Please note, the undertaking of this exercise does not obligate MUDC to proceed with the procurement to which it relates. For the avoidance of doubt, this is an initial scoping phase and is not part of a formal procurement process.