Grounds Maintenance Vehicles, Plant and Equipment Procurement

Birmingham City Council (the "Council") is seeking to appoint an organisation for the procurement and hire of ground maintenance vehicles. The Council’s Improvement and Recovery Plan (IRP) set out a Council-wide programme to reset service delivery, improve value for money, and deliver financial stability.

Within this, the Street Scene Transformation Programme has been identified as a key enabler to modernising the operating model, improve the quality of direct services provided to residents, and deliver planned Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) savings. A key component of this transformation is the replacement of the Council’s ageing frontline fleet across Grounds Maintenance.

In 2024, Cabinet approved the procurement of 151 new Waste Collection vehicles to support the move to alternate weekly waste residual waste collections and the introduction of a citywide food waste collection service by March 2026, in line with national legislation. This earlier investment addressed only part of the wider operational fleet.

A significant proportion of the Council’s Grounds Maintenance vehicles and plant remain life-expired, inefficient, and unreliable. Much of the current fleet is either operating well beyond its expected lifespan or is provided via long-term spot hire at higher cost.

The Council has committed, through the Business Case for the Street Scene Transformation Programme, to establish a normalised and strategic approach to fleet and asset replacement, ensuring that future investments are planned, phased and aligned with the evolving needs of operational services. This includes moving away from one-off bulk procurements and towards a flexible multi-year investment model based on agreed age profiles and lifecycle planning.

Lots The contract(s) being procured have been split into Lots, as follows. • Lot 1 – Grounds Transport and Access Vehicles • Lot 2 – Compact and Utility Tractors • Lot 3 – Ride-on and Stand-on Mowing Equipment • Lot 4 – Pedestrian Mowing Equipment • Lot 5 – Handheld Powered Grounds Equipment • Lot 6 – Sports Turf and Heavy-Duty Attachments Separate contracts will be awarded for each Lot. Tenderers may bid for one or more Lots; the top two ranking suppliers for each lot will be awarded contracts.

The contract will commence on 01 June 2026 and will be in place for a period of three (3) years. Provision of specialist Grounds-only transport and access vehicles to enable movement of plant, equipment and staff across parks, sports and open spaces.

Provision of compact, mid-range and heavy-duty tractors to provide core power units for Grounds Maintenance operations and compatible attachments. Provision of ride-on and stand-on mowing equipment for amenity grass, sports pitches and highways verge maintenance.

Provision of pedestrian mowing equipment for precision, localised and constrained Grounds Maintenance activities. Provision of handheld powered equipment to support routine Grounds Maintenance, verge management and horticultural tasks. Provision of specialist agricultural and sports turf equipment and tractor-mounted attachments for pitches, playing fields and large-scale Grounds Maintenance.