Municipal Resource Management Services 2031-2040

Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council intend to procure a contract covering the prevention, recycling and disposal of municipal waste in early 2027. It is recognised that the organisations above are part of the Governments devolution fast track programme the timeline of which is likely to interact with this procurement.

This contract will apply the waste hierarchy by prioritising prevention and reuse to minimise overall household waste arisings while delivering wider environmental, social and economic benefits to the local area. The authorities will be seeking to maximise recycling as the next level of the hierarchy with final disposal, to generate electricity, the final option.

This will require the operation and maintenance of a suite of waste handling, sorting and processing infrastructure across the above geographic area as well as the onwards management of materials to suitable and sustainable off takes. The current arrangements are due to expire in December 2030, although the option for a 5 year extension is available to the Councils.

The Councils have not yet determined the structure of the future arrangements and will be engaging with the market in the coming months through the publication of a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice to inform these decisions. This activity will explore key areas including: • Application of the waste hierarchy • Potential for a fully integrated contract • Utilisation of lots, either on a geographical or material processing approach • Infrastructure utilisation • Risk appetite • Contract length • Application of the waste hierarchy • Future proofing of systems and infrastructure Subject to the outcomes of the above engagement it is anticipated that the arrangement would be for a minimum of 10 years with the potential for extensions to be considered. The estimated outline programme for the procurement is likely to be: 2025 - 2026 - Soft market engagement and options analysis 2026 - 2027 - Procurement strategy development 2027 - Initiate Procurement