Port Waste Management Services

BHC is seeking to enter into a contract with a suitably qualified and experienced supplier for the provision of port waste management services. BHC is seeking to appoint a supplier to provide port waste management services to facilitate the landing of waste from all vessels, excluding scheduled ferry services and other exempted vessels arriving at Belfast Harbour.

The service provided shall include the provision of waste receptacles to facilitate the landing and segregation of waste from commercial vessels including cruise ships arriving at any quays and wharves operated by BHC and from leisure vessels visiting Belfast Marina. The service shall include the provision of appropriate waste receptacles on quays, segregations of waste streams, supervision of waste and recycling activities on site, the provision of appropriate waste transfer notes and receipts, transfer of waste to licensed recycling and final disposal sites and the maintenance of associated records in accordance with the Port Waste Management Plan and prevailing legislation.

Currently the services consist of the collection, transfer, storage and re-use, recycling or disposal of all solid waste produced by vessels calling at Belfast Harbour. The current service is based on the provision of up to 28 covered and lockable skips for special (Category 1 international catering/galley waste), up to 28 skips for ship (non-galley) and up to 7 roll on roll off containers for cargo generated waste located in accordance with the Port's Waste Management Plan, the current draft of which is attached at Appendix 3 of the PQQ.

Current facilities for Belfast Harbour Marina consist of 8 x 240L waste receptacles located at the service areas on the pontoon located in Abercorn Marina adjacent to the Odyssey Arena. All waste receptacles are required to be marked and colour coded.

Any waste receptacle must be capable of being moved, removed or replaced at any time for operational reasons anywhere within the Harbour at no additional cost. The services are required 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Appropriate records of services provided must be retained and maintained and produced to BHC upon request at any time. The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations and/or the Service Provision Change (Protection of Employment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 may apply to the staff/operatives currently engaged in the provision of the services.

Further information will be provided at the Invitation to Tender stage of the process. Further information on the scope of services required by BHC is provided at Appendix 5 (Specification) to the PQQ.

In terms of further specific functional and performance requirements for the services: (a) the services will be required on a 24/7/365 basis; (b) the successful Bidder will be responsible for the collection, removal, treatment/recycling and final disposal of ships waste and cargo waste in accordance with all applicable legislation, regulations and codes of conduct throughout the duration of the contract, including, without limitation, the legislation and regulations outlined in the draft Port Waste Management Plan enclosed at Appendix 3 to the PQQ; (c) Bidders should note that the waste services required for the Harbour Office, Harbour workshops and port operations facilities are excluded from the scope of services required; (d) the successful Bidder will be expected to deal with small quantities of hazardous waste, such as oily rags, filters, paint, fluorescent tubes, small quantities of waste electrical equipment, lubricants and spent cleaning materials within the scope of the contract awarded and at no extra cost to BHC; (e) the successful Bidder will be required to deal with all cruise ship waste, a breakdown of the composition of which is attached as Appendix 6 to the PQQ; (f) a minimum of 90% of collected non-category 1 international catering/galley waste must be diverted from landfill by the service provider by applying the waste hierarchy; (g) all requisite documentation and licences (e.g. waste transfer notes) must be retained, maintained and made available for inspection by BHC at any time upon request, both during the term of the contract and for a period of 2 years thereafter; (h) all Category 1 international catering/galley waste must be handled and disposed of to the satisfaction of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland; and (i) the only facilities BHC will make available for provision of the services are sites for the location of waste receptacles at the plan attached at Appendix 4 of the PQQ. The supplier will be required to maximise opportunities for re-use and recycling of waste streams and to ensure efficiency by identifying opportunities for improvement and waste reduction Bidders should further note that: (a) cruise ship visits to the Harbour are estimated to be likely to increase from 141 in total during 2026 to 150 in 2030 (largely during the months of April to October); (b) BHC holds a waste exemption licence for short term storage of ship's waste on designated quays within Belfast Harbour; (c) any alterations proposed to the Port Waste Management Plan, enclosed at Appendix 3 to the PQQ, must be approved in advance by the Maritime Coastguard Agency; and (d) scheduled ferry services are excluded from the services.