Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)

{
  "awards": [
    {
      "aboveThreshold": true,
      "contractPeriod": {
        "endDate": "2027-01-01T23:59:59Z",
        "startDate": "2026-01-02T00:00:00Z"
      },
      "documents": [
        {
          "datePublished": "2025-12-22T00:39:58Z",
          "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
          "documentType": "awardNotice",
          "format": "text/html",
          "id": "085196-2025",
          "noticeType": "UK5",
          "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085196-2025"
        }
      ],
      "id": "1",
      "items": [
        {
          "additionalClassifications": [
            {
              "description": "Urban planning services",
              "id": "71410000",
              "scheme": "CPV"
            }
          ],
          "deliveryAddresses": [
            {
              "country": "GB",
              "countryName": "United Kingdom",
              "region": "UKH2"
            }
          ],
          "id": "1",
          "relatedLot": "1"
        }
      ],
      "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
      "milestones": [
        {
          "dueDate": "2026-01-02T23:59:59Z",
          "id": "1",
          "status": "scheduled",
          "type": "futureSignatureDate"
        }
      ],
      "relatedLots": [
        "1"
      ],
      "status": "pending",
      "suppliers": [
        {
          "id": "GB-COH-05020374",
          "name": "THE OYSTER PARTNERSHIP LIMITED"
        }
      ],
      "title": "Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites) - Planning Consultancy Services",
      "value": {
        "amount": 300000,
        "amountGross": 360000,
        "currency": "GBP"
      }
    }
  ],
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-PPON-PDWC-9574-WBPY",
    "name": "North Hertfordshire District Council"
  },
  "date": "2025-12-22T00:39:58Z",
  "id": "085196-2025",
  "initiationType": "tender",
  "language": "en",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05fb0d",
  "parties": [
    {
      "address": {
        "country": "GB",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "Letchworth Garden City",
        "postalCode": "SG6 3JF",
        "region": "UKH23",
        "streetAddress": "Council Offices, Gernon Road"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "procurement.team@north-herts.gov.uk"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "description": "Public authority - sub-central government",
            "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE"
          }
        ]
      },
      "id": "GB-PPON-PDWC-9574-WBPY",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "PDWC-9574-WBPY",
        "scheme": "GB-PPON"
      },
      "name": "North Hertfordshire District Council",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ]
    },
    {
      "address": {
        "country": "GB",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "London",
        "postalCode": "W1T 3NW",
        "region": "UKI32",
        "streetAddress": "19-20 Berners Street, Bischheim House"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "info@oysterpartnership.com"
      },
      "details": {
        "scale": "sme",
        "vcse": false
      },
      "id": "GB-COH-05020374",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "05020374",
        "scheme": "GB-COH"
      },
      "name": "THE OYSTER PARTNERSHIP LIMITED",
      "roles": [
        "supplier"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "tag": [
    "award",
    "contract"
  ],
  "tender": {
    "description": "North Hertfordshire District Council intends to directly award a public contract for the provision of specialist planning consultancy services in the role of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites).\nThe services relate to supporting the progression and processing of a series of complex, strategic development management activities and Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) associated with the Baldock and East of Luton development sites, as allocated in the adopted North Hertfordshire Local Plan.\nThe scope includes, but is not limited to:\n- Progression and coordination of strategic development management applications\n- Support to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping and associated statutory processes\n- Attendance at Design Review Panels, site visits and multi-disciplinary workshops\n- Liaison with developers, statutory consultees and internal Council stakeholders\n- Provision of continuity of embedded project knowledge across live planning applications and the transition from masterplanning into outline planning submissions\nThe services are funded through Planning Performance Agreements with developers.",
    "documents": [
      {
        "description": "Not published",
        "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
        "id": "conflictOfInterest"
      }
    ],
    "id": "NHDC0178817",
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "scheme": "UKPGA",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
    },
    "lots": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "status": "complete",
        "suitability": {
          "sme": true
        }
      }
    ],
    "procurementMethod": "direct",
    "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
    "procurementMethodRationale": "North Hertfordshire District Council intends to make a direct award in accordance with Contract Procurement Rules 20.6(e) and Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023.\nDue to an absence of competition for objective technical reasons, the services required can only be effectively provided by the incumbent supplier. The consultant supplied by Oyster Partnership Ltd has been embedded in the Baldock and East of Luton strategic planning projects for over 12 months and possesses detailed, project-specific technical knowledge that cannot be replicated without significant duplication of work, delay, and material risk to delivery.\nThe services relate to live development management applications, Environmental Impact Assessment scoping opinions, Design Review Panels, and Planning Performance Agreements associated with strategic housing allocations in the adopted North Hertfordshire Local Plan. Replacing the supplier at this stage would result in unacceptable operational disruption, increased risk of non-determination and appeal, loss of applicant confidence and funding, and harm to the Council\u0027s ability to discharge its statutory planning functions.\nA review of alternative suppliers has confirmed that no reasonable or technically equivalent alternative is available without disproportionate duplication of previous work and consequential operational risk. Competition is therefore absent for objective technical reasons within the meaning of Schedule 5, paragraph 6.\nAny change of supplier would undermine continuity of the existing services and embedded technical knowledge and would create disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and delivery, further evidencing the absence of reasonable alternatives.",
    "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
      {
        "id": "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons"
      }
    ],
    "riskDetails": "The principal risks to satisfactory contract performance relate to the continuation of Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) funding by third-party developers, which is non-binding and subject to ongoing agreement.\nThere is also a risk that changes to the timing or scope of planning applications, or external policy or regulatory changes affecting the planning system, could alter the workload profile or sequencing of services.\nThese risks are mitigated through ongoing engagement with developers, contractual provisions allowing termination on short notice should funding cease, and active project management within the Council\u0027s Major Sites team.",
    "status": "complete",
    "title": "Provision of Senior Projects Officer (Major Sites Planning Consultancy Services)"
  }
}