1. About this tender

Groundwork is inviting tenders for three security services. The aim is to appoint reliable suppliers who can provide consistent staffing, clear reporting and a practical service that meets the needs of each location.

• Lot 1: Gadbrook Park BID Security Guarding.
• Lot 2: Burnley BID Warden Service.
• Lot 3: Remote CCTV Monitoring

Each Lot will be evaluated and awarded independently. Groundwork may appoint one supplier for several Lots or different suppliers for each Lot. Bidders may offer a combined-award discount, but must provide a valid standalone price for every Lot they bid for.

2. Contract term and timetable

The initial contract term will be 12 months. Groundwork may extend a contract up to a maximum total term of three years. Extensions are not guaranteed and will depend on performance, funding, service need, budget and market conditions.

Year 1 prices must be firm. Bidders should explain how they propose to review prices in later years. Any increase will require Groundwork’s written agreement.

3. How to respond

• Complete the Tender Response Workbook for the Lot or Lots you are bidding for. Common quality questions only need to be answered once.
• Prices must be in pounds sterling and exclude VAT.
• Responses must remain valid for 90 days after the tender deadline.
• Only include supporting documents where requested or clearly cross-referenced in the workbook.
• Send clarification questions to tender contact by the stated deadline.
• Submit the completed workbook and permitted attachments to tender contact.
• Groundwork is not bound to accept the lowest-priced or any tender and may stop or amend the process.

An anonymised TUPE employee information summary for Lots 1 and 2 is available on request from the tender contact. It must be treated as confidential and used only for preparing a tender. No transferring employees are currently identified for Lot 3.

4. Compliance and due diligence

Bidders must provide the confirmations and information requested below. These requirements are not scored but will be considered as part of Groundwork’s compliance and due diligence checks. Groundwork may seek clarification or supporting evidence before contract award. Where an issue is identified, Groundwork will consider its relevance and materiality to the bidder’s ability to deliver the contract.

5. Lot 1: Gadbrook Park BID Security Guarding

The contractor will provide a visible and reliable security presence across Gadbrook Park, including guarding, patrols, alarm response, keyholding and monitoring of the live CCTV and ANPR system from the security hut.

Main duties

• Maintain uninterrupted cover using suitably licensed, vetted and trained guards, including suitable relief staff.
• Monitor the live CCTV system while in the security hut.
• Complete at least one recorded CCTV patrol each hour while on duty. Each patrol must review at least four cameras, with the cameras varied between patrols, and observations recorded on the Groundwork security app.
• Complete a minimum of three physical patrols of the business park during each 12-hour shift, with patrol times and routes varied where appropriate. Patrols must be recorded using an auditable digital patrol system.
• Respond to alarms, incidents, suspicious activity and calls for assistance, escalating to Groundwork, police or the emergency services where appropriate.
• Operate agreed keyholding and access arrangements and maintain accurate records for registered business on the park.
• Record patrols, incidents, handovers, faults and actions clearly and promptly.
• Check the security hut and associated facilities and report any maintenance, equipment or welfare issues to Groundwork.
• Report lighting failures, environmental issues, damage, defects and other security concerns identified across the estate.
• Liaise professionally with businesses, police, emergency services, contractors and Groundwork.

The successful bidder must provide a straightforward mobilisation plan covering TUPE, staffing, licences, site induction, equipment, system access, handover and relief cover.

6. Lot 2: Burnley BID Warden Service

The contractor will provide an approachable and proactive town-centre warden service, supporting businesses, responding to anti-social behaviour and delivering the agreed Public Spaces Protection Order enforcement function.

These are the core hours. Additional seasonal, event or extended cover may be ordered using the tendered additional-service rates, but no extra volume is guaranteed.

Main duties

• Provide regular, visible foot patrols across the BID area, aiming to complete at least three full patrols during each shift, while remaining responsive to incidents, BID radio calls and requests for assistance.
• Build effective relationships with businesses, providing reassurance, responding to concerns and sharing relevant crime-prevention and safety information.
• Respond appropriately to anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, street-based issues and other incidents within the role and powers of the wardens.
• Deliver the agreed PSPO enforcement function, including engagement, warnings, evidence gathering and enforcement action where authorised.
• Support wider enforcement activity, including Community Behaviour Orders (CBOs) and other action arising from persistent ASB or PSPO breaches, by providing good-quality incident records, evidence and witness information where required.
• Use supplier-provided body-worn video in line with agreed procedures, privacy requirements and evidential standards.
• Participate in DISC, the local Business Crime Reduction Partnership and agreed information-sharing arrangements.
• Respond to and use the BID radio network as part of day-to-day service delivery.
• Work closely with police, council teams, CCTV operators, outreach services and other relevant partners, including providing statements or evidence where reasonably required.
• Report public-realm defects, hazards, cleansing and maintenance issues identified while on patrol.
• Use the contractor’s own auditable digital patrol and incident-management system to record activity and attendance.
• Record all incidents attended, witnessed or dealt with while on duty, including the action taken and outcome. Records must be sufficiently detailed to support PSPO enforcement, CBO applications, police or council action and other evidential requirements where appropriate.
• Maintain clear records of patrols, business engagement, enforcement activity and shift handovers.
• Provide Groundwork with appropriate access to, or exports from, the reporting system so that incident and performance information can be reviewed when required.
• Work with Groundwork to identify recurring issues, hotspots and appropriate times or locations for targeted warden activity.

The contractor must maintain suitably trained relief staff, minimise unnecessary changes to the regular warden team and provide daily incident information where incidents occur, together with monthly performance information covering patrols, business contacts, incidents, ASB and PSPO activity, enforcement outcomes, public-realm reports and staffing exceptions.

7. Lot 3: Remote CCTV Monitoring

This Lot covers remote monitoring for Gadbrook Park, Winsford Industrial Estate and West Chester.

Equipment and control room

Groundwork will provide and manage the monitoring computer, screens, tablet, software, configuration and user access. Groundwork IT will be the single point of contact for equipment, access and technical issues.

The contractor must provide a secure control room with a staffed 24-hour presence, power, appropriately licensed operators and reliable internet connectivity. The tender response must explain the physical security of the room, staff access controls, supervision, confidentiality, primary connection, backup arrangements and response to connectivity loss.

Minimum monitoring service

• Each patrol must actively review at least four cameras at the relevant site. Camera selection must be varied.
• Each patrol must be recorded on the Groundwork-provided security app, including time, cameras or areas reviewed, observations, incidents and faults. The same app will provide access to the Rapid Text alert service.
• Operators must look for suspicious activity, trespass, damage, unauthorised access and other relevant security concerns. Where an observation meets Groundwork’s agreed alert criteria, the operator must select and send the relevant pre-written Rapid Text alert to the estate contacts within the app.
• ANPR should be used where needed to investigate an incident or respond to an authorised request.
• Reasonable ad hoc requests from Groundwork to review live or recorded footage are included in the fixed price. Rapid Text usage, templates, contact lists, software and message costs will be provided and managed by Groundwork; the contractor is responsible for reviewing the event and sending the approved alert when the agreed criteria are met.
• Routine footage recovery is included. Volumes vary but have generally been no more than about one request per month across the service. Groundwork will manage and authorise any disclosure.
• Longer periods of enhanced or continuous monitoring may be ordered using the separate hourly rate.
• Bidders may offer more patrols than the minimum within the same fixed price and should state the frequency they will commit to.

Only authorised CCTV-licensed staff may access the system. Screens must not be visible to unauthorised people and no unauthorised photography, screenshots, recording, copying or disclosure is permitted. Rapid Text alerts are intended to support crime prevention and must be limited to important, relevant alerts in line with Groundwork’s instructions.

8. Common contract requirements

Staffing and employment

• Bidders must explain their staffing, supervision, relief cover and use of agency or subcontract labour.
• The workbook asks for the proposed basic pay rate for newly recruited or additional staff. This is not a replacement rate for transferring staff.
• Transferring employees’ existing contractual pay and terms must be protected. Any proposed improvement should be shown separately.
• Core prices must include all contractual pay, overtime and bank-holiday enhancements needed to deliver the stated hours.

Management, reporting and data

• Each supplier must name a contract manager and provide clear day-to-day and emergency escalation contacts.
• Serious incidents and loss of critical service must be reported immediately. Routine performance reports must be provided monthly.
• Groundwork must be able to access and export relevant patrol, incident and performance records.
• CCTV, ANPR, body-worn video and incident information may only be used, retained and disclosed for authorised purposes.
• The successful supplier may be required to enter into appropriate data-processing or data-sharing arrangements.

Indicative performance measures

9. Pricing and optional services

The Tender Response Workbook contains the pricing schedules. Each Lot must have a clear Year 1 standalone price. No minimum volume is guaranteed for optional services.

• additional guard, warden or operator hours;
• planned and ad hoc mobile patrols;
• alarm response and keyholding;
• emergency short-notice cover;
• event security or stewarding;
• supervisor or contract-manager attendance;
• enhanced or continuous CCTV monitoring;
• any other relevant service offered.

Bidders may state a combined-award discount, but the standalone Lot prices must remain valid.

10. Evaluation

Groundwork will first review the compliance and due diligence information. Each Lot will then be evaluated independently using the following weightings:

Quality responses will be scored from 0 to 5:

The lowest compliant evaluated price for a Lot will receive the full 40 price points. Other bids will be scored proportionately using the formula: lowest compliant price divided by the bidder’s price, multiplied by 40.

Groundwork may seek written clarification, check references and invite bidders to a clarification meeting. Clarification cannot be used to materially rewrite a tender. Groundwork may investigate pricing that appears unsustainably low or high.

11. Award and mobilisation

• Groundwork may award any, all or none of the Lots.
• An award is subject to satisfactory due diligence, references, licensing, insurance, TUPE review where applicable and agreement of contract terms.
• No work may start until the contract and a valid purchase order have been issued.
• The successful supplier must cooperate with a practical mobilisation and handover process.

Appendix: Submission checklist