MID SUSSEX DISTRICT COUNCIL
GROUNDS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT
SPECIFICATION
LOTS 1 and 2
Table of Contents
1 CONTRACT PRELIMINARIES 8
2 CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT 9
3 SPECIFICATION PRELIMINARIES 10
3.1 General 10
3.2 Contractor Training 10
3.3 Liaison Meetings/Communications with Employer and Public 11
3.4 Working Hours 11
3.5 Other Contractors 11
3.6 Standards and Performance 12
3.7 Care of Property 12
3.8 Damage and Reinstatement 12
3.9 Prevention of Pollution 13
3.10 Use of Pesticides 13
3.10.1 General 13
3.10.2 Legislation 14
3.10.3 Code of Practice 14
3.10.4 Public Warning Signs 14
3.10.5 Pesticides near Water Courses 14
3.10.6 Specification of Chemical to be used 14
3.11 Employees 14
3.12 Site Inspections 15
3.13 Vehicles and Plant 15
3.14 Resources 15
3.15 Care of Public and Traffic Warning signage 15
3.16 Access to Sites 16
3.17 Waste Disposal Facilities 17
3.18 Refuse Sacks 17
3.19 Dog Bins 17
3.20 Materials 18
3.21 Protection of Public and Private Services 18
3.22 Padlocks 18
3.23 Lone Working 18
4 GRASS MANAGEMENT AND VEGETATION CONTROL 19
4.1 Grass Cutting 19
4.1.1 Mowing Frequencies 19
4.1.2 Type of Machinery to be used 22
4.1.3 Areas to be Cut 23
4.1.4 Programme of Works 23
4.1.5 Inclement Weather 24
4.1.6 Quality Standards 24
4.2 Autumn Renovation to High Amenity Grassed Areas 26
4.3 Leaf Clearance 27
4.4 Grass Edges Abutting Hard Surfaces 27
4.5 Vegetation Control 27
4.5.1 Cutting Back Non-Woody and Woody vegetation: 28
4.5.2 Grubbing out non woody and woody vegetation (non-scheduled work) 28
4.6 Streams & Watercourses 30
4.6.1 Trim Banks 30
4.6.2 Pond Banks and Basins 30
4.6.3 Mowing around Flood Alarms Cabinets 30
5 TOPSOIL, GRASS SEEDING AND TURFING ( Non-scheduled) 32
5.1 Topsoil 32
5.1.1 General 32
5.1.2 Soil Quality 32
5.1.3 Spreading 32
5.1.4 Pricing 32
5.2 Grass Seeding 33
5.2.1 Ground Preparation 33
5.2.2 Seeding 33
5.2.3 Pricing 34
5.3 Turfing 35
5.3.1 Ground Preparation 35
5.3.2 Turf Quality 35
5.3.3 Turf Laying and Acceptance by Employer 35
5.3.4 Pricing 36
6 SPORTS FACILITY MAINTENANCE 37
6.1 General 37
6.1.1 Sports Seasons 37
6.1.2 Range of Facilities 37
6.1.3 Pricing of Sports Facility Maintenance 39
6.1.4 Sports Equipment 39
6.1.5 Playability Inspections 39
6.2 Line Marking on Grass Surfaces for all Sports 40
6.2.1 General 40
6.2.2 Set Out Lines Pre-Season 40
6.2.3 Overmarking 40
6.3 Winter Sports Maintenance – Football Pitches 42
6.3.1 General 42
6.3.2 Erect, Remove and Store Goal Posts 42
6.3.3 Installation of Football Post Sockets 43
6.3.4 Grass Spike 43
6.3.5 Grass Harrow 43
6.3.6 Sequence and Timing of Operations 44
6.3.7 End of Season Renovation 44
6.3.8 Grass Fertilise 46
6.3.9 Hollow Core Winter Sports Pitch 46
6.4 Winter Sports Maintenance – Rugby Pitches 47
6.4.1 Training Area (only currently one site at Whiteman’s Green) 47
6.4.2 Erection/Dismantling/Adjusting and Painting Posts (non-scheduled) 47
6.5 Summer Sports Maintenance – Cricket Pitches 48
6.5.1 General 48
6.5.2 Cricket Outfield Operations 48
6.5.3 Cricket Table Operations 48
6.5.4 Preparation of Wicket 50
6.5.5 End of Season Renovation to Cricket Table 51
6.5.6 Turf Repair/Renovate (non-scheduled) 52
6.6 Summer Sports Maintenance - Stoolball 53
6.6.1 General 53
6.6.2 Initial Mark 53
6.6.3 Over-Mark 53
6.6.4 Box Mow 53
6.6.5 Stoolball Outfield 53
6.7 Summer Sports Maintenance – Artificial Cricket Wicket 54
6.7.1 General 54
6.7.2 Roll Wicket 54
6.7.3 Line Marking 54
6.7.4 Sweeping 54
6.7.5 Moss/Weed Control 54
6.8 Summer Sports Maintenance – Athletics Maintenance 55
6.8.1 General 55
6.8.2 Set Out Lines Pre-Season 55
6.8.3 Overmark 55
6.8.4 Top Up Long Jump Sand (non-scheduled) 55
6.9 Bowling Green Maintenance (Scheduled Work) 56
6.9.1 General 56
6.9.2 Brushing 56
6.9.3 Edging the Green 57
6.9.4 Pesticide Application 57
6.9.5 Fertiliser Application 58
6.9.6 Irrigation 58
6.9.7 Scarify 59
6.9.8 Verti-cutting 59
6.9.9 Rolling 59
6.9.10 Summer Spiking 60
6.9.11 Winter Slitting 60
6.9.12 Autumn Renovation 60
6.9.13 Non-scheduled Autumn Renovations 62
6.9.14 Bowling Green Channel Maintenance 62
6.10 Artificial Bowls Rink Maintenance 63
6.10.1 General 63
6.10.2 Sweeping 63
6.10.3 Moss/Weed Control 63
6.10.4 Vandalism 63
6.10.5 Channel Maintenance 63
6.10.6 Lifting and Washing the Channel Fill (non-scheduled) 63
6.11 Tennis and hard Courts and Multi-use Courts 65
6.11.1 General 65
6.11.2 Sweeping 65
6.11.3 Moss Kill 65
6.11.4 Vegetation Control 65
6.12 Pétanque Terrain (Competition Terrain) 66
6.12.1 Surface Maintenance (scheduled) 66
6.12.2 Rink Markers (scheduled) 66
6.12.3 Rink Markers (non-scheduled) 66
6.13 Pétanque Terrain (Practice Terrain) 67
6.13.1 Surface Maintenance (scheduled) 67
6.14 Grass Kickabout Pitches 68
6.14.1 Line Marking 68
6.14.2 Grass Spike 68
6.14.3 Sand Top Dress 68
6.14.4 Erect Goal Posts 68
7 LITTER SCAVENGE/COLLECTION 70
7.1 General 70
7.2 Litter Scavenge/Collection 70
7.3 Levels of Performance 71
7.3.1 High Profile 71
7.3.2 Medium Profile 71
7.3.3 Low Profile 71
7.4 Grades 72
7.4.1 Grade A - No litter or detritus 72
7.4.2 Grade B - Predominantly free of litter and detritus apart from small items 72
7.4.3 Grade C - Widespread distribution of litter and detritus with minor 73
7.4.4 Grade D - Heavily littered with significant accumulation 73
7.4.5 Weekends and Bank Holidays 73
7.5 Woodland and Meadow Litter Scavenge/Collection 74
7.6 Litter Adjacent to Standing Water (Ponds etc) 74
7.7 Fly Tipping (non-scheduled work) 75
8 BORDER MAINTENANCE 76
8.1 General 76
8.2 Weeding (scheduled work) 76
8.2.1 High Profile Borders (Performance). 76
8.2.2 Medium Profile Borders (Frequency) 77
8.3 Grass areas abutting borders (scheduled work) 77
8.4 Pruning (scheduled work) 77
8.5 Herbaceous Plant Maintenance (scheduled work) 78
8.5.1 General 78
8.5.2 Routine Maintenance 78
8.5.3 Dead Head 78
8.6 Herbaceous Plant Maintenance (non-scheduled work) 78
8.6.1 Plant Support 79
8.6.2 Lifting and Dividing 79
8.7 Plant procurement, storage and planting (non-scheduled work) 79
8.7.1 Procurement and Delivery of Plants 79
8.7.2 Temporary Storage/ Plant Handling 79
8.7.3 Time of Planting 80
8.8 New Border Planting in Grassed Areas (non-scheduled work) 80
8.8.1 Removing Existing Vegetation 80
8.8.2 Ground Preparation 80
8.8.3 Planting 81
8.8.4 Mulch 81
8.8.5 After-care of Newly Planted Stock 81
8.9 New Planting to Replace Existing Borders (non-scheduled work) 82
8.9.1 Stripping Out Existing Vegetation 82
8.9.2 Organic Manure 82
8.9.3 Ground Preparation, Planting, Mulch and After-care of Newly Planted Stock 83
8.10 Additional planting in existing Borders (non-scheduled work) 83
8.10.1 Planting Preparation 83
8.10.2 Mulch 84
8.10.3 After-care of newly planted stock 84
8.11 Bulb Planting/Maintenance 84
8.11.1 General 84
8.11.2 Time of Planting 84
8.11.3 Supply of Bulbs and Corms 84
8.11.4 New planting in grass areas 84
8.11.5 Planting in Grassed Areas that already have Bulbs planted 85
8.11.6 Bulb Planting in Borders 85
8.11.7 After Maintenance 85
8.11.8 Pricing for Bulb Planting 85
8.12 Miscellaneous Maintenance Operations (non-scheduled work) 86
8.12.1 Mulching 86
8.12.2 Watering 86
8.12.3 Chipping 86
8.12.4 Pesticide Application 87
9 BEDDING BORDERS 88
9.1 General 88
9.2 Summer Bedding 89
9.2.1 Drought Conditions 89
9.2.2 Time of Planting 89
9.2.3 Preparation 89
9.2.4 Planting 90
9.2.5 Maintenance 90
9.3 Spring Bedding 91
9.3.1 Time of Planting 91
9.3.2 Preparation 91
9.3.3 Planting 91
9.3.4 Maintenance 92
9.4 Damaged Borders 92
10 HEDGE CUTTING 93
10.1 General 93
10.1.1 Wildlife and Countryside Act 93
10.1.2 Road Traffic Regulations 93
10.1.3 Working at Height 93
10.2 Cutting Equipment 93
10.3 Method of Pruning 93
10.4 Arisings 94
10.5 Timing of Hedge Cutting 94
10.6 Pricing for Hedge Cutting 94
10.7 Requests from Third Parties 95
10.8 Invasive Species 95
10.9 Non-Scheduled Hedge Cutting 95
11 STREAMS AND WATERCOURSES 96
11.1 Screens 96
11.1.1 General 96
11.1.2 Details of works required 96
11.1.3 Pricing 97
11.1.4 Scheduling, Monitoring and Reporting 97
11.2 Ditches and Swales (scheduled) 98
11.3 Outfall Screens (non-scheduled) 98
11.4 Ditch Maintenance (non-scheduled) 98
11.5 Screen, Outfall and Balancing Pond Outlet Maintenance (non-scheduled) 98
11.6 Fish and Waterfowl 99
12 HARD SURFACES 100
12.1 General 100
12.2 Weed and Moss Control 100
12.2.1 Chemical weed and moss control 100
12.2.2 Non-chemical weed and moss control 101
12.3 Cleansing (All Scheduled work apart from power washing) 101
12.3.1 Sweeping – Summer 101
12.3.2 Sweeping – Autumn/Winter 101
12.3.3 Power Washing (Non-scheduled) 102
13 FENCING 103
14 SNOW CLEARANCE AND GRITTING 104
15 SPECIAL EVENTS 105
16 DAY WORKS 106
1 CONTRACT PRELIMINARIES
Supplied as a separate document
2 CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT
Supplied as a separate document
3 SPECIFICATION PRELIMINARIES
3.1 General
This specification is intended to guide the Contractor in initially providing sensible and realistic tendered rates and then, if successful in winning the work, it should be made readily available to all staff engaged in the contract for guidance in how to carry out the prescribed works that may be either routine scheduled works or non-scheduled ad-hoc works. The specification is not intended to stifle creative thinking and the Employer will always be pleased to discuss with the Contractor better and more efficient ways of undertaking the tasks required under the Contract.
The specification covers the works required under both Lots 1 and 2 as below:
Lot 1 – Parks and Open Spaces (c.350 sites)
Lot 2 – Sports Grounds Maintenance (c.35 sites)
The Contractor will need to refer to the Bills of Quantities to determine the range of specifications that apply to each Lot.
(Lot 1 will include all the maintenance of screens either at the inlet or outfall of culverts on streams and watercourses).
The scheduled work that is identified in the specification will form the basis of the Core Annual Sum paid on a regular four weekly basis to the Contractor whereas the rates for non-scheduled work will allow the Officer to augment the basic service as considered necessary. The non-scheduled work will either be authorised through individual rate items or via agreed tendered daywork rates.
The Contractor should ensure that the operatives and in particular the supervisor understands and uses the specification to direct the work on site.
3.2 Contractor Training
The Contractor should carry out induction and training to ensure that all staff are aware of the basis and technical requirements of the Contract and must be able to demonstrate that such training takes place.
The Contractor must be able to demonstrate that a training programme exists for staff that may be employed on this Contract. The Employer has set aside a budget within the Lots being tendered (£2k for each of Lots 1 and 2) to enhance the Contractor’s training where appropriate. This sum is not intended as a substitute for a proper training policy. This sum will be spent at the Employer’s discretion.
3.3 Liaison Meetings/Communications with Employer and Public
a) In the interests of good communication, the Contractor shall meet the Officer at the Council offices every four weeks to formally agree the payment due, the work for the period to come, performance issues and any other relevant items. In order to aid closer working the Contractor will be issued with a staff badge so is able to enter the Council offices and speak to staff members concerning operational or contractual matters. The Contractor should allow within his tendered rates for the production of specified and/or agreed monthly reports to be tabled at these meetings.
b) The Contractor should also allow for advising the public and where necessary local residents of works to take place that may affect access e.g. closing off a footpath for a short period and for directly responding to the public when complaints are made or programmed work is re-adjusted. For information during 2012 about 12 letters were issued to residents relating to site-based operational matters.
c) The Contractor shall be required to keep in daily contact with the Officer on day-to-day operational matters. The Contractor is required to inform the Officer on the morning of each working day of the whereabouts of staff and proposed work programme.
d) The Contractor will be required to have e-mail facility and broadband internet access so as to receive instruction, works orders, Rectification/Default notices from the Officer and submit claims for payment.
e) The Contractor shall ensure that key personnel are contactable at all times during working hours. Similarly that they have mobile devices capable of taking and e-mailing photographs for efficient reporting of site based issues.
3.4 Working Hours
Scheduled maintenance works will normally be carried out between the hours of 07.30-19.00 Monday to Saturday. In exceptional circumstances and when agreed in advance with the Officer works can be carried out on a Sunday or Bank Holiday. The only exception to this is litter scavenging (refer to separate specification) where it is a requirement for works to be undertaken at weekends and bank holidays on a few selected sites over the spring, summer and autumn period.
When works are being carried out in the early hours of the morning care must be taken not to cause any disturbance to residents because of excessive noise.
3.5 Other Contractors
Where work on site by other Contractors impedes work required under this Contract then the Contractor should notify the Officer of this, so special arrangements can be made.
The Employer reserves the right to obtain quotations for work that falls outside the scope of tendered rates and appoint alternative Contractors to undertake such works. The incumbent Contractor will be invited to provide a quotation for all such works, but there is no obligation on behalf of the Employer to accept their, or any, quotation. In the interests of transparency the assessment criteria will be solely based on the returned quotations and whether the quoting Contractors have addressed all of the requirements of the brief and that it meets the best interests of the Employer for quality, time schedule and cost.
3.6 Standards and Performance
The Contractor shall be expected to be aware of the accepted Industry practices and methods used in undertaking good horticultural and grounds maintenance work. Where there is any doubt in the interpretation of any method or practice this should be clarified with the Officer in advance of work commencing. All works will conform to standards of good horticultural practices as has been described in Royal Horticultural Society Manuals, which will be the defining authority for quality standards.