Agenda item

Contracts Update

Meeting of Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Friday, 20th February, 2026 9.30 am (Item 29.)

Minutes:

The Committee:

· Approved the public advertisement of tenders as per Standing Order 37a detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 1);

· Approved the award of STAs in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions as detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 2);

· Approved the modification of the contract as per Standing Order 37a detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 3); and

· Noted the Meet the Buyer Event being held in City Hall on Wednesday, 25th March 2026 (Section 7.0);

· Following the discussion under the item 2(b) Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in relation to waste management services for the Fleadh, the Committee agreed that it approved the public advertisement of the tender for Waste Management Services to support the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, value TBA, as per Standing Order 37a, subject to engagement with the Trade Unions.

Table 1: Competitive Tenders

Title of Tender	Proposed Contract Duration	Est. Max Contract Value	SRO	Short description of goods / services	On published pipeline (Y/N)	Prior Committee approval (Y/N) If Y name Committee & Date	External Funding (Y/N)
Hire of marquees and equipment for Belfast City Council Events	Up to 3 years	£380,000	D Sales	BCC requires the hire of marquees to provide cover for traders, exhibitors, performers and for general public during our annual programme of events. Marquess will be used for music, dance, flower shows and for trading.	Y	N	N
IT Technical Research and Guidance	Up to 3 years	£72,300	P Gribben	Provides in-depth technical research and guidance to help Digital Services advance the initiatives/projects that support execution of the Digital strategy.	N	N	N
Supply, delivery and fitting of hydraulic hoses on vehicles and mobile plant	Up to 3 years	£100,000	D Sales	Essential parts and specialist fitting service to support the Council’s Fleet Management Unit.	Y	N	N
Wavenet Mitel Software Assurance and Support	Up to 2 years	£220,000	S McNicholl	Support and software assurance for all Mitel servers and software including licencing which provide telephony services for all BCC sites including the Customer Hub.	N	N	N
Provision of coordination of services for delivery of Culture Night Belfast for 2026 & 27 with the cultural sector	Up to 21 months	£300,000	D Martin	Services to help support the delivery of Culture Night in 2026 and 2027 (subject to necessary approvals)	N	CGNR committee in February 2026.	N
Augment the City	Up to 1 year	£51,500	S McNicholl	Develop the Augment the City use case, utilising the existing Small Cell Indoor Public 5G connectivity in Belfast City Hall. This project will run for one year under the agreed trial terms and conditions and support model.	N	SP&R Committee January 2026	N
Procurement and installation of 26 SMART compactor litter bins	One off Purchase	£93,444	S Leonard	To replace standard black litter bins within the City Centre. This is part of our litter bin replacement programme and is an extension of the SMART bin pilot at City Hall and vicinity. Replacing the current ones which are rented.	N	N	N
Supply and Delivery of Uniforms, Footwear and PPE	Up to 5 years	£1,500,000	S Grimes	This is a recurring contract for supply and delivery of specific uniforms, footwear and various PPE to BCC stores that are required throughout BCC for services to carry out their daily operations.	Y	N	N
Food Village operator to support the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann	Up to 2 years	Income based contract	K Forster	Operator required to co-ordinate and manage a number of local food and drink vendors to support delivery of the Fleadh 26 with option to cover Fleadh 27, if required.	N	SP&R Committee January 2026	N
The design and delivery of Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Challenge Owner Readiness programme for the Belfast City Region Contracts for Innovation programme.	Up to 1 year	£50,000	M McCann	With funding from BRCD, Belfast City Council wishes to commission technical support for the design and delivery of this CfI capacity programme. This will include workshops, training materials, and train the trainer support.	N	N	Y

Table 2: Single Tender Actions

Title	Duration	Est. Max Contract Value	SRO	Description	Supplier	STA Reason
Purchase of 6 x 7.5-ton column lifts	One off Purchase	£37,000	D Sales	Replacement lifts must be compatible with existing lifts and associated systems. The supplier the sole sales agents, authorised repair agents and the only company who carry out warranty work on behalf of Stertil Koni UK on the Koni lift range installed in Ireland.	Search Workshop Supplies Ltd	3.
Delivery and off-loading of Forcing and Bedding Bulbs	Up to 5 years	£180,000	D Sales	A competitive tender process was undertaken for this requirement; however, no bids were received, leaving no provider to meet the Council’s operational needs. Historically, this service has been delivered through quotation exercises, with Green Gardens consistently providing the required works to the necessary standard and best VFM.	Green Gardens	1.
Annual engagement of the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation (IRRV)	Up to 3 years	£144,000	T Wallace	Specialist advice on rating matters including challenge to BCC assessments in the Valuation List (on going challenges include BWH/UH, Markets); advice on rate implications of investment projects (2 Royal Avenue, student housing, build to rent);accuracy of BCC valuations in valuation list and advice for Business Rate Reform consultations The supplier is the only available provider of these services	IRRV	3.

Table 3: Modification to Contract

Title of Contract	Original Contract Duration & Value	Modification required	SRO	Description	Supplier
Sustainable Food Partnership Support Q22-24	Up to 12 months & £29,000	Additional 3 months and £10,250	J Tully	There is a need for a further 3 months of Belfast Food Partnership support by the contractor so that there can be a sufficient handover of the work to a new Food Systems Coordinator who started in post in the Council in December 2025 and to finalise delivery of Sustainable Food Strategy. Due to recruitment challenges, there was a delay in them starting and therefore there is a need for further support from the contractor for the Sustainable Food Programme. Quotation now exceeds £30,000. Fully Funded.	Food Ethics Council

Title of Contract

Original Contract Duration & Value

Modification required

SRO

Description

Supplier

Sustainable Food Partnership Support Q22-24

Up to 12 months & £29,000

Additional 3 months and £10,250

J Tully

There is a need for a further 3 months of Belfast Food Partnership support by the contractor so that there can be a sufficient handover of the work to a new Food Systems Coordinator who started in post in the Council in December 2025 and to finalise delivery of Sustainable Food Strategy. Due to recruitment challenges, there was a delay in them starting and therefore there is a need for further support from the contractor for the Sustainable Food Programme.

Quotation now exceeds £30,000. Fully Funded.

Food Ethics Council

Supporting documents: