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  Angela Palmerton March 19, 2010 at 11:48am

  No, but be interested to see others replies as I too have been asked to quote for a 2-year renewable contract with our local parish. I was just going to work out how long it'd take given all the usual variables add a bit for contingency and go from there. Also depends what machinery you'll be using - is it theirs or yours? (Mine provides the ride-on and fuel).
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  dgeorgea March 19, 2010 at 1:25pm

  No advice on the business side.
  
  However when ever looking to quote to local councils consider what extra value you can offer on the contract. A little thought about things other than simply costing the job can make a huge difference when considering which tender to take.
  
  Will the extra work require you to employ someone else? Committing to employ a local person can be an incentive to the council. Need extra help but not full time consider offering an apprenticeship to a local young person.
  
  Be careful not to underprice - this will be picked up and if they do not believe the job can be done for the price offered they will reject you. For example if the estimate of the job requires 12000 plants bill for 10 - 15% extra. If you end up with too many plants explain that these will be donated to local organisations/estates.
  
  Do some research and be creative. Is there a parish plan, what are the long term aims and how can you offer to add to these aims? Ideally you need to look for opportunities which will not cost you too much in time or money. If you feel more adventurous is there a local eye sore you feel you could work with locals to improve?
  
  All these have to be in addition to the main tender/quote and seen as added value.
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  dgeorgea March 19, 2010 at 1:36pm

  Sorry, meant to mention:
  
  To find a parish website,
  
  http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/parishes/la/laindex.htm
  
  click on the County, Unitary Council or Metropolitan Borough the parish council is in.
  
  You will find a list of all the local parish councils, and if there is a website the name will be linked to it.
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  S Williams March 20, 2010 at 11:02pm

  We put in,what we thought was a good tender for a local parish but we didn't get anywhere. Funnily enough the parish agenda mentioned the tenders but the minutes did not...
  • PRO

    Andy > S Williams February 8, 2016 at 11:32pm

    Intresting, by law if discussed they must be minuted. Find out what happened, they could be just running the contract on a month to month basis?
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  • PRO

    Andy February 8, 2016 at 11:35pm

    Yes hundreds! Reort this to a village councillor they have a duty of care to the villagers as a whole that they must fulfil and I'm bloody sure that the b and q fella isn't insured, trained or fulfilling any HSE directives which means they duty of care ain't in place.
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  Robert Smale March 21, 2010 at 10:20am

  PCs have websites and publish minutes from meeting. Check through and you will find the price for last year. Alternatively you may need ot troll through their accounts report. But somewhere due to regulations on transparency you will find the costs
  Arrange a meeting with the councillor responsible for the works and review the sites, they like to put names to faces. Develop the relationship with the clerk. Attend the meeting where they will discuss the tenders, let them know who you are and if possible present on your company.
  They are not under any obligation to accept the lower or in fact any quote! But they do have to go through the exercise and demonstrate efficacy.
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  S Williams March 21, 2010 at 8:32pm

  Do the parish councils not have to take the lowest tender - given that it is council tax payers money that is being spent?
  • PRO

    Paul @ Ashgate Garden Care > S Williams March 21, 2010 at 8:36pm

    No, they have the option to choose the person who the feel will do the best job.
    
    (My dad's a councillor and that's how his local council work anyway)
    
    S Williams said:

    Do the parish councils not have to take the lowest tender - given that it is council tax payers money that is being spent?
  • PRO

    Andy > S Williams February 8, 2016 at 11:27pm

    Nope. Its about the whole entity. Bob on his bike can do the cheapest job but how green is he? How HSE focused is he? How reliable is he? What provision is in place to cover staff illness? Etc etc etc