ID 6020932 DAERA - CAFRE - Horticulture Pilot Scheme

Procurement reference

ID 6020932

Procurement description

The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), are seeking to appoint a Supplier to design, administer and deliver the professional support element of the Horticulture Pilot Scheme, an initiative which aims to stimulate growth within Northern Ireland’s (NI’s) horticulture industry. The Pilot Horticulture Scheme is a key component of DAERA’s Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP), which encompasses a range of strategic measures designed to support the long-term development and sustainability of the production horticulture industry in Northern Ireland. Suppliers should refer to the Specification Schedule for full detail on the deliverables and requirements of this contract. Neither CPD nor the Buyer can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract.

Main category

Services

Delivery regions

• UKN - Northern Ireland

Total value (estimated, excluding VAT)

5024000 GBP to 5024000GBP

Contract dates (estimated)

29 January 2026, 00:00AM to 30 April 2030, 23:59PM

Extension end date (if all the extensions are used): 30 April 2031

College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)

Procedure type

Open procedure

Is the total value above threshold?

Above threshold

Trade agreements

Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

CPV classifications

• 79410000 - Business and management consultancy services
• 77000000 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services
• 79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
• 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
• 79600000 - Recruitment services
• 79200000 - Accounting, auditing and fiscal services
• 80500000 - Training services
• 80510000 - Specialist training services

Delivery regions

• UKN - Northern Ireland

Lot value (estimated)

5024000 GBP Excluding VAT

6028800 GBP Including VAT

Sustainability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Contract start date (estimated)

29 January 2026, 00:00AM

Contract end date (estimated)

30 April 2030, 23:59PM

Extension end date (estimated)

30 April 2031, 23:59PM

Can the contract be extended?

Yes

Description of extensions

CAFRE reserve the right to extend the contract for an additional fifth year

Award criteria

Payment terms

For further details on invoicing procedures please see : https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/ar ticles/account-ni-good-invoicing-practice.

The estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed in the tender documents. Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority

Description of risks to contract performance

If at any time during the procurement, or post award, it comes to the attention of the Contracting Authority (CA) or CPD, by whatever means, that a Supplier has become ‘excluded’ or ‘excludable’ as per Sec 57 of the PA 2023, the CA, after compliance with its obligations under the PA 23, reserves the right to exclude said Supplier from the procurement procedure or terminate any contract they have been awarded.

The Contracting Authority expressly reserves the rights:

(I). not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice;

(II). to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering Competition;