North Northamptonshire Council has secured grant funding through the Forestry Commission's England Woodland Creation Offer to plant a new 2.45ha community woodland. The new woodland has been designated a community woodland and will be planted by volunteers drawn from Kettering and the wider North Northamptonshire area. It is estimated that approximately 150 + volunteers will need to be recruited to undertake the two-year planting schedule. The delivery partner will manage the physical planting, maintenance and aftercare of the new woodland. This will include: (i) the recruitment and training of volunteers drawn from the local area (ii) mapping out and planning tree planting locations, incorporating pathways as outlined in grant agreement map (iii) planting of trees at a rate close to 2000 whips per planting season and providing all necessary tools and equipment (iv) managing the mulching of the whips and delivering a spring/summer watering and maintenance cycle for two years.

Procurement Act 2023

Direct award An expression of interest exercise was undertaken and generated four responses. Groundwork Northamptonshire was one of the organisations that expressed an interest in delivering the project. Of the remaining respondents, one organisation demonstrated experience in tree related activities but provided no evidence of delivering large scale community woodland planting schemes. The remaining respondents did not provide sufficient information to enable a detailed assessment of their relevant experience and capacity. As part of the appraisal process, a review of the information submitted and publicly available information was undertaken. Groundwork Northamptonshire was able to demonstrate relevant experience in community based environmental projects, established volunteer networks and the organisational capacity required to deliver the programme within the required timescales. Given that the project is focused on the creation of a community woodland and relies heavily on community participation and volunteer engagement, organisations with a charitable or community focused operating model were considered to be particularly well aligned to the objectives of the project. Groundwork Northamptonshire is a registered charity and is therefore well placed to support both the planting programme and the wider community engagement outcomes sought through the scheme. It is our professional opinion that the EOI did not provide any credible or viable alternatives and our knowledge of the organisations able to provide the social value required of this project is that Groundwork Northamptonshire are best placed to undertake the delivery of the project. Groundwork Northamptonshire is a locally based organisation with an established volunteer programme and existing experience of delivering community and environmental projects across the area. Their proximity to the site and established volunteer network provide a practical mechanism for engaging local residents in the delivery of the project. As part of the wider Groundwork federation, the organisation is also able to draw upon additional expertise and resources where required. Groundwork Northamptonshire has a proven track record in delivering similar projects and is familiar with both the locality and the operational requirements of community based tree planting initiatives. Their location close to the site will also minimise travel requirements associated with project delivery. Groundwork are based within 200m of the planting site and have direct unincumbered access to the new trees.