Gardening contract at Government House

Summary

The request sought details regarding the 2023 gardening contract for Government House, including the contractor, tendering process, and contract duration. The Cabinet Office disclosed that Dave Noble Gardening Limited was awarded a three-year contract following a competitive tender, with the same contractor continuing into 2024.

Key Facts

• Dave Noble Gardening Limited was awarded the gardening contract for Government House in 2023.
• The contract covers a three-year period commencing on 4th April 2023.
• The award was subject to a full competitive tendering process via the Isle of Man Government's Procurement Portal.
• A previous tender in 2017 was extended due to COVID-19, and a failed tender in 2022 preceded the 2023 award.
• The same contractor holds the gardening contract for 2024.

Data Disclosed

• £97,491
• 2023
• 4th April 2023
• 2017
• 31 March 2022
• 2022
• 2024
• 3 year period

Original Request

A FOI response dated 28.8.24 from the Cabinet Office revealed that the cost of maintaining the garden at Government House, the residence of the Lieutenant Governor, was £97,491 last year (2023). Please can you provide supplementary information as follows: 1. Who/which firm was awarded this gardening contact in 2023? 2. Was this gardening contract for a specific period within 2023 e.g. April to September? 3. How long has that contactor been used at Government House? 4. Was the award of such contract subject to a competitive tendering process? 5.Was the gardening contract publicly prior advertised for expressions of interest? 6. When was the last competitive tending process undertaken for the gardening contract? 7. Does the same contractor have the gardening contract in 2024? Thank you

Data Tables (2)

Full Response Text

1

Government Office Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3PN Telephone: (+44) 01624 686244
Website: www.gov.im/co

Our ref: 4103510 30 September 2024

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 5 September 2024, which states:

"A FOI response dated 28.8.24 from the Cabinet Office revealed that the cost of maintaining the garden at Government House, the residence of the Lieutenant Governor, was £97,491 last year (2023).
Please can you provide supplementary information as follows:
1. Who/which firm was awarded this gardening contact in 2023?
2. Was this gardening contract for a specific period within 2023 e.g. April to September?
3. How long has that contactor been used at Government House?
4. Was the award of such contract subject to a competitive tendering process?
5.Was the gardening contract publicly prior advertised for expressions of interest?
6. When was the last competitive tending process undertaken for the gardening contract?
7. Does the same contractor have the gardening contract in 2024?
Thank you"

Please find below the information requested:

1. Who/which firm was awarded this gardening contact in 2023? Dave Noble Gardening Limited

2. Was this gardening contract for a specific period within 2023 e.g. April to September? Dave Noble Gardening Limited was awarded the gardening contract for a 3 year period commencing 4th April 2023

3. How long has that contactor been used at Government House? See above

4. Was the award of such contract subject to a competitive tendering process? Yes

5. Was the gardening contract publicly prior advertised for expressions of interest?

Yes, the contract was subject to a full competitive tendering process through Isle of Man Government's Procurement Portal, in accordance with Financial Regulations.

1. When was the last competitive tending process undertaken for the gardening contract?

A full competitive tendering process for the gardening contract was undertaken and awarded in 2017. This was initially for a three-year period, but was extended to 31 March 2022, as a result of COVID at the time when a renewed tender exercise was due to take place. A second full competitive tendering process took place in 2022 but failed to yield a suitable contractor. The process was repeated later in 2022 and the contract was awarded to Dave Noble Gardening Limited for a three-year period from April 2023.

1. Does the same contractor have the gardening contract in 2024? Yes

Please quote the reference number 4103510 in any future communications.

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I will now close your request as of this date.