Rother District Council

To improve both the short and long term services for the parks and open spaces, prior to letting, the current grounds maintenance contract was reviewed and re-written.

The current grounds maintenance contract started in April 2003 and will expire in October 2012.  The contractor is John O'Conner Limited, 2 Great North Road, Welwyn, Herts, AL6 0PL. Telephone: (01438) 717175 or e-mail: enquiries@johnoconner.co.uk.

Combination of frequency and performance standards
The current Grounds Maintenance contract is a combination of both frequency and performance standards. This provides the benefit of predictable work programmes for most work items, but also allows front line areas to benefit from improved standards by means of performance monitoring. A performance specification has therefore been included in the current specification for key areas such as Bexhill seafront where the standard is based on outcomes rather than input.

Provision of capital investment by the contractor into depot facilities
The provision of replacement depot facilities at Egerton Park and Bexhill cemetery, by the grounds maintenance contractor, has been included within the current contract. These facilities will become the property of the Council at the end of the current contract.

Provision of capital investment by the contractor into parks infrastructure
Tenderers for the new contract were encouraged to put forward proposals for the enhancement and revitalisation of park games. Tenderers were expected to be proactive and promote the whole range of park games, considering new initiatives to attract the public into the parks and open spaces.

Provision of Parks ranger service
This service was included within the current grounds maintenance contract for the first time. The staff, directly employed by the contractor, are uniformed and assist in the upkeep of the parks service, acting as a deterrent to vandals, assisting the public, undertaking educational work with community groups and providing an out of hours patrol service. The Park Rangers can be contacted directly on (01424) 787526, and a message can be left on their answerphone if required.

If you have any queries regarding any of the above please phone (01424) 787571 or e-mail: customerservices@rother.gov.uk

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