Brent has approved the start of a competitive tender for communal waste and recycling housing units, including bins and associated works, at St Raphael’s Estate in Stonebridge. The decision, taken on 29 September, authorises the council to invite and evaluate tenders but does not award a contract. It forms part of the council’s estate-management improvement programme and is intended, according to the council’s report, to improve recycling outcomes, reduce fly-tipping and support a cleaner local environment.
The decision remains subject to call-in until 6 October. If it is not called in, it is due to take effect on 7 October. Until that point, and until a later award decision is made, no contractor has been appointed and no installation start has been confirmed.
What has been approved
The Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Regeneration has approved the invitation of tenders and the evaluation process for a works contract covering the design, construction, purchasing and installation of communal waste and recycling housing units with bins and associated works at St Raphael’s Estate. The official record classifies the move as a key decision because it involves expenditure or savings of £500,000 or more.
The procurement report estimates the contract value at £1.1 million excluding VAT. The proposed contract duration is 12 to 18 months, subject to tender returns. Those figures describe the expected scale and length of the contract being taken to market; they are not the outcome of a completed tender exercise.
The works are being procured as a regulated below-threshold works contract. Brent’s report says the council intends to invite tenders from a pre-selected group of capable contractors rather than publish a below-threshold tender notice. The contract is expected to be awarded to the bidder submitting the most advantageous tender, following evaluation against the criteria set out for the procurement.
Indicative timetable
The council’s procurement timetable is described as indicative. It lists a tender submission deadline of noon on 16 October 2026, followed by panel evaluation and shortlist review from 19 to 30 October. A contract award decision is anticipated in November, with a prospective contract start date of 9 December 2026.
Those dates may be affected by the call-in period, tender returns, internal decision-making and any standstill arrangements that apply. The current approval allows the council to move into the tender stage and assess bids. Any appointment of a contractor would require a later award decision after evaluation has taken place.
The procurement route therefore remains at an early formal stage. It is a permission to seek and evaluate bids, not a signed construction contract, not confirmation of a winning bidder and not confirmation that the waste and recycling units have been installed.
Part of wider estate programme
Brent links the proposed waste and recycling infrastructure to its estate-management improvement programme, for which capital funding was approved in 2022. The council’s report says that wider programme includes a new community centre, 195 new homes and waste and recycling improvements.
The present decision is limited to authority to tender for the communal waste and recycling housing units with bins and associated works. It does not approve the new homes or any other part of the wider programme. Its stated purpose is to procure infrastructure that the council says will contribute to improved recycling outcomes, reduced fly-tipping and a cleaner local environment at St Raphael’s Estate.
Next steps
If the decision is not called in, it is due to come into force on 7 October. Brent can then proceed with invitations to tender, receive bids and carry out the planned evaluation. The final contract value, contract duration and start date will be confirmed only if and when an award decision is made.
For residents and contractors, the key point is the status of the decision. Brent has opened the route to a regulated competitive process for the St Raphael’s Estate waste and recycling works, with an estimated value of £1.1 million excluding VAT and an indicative December start. The scheme’s delivery remains dependent on the call-in period passing, the tender process completing and a subsequent award being approved.
