Landscaping tenders are issued by councils, housing associations, heritage and conservation bodies and schools for tree work, planting, forestry and agricultural services. Many are local, and the points that can rule you out are specific: a pesticide certificate if you spray, waste carrier registration if you take green waste away, and TUPE if staff transfer from the last contractor. This page covers those, and how lots and small below-threshold contracts can suit a local business. The tender pack has the detail.
Find your service
This page covers landscaping tenders and the tree, forestry and agricultural work around them, in CPV division 77. The official CPV list includes agricultural services (77100000), forestry services (77200000), tree-cutting services (77211400), horticultural services (77300000) and tree pruning and hedge trimming (77340000).
If you mainly cut grass, maintain parks or run a grounds maintenance round, start with grounds maintenance tenders. Planting and maintenance services of green areas (77310000) is the routine work on that page, so we keep it there and you aren’t reading the same advice twice. For wider environmental work, see environmental services tenders.
Who publishes landscaping tenders
Buyers include councils, housing associations, heritage and conservation bodies and schools. A council might tender a whole borough’s parks, while a housing association might tender grounds care across its estates.
What buyers usually ask landscaping and tree contractors for
Most of what decides your eligibility sits in the tender pack, not the notice. These are the points that can rule you out.
Pesticide certificates for professional use
If your method statement includes weed control, turf treatment or any other use of professional-use plant protection products, the Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012 apply. Regulation 8 says the user must hold a specified certificate or work under the supervision of someone who does. The same applies if you arrange for someone else to use the product.
If you don’t hold the certificate, price your bid without spraying, or subcontract it to someone who does.
Waste carrier registration for green waste
Registering as a waste carrier is a legal requirement in England if you transport waste. The gov.uk page says registration is usually free only if you transport waste you produce yourself. Carrying other people’s waste is a paid registration, and not registering can bring an unlimited fine. The page also separates upper tier registrations, which must be renewed every three years, from lower tier ones, which don’t need renewing, and you are told which you hold when you register. If you carry other people’s green waste, ask the Environment Agency which tier you need.
Whether tree arisings from a client’s site count as your waste or theirs is a question for the Environment Agency, so ask them before you bid. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own process.
Operator competence and insurance
Buyers often want evidence that your operators are competent for the work, particularly for tree work and machinery use. We haven’t listed specific schemes because the pack sets the accepted ones. Check the pack for the evidence it names, and for the insurance levels it requires.
TUPE on re-let contracts
When grounds work passes from one contractor to the next, TUPE can apply. A service provision change covers work moving from one contractor to a subsequent contractor, where an organised group of employees has the client’s activities as its main purpose. If the pack lists staff, assume costs transfer with them.
How to win landscaping and tree work contracts
In the week to 10 Oct 2026 there were 18 live notices in this division in our data (as of 10 Oct 2026). The sample is small, so we don’t quote a typical value.
Lots by area or site
Buyers must consider splitting a contract into lots and give reasons if they don’t. Pick the lots inside your realistic travel radius. TenderWorthy checks the delivery location a notice states against your postcode and radius, but lot-level locations sometimes appear only in the pack, so confirm there.
Below-threshold local contracts
If a buyer advertises a contract worth £12,000 or more (central government, including NHS trusts) or £30,000 or more (other buyers), including VAT, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice. Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising. Schools are outside these rules.
Under the below-threshold guidance, a buyer can’t add a separate supplier-suitability stage before inviting tenders, so the paperwork is lighter. Buyers must also consider the barriers small businesses face and whether they can be reduced. A local landscaper with a good reference is well placed here. Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.
Seasonal pricing and mobilisation
Grounds work follows the seasons. State how you’ll cope with the spring growth surge, winter weather and the start date. Give a realistic mobilisation plan for a new or re-let contract: equipment, staff and start date. Price any one-off tasks, such as clearing overgrown beds, separately from the routine rounds.
Social value
Where a buyer scores social value, use specifics you can deliver: local apprenticeships, work placements, biodiversity improvements, hours of volunteer time. Don’t quote statistics you can’t back up with your own records.
Frameworks with call-offs
A framework is a contract that provides for future awards to its suppliers. Its term generally can’t exceed four years. If you miss the start, note the end date and watch for its replacement. Before you apply, check the pack for the cover it requires. Our guide to public liability insurance for tenders explains what the cover is.
Questions
Do I need a pesticide certificate to bid for council grounds or landscaping work?
If your method statement involves using professional-use plant protection products, the Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012 say the user must hold a specified certificate or work under the supervision of someone who does. Whether a given tender asks for proof at bid stage is in the pack, so check it. Don't price in spraying you aren't certified to do.
Do I need a waste carrier registration to take away green waste?
Registration is needed if you transport waste in England. The gov.uk page says registration is usually free only if you transport waste you produce yourself, and carrying other people's waste is a paid registration. If you are taking green waste away from a client's site, check with the Environment Agency which registration applies to you.
Can I bid for just one park or area?
Often yes, if the buyer has split the work into lots. Buyers must consider whether to award in lots and give reasons if they don't. If the notice is a single contract covering every site, you would need to bid for all of it, or subcontract to or partner with a bidder who does.
How big are council landscaping contracts?
They vary widely. In the week to 10 Oct 2026 we saw 18 live landscaping, grounds and agricultural notices (as of 10 Oct 2026), which is too small a sample for a reliable typical value. Open the notices on this page to see the stated values, and look for lots or below-threshold contracts that suit your size.
What happens to existing staff when a grounds contract changes hands?
TUPE can apply when grounds work moves from one contractor to another. If there is an organised group of employees whose main purpose is that work, they may transfer to the new contractor with their terms. If TUPE is expected, the tender pack should list the staff details, so price it in and take advice if you are unsure.