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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority Future Arrangements for Waste Management

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 29 Sept 2026, 13:52.

Opportunity overview

The Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority is the statutory body responsible for making arrangements for the treatment and disposal of Local Authority Collected Waste collected by the five Waste Collection Authorities of Knowsley Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Borough Council, St Helens Borough Council and Wirral Borough Council and, through a separate agreement, providing services for Halton Borough Council (a unitary authority).MWDA's public facing name is the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA or the Authority) which is used throughout this notice. As the Waste Disposal Authority, the Authority is responsible for the transfer, transport, treatment, and disposal of all local authority collected waste within Merseyside, totalling approximately 500,000 tonnes of material each year. The scale of this operation requires a significant amount of infrastructure; this includes a network of transfer facilities for both bulking and onward transportation of waste and recycling, along with treatment and processing facilities both within Merseyside and beyond. MRWA holds two large waste management contracts: a waste disposal contract for residual waste, referred to as the Resource Recovery Contract and a waste management contract for recyclable waste, and the transfer and haulage of residual waste, referred to as the Waste Management and Recycling Contract (WMRC). The WMRC will come to an end in 2029 and a decision has been made to procure future arrangements for the management of recyclable waste and transfer and haulage of recyclables and residual waste. The two current Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF) at Gillmoss and Bidston are aged and are not designed to sort the additional materials required by UK Government's Simpler Recycling initiative, and the Household Waste Recycling Centres(HWRCs) are mostly outdated and in need of modernising to current standards. The replacement for the WMRC will be a disaggregated model and will comprise of four contracts: • Contract 1: HWH - comprising of the HWRCs, Waste Transfer Stations and Haulage • Contract 2: MRF - a new build Materials Recovery Facility • Contract 3: Garden Waste (Merchant Contract) • Contract 4: Food Waste (Merchant Contract) This market engagement document seeks feedback on a number of important considerations for the Authority's procurement of a new MRF facility under the proposed new Contract 2. Further information on this notice can be obtained via the email address referenced in this notice emailing the address listed within this notice The Authority is obliged to comply with the public procurement regime. A fair and transparent process will be undertaken which will be designed to arrive at the right decision without being overly burdensome. To ensure that this forthcoming process is successful for both the Authority and the appointed supplier, it is important to design a procurement process which facilitates the best possible result supported by a contract model which enables innovation, flexibility and encourages true partnership. The Authority's proposed route to market is to run a competitive flexible procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. The Authority's proposed procurement timetable is set out below. The Authority would like to highlight that the procurement will be undertaken quickly and efficiently. To that end, the Authority has secured internal and external resource to ensure that the timetable is delivered. The Authority will require interested tenderers to mobilise to support the bidding process quickly and then deploy resource to ensure that they meet the key milestones set out below. • Procurement Launch - January 2027 • Dialogue commences with shortlisted Tenderers - April 2027 • Contract Award - October 2028 • Works Commencement - October 2028 • Start of Commissioning (Import and Processing Halls) - Summer 2030 • Closure of Existing MRF and conversion to Export Hall - Autumn 2030 • New MRF Service Commencement Date - Spring 2031 • Contract Expiry Date - September 2053

Classification

  • CPV90514000 — Refuse recycling services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
MWRA MRF PME
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Communication

Future Notice Date
11 Jan 2027, 23:59

Amendments

Entry 1
Description
Coding updated
Id
058595-2026

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Has Renewal
Yes
Status
planning

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Contract period

Starts
1 Nov 2028, 00:00
Ends
31 Oct 2053, 23:59
Max Extent Date
31 Oct 2058, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
90514000
Description
Refuse recycling services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKD7
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
The Authority kindly requests your participation in this market engagement to assist the Authority in shaping their procurement strategy for the MRF project. Instructions for Submission: •Please email your clarification questions and responses to the project management office: mrwa.pmo@merseysidewda.gov.uk •Deadline: Please submit your feedback no later than 5pm on 17 July. Post-Submission Process: •1:1 Sessions: Following the submission of responses, the Authority is looking to conduct a small number of individual sessions with providers to discuss their feedback and review additional procurement plans. If you wish to participate in these sessions, please indicate your interest by checking the 'Yes' box in Annex 3, Question 6. •Dates: The 1:1 sessions will be held via Teams from 20 July to 31 July and are at the Authority's discretion. •Agenda: An agenda will be circulated two working days prior to the sessions. Thank you for your time and effort in completing this engagement. The procurement team will be in touch once submissions have been received to schedule the 1:1 sessions where requested. Please submit your responses earlier than 17 July if you would prefer a 1:1 session in the week of 20 July.
Due
17 Jul 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
058595-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
22 Jun 2026, 15:06
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority
Id
GB-PPON-PTZC-9932-DRCM

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PTZC-9932-DRCM

Address

Street Address
7th Floor
Locality
Liverpool
Postal Code
L3 1BP
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKD72

Contact

Name
Lesley Worswick
Telephone
0151 255 1444

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Liverpool · UKD72 · L3 1BP · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKD7 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

3 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

3 VERSIONS
  1. 058544-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 058572-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  3. 058595-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·