Quarrying - North District
The Forestry Commission, the public body responsible for managing England’s publicly owned forests through Forestry England, is procuring a framework for quarrying works in Northumberland and the wider north of England. The contract covers aggregate extraction and processing at approximately four or five hard-rock quarries, with the materials primarily used to construct and maintain forest roads supporting timber harvesting. Lot 1 covers drilling and blasting, including surveys, blast design, explosives handling and transport, and provision of qualified personnel, plant and equipment; Lot 2 covers quarry development, excavation, crushing, screening, stockpile and aggregate loading, haulage to forest locations, road and safety-feature maintenance, inspections, overburden management and restoration. Operations are generally undertaken for several weeks each year, with blasting typically occurring at two to five sites and producing approximately 20,000 to 35,000 tonnes per blast, although no contract value or overall duration is stated. The critical requirement is compliance with the Quarries Regulations 1999, including the required appointment of competent personnel such as an Explosives Supervisor for blasting works or deputy quarry manager for extraction operations.
Buyer: Forestry Commission. Source: Find a Tender. Updated 15 Oct 2026.
Key facts
- Estimated value: £2.4m
- Bids close: 9 Nov 2026
- Location: North West (England), North East (England), Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
- Procedure: Below threshold - open competition
- Contract period: 1 Jan 2027 to 31 Dec 2030
- Category: Rock-removal work (45111212)
From the official notice
Quarrying works in the north of England comprise extraction and processing of aggregate from hard rock quarries, including associated drilling and blasting works. Materials are extracted in relatively small quantities and used in various Forestry England civil engineering applications, mostly for the construction and maintenance of forest roads for the purposes of facilitating timber harvesting. Quarrying operations are therefore undertaken in a number of specific locations, in close proximity to the point of use of the extracted materials. Typically, extraction of materials will take place over a period of a few weeks each year, with material then stockpiled within the quarry, or at other designated locations for use as and when needed. This Framework is divided in to 2 Lots: Lot 1 - Drilling and blasting Lot 2 - Extraction and processing/crushing
View the official notice
Questions about this tender
When is the deadline?
Bids close on 9 Nov 2026.
What is it worth?
The estimated value is £2.4m.
Who can apply?
The buyer has marked it as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
How do I bid?
Open the official notice, register on the buyer's portal and submit your bid before the deadline.
Similar tenders
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
See all live tenders