Schedule 1 SERVICE SPECIFICATION PEST CONTROL SERVICE This specification outlines the minimum requirement for the provision of a pest control service for North Dorset District Council and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council & West Dorset District Council partnership. 1. General 1.1. The pest control service required by the Councils will consist of the provision of suitable treatment for the safe eradication of qualifying pests in domestic premises, the domestic part of mixed hereditaments, and Council-owned buildings and land within the district on demand in accordance with the following provisions: The service will be provided at no cost to the Councils. Client in this schedule means a member of the public requiring pest control services. Clients will be advised by the Councils of the range of qualifying pests for which services are offered and charges payable directly to the Contractor. Clients wishing non-qualifying pests to be treated will not be eligible for the fixed cost of treatment, but will be put in contact with the Contractor directly. Requests to use each Council s Pest Control Service may be received by the Council s Customer Service Teams and referred to the Contractor. The Contractor will provide suitable means for the telephone or electronic receipt and handling of service requests. The Councils will make these contact details available to the public. The Contractor will treat qualifying pests in accordance with the scheme of charges agreed with the Councils, and charge the Client direct prior to the commencement of any treatment. All income generated from charging clients for the treatment of qualifying pests will be retained by the Contractor. The Contractor must be able to process both cash and card payments from clients. The Contractor will undertake pest control services at the site of the principle office for each council area free of charge. Following award of the Contract the successful contractor may be asked to provide quotes for the treatment of pests in/on other council owned or operated buildings and/ or land during the contract period The contractor will provide advice free of charge on pest control matters, including site visits, to council officers during the course of officer investigations. 1.2. The number of requests for pest control services for the period 2012/13 and 2013/14 are contained in Schedules 3A, 3B and 3C General Information. 2. Qualifying pests 2.1. The types of pest for which the Councils require a treatment service are: 3. Working procedure Rats, mice, bed bugs, cockroaches, human and animal fleas, wasps 3.1. A member of the Contractor s staff will visit the respective Council s offices when directed by the respective Contracting Officer (but not anticipated to be more than once per month), in order to undertake necessary administrative duties. Page 1 of 7
3.2. Service requests received by the Councils will be relayed to the Contractor s office electronically or by telephone. The Contractor will offer an appointment to commence treatment within three working days of receipt of the service request, to commence treatment. 3.3. At the request of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor must undertake surveys of land and/or premises for the purposes of identifying rodent activity. There shall be no charge to the Councils or landowner/householder for the provision of this service. (See also section 9). 3.4. There will be no limit upon the number of surveys or treatments to be requested by the respective Contracting Officer. 3.5. Before commencing any pest control treatment, the Operative will undertake a suitable risk assessment, which will be recorded in writing in a suitable format, and any treatment shall only be undertaken having regard to the outcome of the risk assessment. 3.6. Every client must be made aware of the hazards posed by the treatment undertaken on their property, and given written details to confirm these, together with information on the appropriate action to take in the event of accidental poisoning of animals, fish, etc, or where humans accidentally come into contact with the materials used. The client shall be required to sign a suitably worded document to confirm receipt of this information. 3.7. At the request of either party, the Contractor will meet the respective Contracting Officer, or members of their staff, at mutually convenient times to discuss individual treatment if it is the opinion of either party that a meeting is necessary. In particular, the Contractor must draw to the attention of the Contracting Officer details of infestation of rodents which appear to originate from defective drains or sewers or from premises other than where a paid-for service has been requested. 3.8. Where no access is obtained a calling card produced by the contractor will be left at the premises. 3.9. The Contractor's staff will leave a client satisfaction survey at each property where treatment is carried out, to be completed by the client for return at no cost to the client. The results of these surveys will be provided to the respective Contracting Officer on a monthly basis. 3.10. The Contractor's staff must leave any explanatory literature (e.g. booklets, leaflets about pests and/or the service) provided by the Contracting Officer with the occupier of the premises treated. Any such literature must be handled, stored and delivered by the Contractor and their staff so as to prevent deterioration and damage. 3.11. The contract operative must leave a signed receipt with the householder confirming the total sum received in respect of pest control treatment to be carried out. 3.12. The Contractor will immediately report to the respective Contracting Officer any situation which he reasonably feels requires the attention of an Environmental Health or other Council Officer, e.g. accumulated refuse requiring removal, premises in a bad state of repair or cleanliness, or any other matters subsequently agreed 3.13. The Contractor will be required to provide a 24-hour a day contact telephone number for each and every day of the contract period, including Bank Holidays and weekends for the use of nominated council officers should the situation warrant it. (This number will not be made public). 4. Emergency service 4.1. The Contractor s staff will assist and work under the direct control of the respective Contracting Officer in respect of any situation which the Contracting Officer defines as an Page 2 of 7
emergency within the Council's field of responsibility in respect of rodent and insect control, disinfestation or other associated activities. 4.2. In circumstances defined by the Contracting Officer as an emergency, the Contractor will respond within four hours of receipt of the service request. 5. Procedure for dealing with rats and mice 5.1. Upon receipt of a service request for treatment of rats or mice, the Contractor must, while fulfilling the specific instructions of the Contracting Officer, take all reasonable steps to acquaint themselves with the circumstances locally and must pay attention to possible seats of infestation in areas not specifically drawn to their attention and must report such information to the Contracting Officer for further instructions. 5.2. Any premises found to be infested which are not domestic premises can only be treated by the Contractor if he has entered into a private agreement with the owner or occupier of the land or premises, in accordance with paragraph 8 below. 5.3. Any service requests for treatment of rats or mice must be poison baited or otherwise treated to extinction using a pesticide complying with the requirement of paragraph 11 below. 5.4. When the infestation has been eradicated the bait boxes and any remaining pesticides must be removed from the site. The storage, use and disposal of pesticides, together with the disposal of the bodies of rats and mice must be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 11. To this end the Contractor must record the number and location of baiting points together with other written details he or she may wish to keep regarding treatment. 5.5. The Contractor must, when dealing with any treatment for mice and/or rats, carry out adequate follow up visits and re-baiting after the initial placing of pesticides until the infestation is cleared. The infestation shall be taken as cleared if after three weeks from completion of treatment no further rodent activity is reported. 5.6. The contract operative must completely assess all risks associated with the use of poison bait or insecticide at each location where its use is proposed before that use takes place. This assessment shall take the form of the completion by the contract operatives of a detailed questionnaire, in all cases involving direct reference to the occupier of the premises in order to obtain information necessary for the assessment of risks. The occupier of the premises must sign the completed questionnaire before treatment commences. In the case of every visit the contract operatives must inform the occupier of the premise of the position of every location at which poison bait or other pesticide is used. 5.7. In all cases where pesticides are placed in premises or on land the Contractor must leave with the occupier of the premises the relevant pesticide advice to householders leaflet as published by the manufacturer of the pesticide. Such an information leaflet is to be left on each occasion pesticide is used (including topping up) and shall give the date and time the pesticide was laid. 6. Procedure for dealing with qualifying insect pests 6.1. Any service requests for treatment of qualifying insect pests received by the Contractor shall be treated to extinction as efficiently as is possible. 6.2. Infestations shall be treated using pesticides selected to comply with the requirements of paragraph 11 and before use the contractor must ensure the pesticide is suitable for the target species, in the particular location. The storage, use and disposal of pesticides and insect nests treated with pesticides shall be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 11. Page 3 of 7
6.3. If the Contractor feels it prudent or necessary for adjoining premises to be surveyed for any qualifying pest, he or she must report the details to the respective Contracting Officer as soon as is reasonably possible, and must follow the instructions given by the Contracting Officer. These will generally be to visit the occupier and offer to undertake a survey of the premises, at no cost to the occupier. The Council will provide a letter confirming the offer of a free survey, which shall be given to the occupier, or left at the premises, as appropriate. 7. Recurrence of pests 7.1. The Contractor must attend to recurrences of infestation (see 7.2 & 7.3 below) without any further charge. The response times set out earlier will apply to such instances. 7.2. Any infestation of premises by rats, mice or animal fleas within four weeks of the treatment of those premises hereunder shall be deemed to be a recurrence unless the Contracting Officer instructs otherwise. 7.3. Any further service requests relating to a specific wasp nest received during a calendar year in relation to a premises treated hereunder during the said year shall be deemed to be a recurrence unless the Contracting Officer determines otherwise. 7.4. The presumption set out in the last three paragraphs shall also apply to any further infestations reported or service requests received after the Contractor has attended to treat a recurrence. 7.5. In the event of the Contractor being notified directly by a client of any further infestation or service request, the Contractor may act directly and apply a further treatment if the Contractor accepts that the infestation or service request is a recurrence under the terms hereof. In any other event, the Contractor must contact the respective Contracting Officer for further instructions. 8. Independent action by the Contractor 8.1. In the event of any request being received by the Contractor: to carry out treatment in respect of any pest other than those stipulated under paragraph 2 hereof, or to carry out pest control services at premises that are not domestic premises the following procedure shall apply: The Contractor shall forthwith notify the client that the treatment concerned is not within the terms of this Contract. Provided that the Contractor is willing to undertake the work, it shall indicate that fact to the client, emphasising that the client is not obliged to accept the Contractor's offer. The Contractor must make it clear to the client that in these circumstances the client must meet the full cost of treatment. The Councils will not accept responsibility for any expenses arising from any independent action by the Contractor under the provisions hereof. 9. Surveys In the event of a request of the type specified in paragraph 8.1 hereof being received by the Council, the Council will draw the client s attention to the services offered by the Contractor. The Council cannot, however, undertake that the client will contract with the Contractor for the services. Page 4 of 7
9.1. At the request of the respective Contracting Officer the Contractor will undertake a survey of domestic premises and Council-owned buildings and land. Such surveys shall be for the purpose of determining the presence of rats, mice, insect or other pests and the levels of infestations and shall be undertaken free of charge. 9.2. The findings of such surveys shall be reported to the respective Contracting Officer as soon as practicable following completion of the survey. Reports shall be verbal unless a written report is requested by the Contracting Officer. At the request of the Contracting Officer surveys of commercial premises and land shall be undertaken. 10. Records 10.1. The Contractor shall keep a record (in a format approved by the respective Contracting Officer, preferably electronic) of complaints, visits, treatments and pesticides used and fees charged in respect of all rodent and insect pests. A copy of these records should be forwarded to the Contracting Officer at the end of each calendar month and must include the following information: the number of requests for treatment of rodent infestations; the number of rodent infestations where treatments completed; a list of premises where treatment for rodents has been in progress for more than fourteen days; the number of requests for treatment of insect pests or the destruction of wasps nests; the number of premises where other insect pests have been treated; the overall response time to each request for service a list of premises where insect pests have not been eradicated after two visits; and details of any complaints made about the service. in every instance the target species shall be identified. 10.2. The Contractor shall keep specific records in relation to each premise or piece of land visited of all baiting points including details of the pesticide used and its positions. In the case of each visit the contract operative shall inform the occupier of the position of every location at which poison bait or other pesticide is used. 11. Pesticides 11.1. Only pesticides subject to Health & Safety Executive and DEFRA or other government department approval and consents shall be used. 11.2. The storage, use and disposal of pesticides, and the disposal of bodies of rats and mice, shall be undertaken by the Contractor and must be in accordance with all current legislative requirements and relevant codes of practice including the: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Chemicals (Hazardous Information & Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2009 Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products Control of Pollution Act 1974 Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 Environmental Protection Act 1990 and associated regulations Page 5 of 7
11.3. Any person(s) who, on behalf of the Contractor, uses any pesticide must have received adequate training in the safe, efficient and humane use of pesticides in accordance with the current legislative requirements and relevant codes of practice referred to in paragraph 11 above. Records shall be kept in respect of any person employed in the provision of services under this contract. These records shall specify the type and level of training received and date provided, and be provided on request by the Contracting Officer. 12. Research 12.1. The advice and research facilities of the Contractor shall be made available to the Councils at no additional cost for the purposes of all reasonable enquiries concerning rodents, insect pests, wasps and hornets and their control. If the Contractor has no research facilities he shall arrange for any reasonable enquiry to be dealt with by another agency, approved by the Contracting Officer, at no additional cost to the Councils. 12.2. The Contractor, through the advice and research facilities, shall provide a service for the accurate identification of insect pests. Insect samples shall be forwarded by the Contracting Officer to the Contractor or collected by the Contractor or their staff at the Contracting Officer's request. Written reports in respect of insect samples shall be provided by the Contractor and forwarded to the Contracting Officer as soon as possible and, in any event, within fourteen days of the receipt of the same. 13. Quality Management System 13.1. The Contractor shall implement and maintain throughout the Contract period a quality management system which will be documented and available to and used by all persons employed in the performance of the Contract and provide for the following: a quality policy relating to the management of the system to ensure the quality of the services provided; a system of contract review, to be implemented at the commencement date and thereafter not less than once every three months during the duration of the contract; control of purchasing for incoming goods and services; training needs identification and training records in respect of any persons engages in the provision of contract services; appropriate pest control procedures and work instructions and the inspection of service delivery; control of handling, storage, packaging and delivery of goods and products involved in the contract services; a complaints procedure; control of non-conforming services and necessary corrective/preventative action; and records relating to the above will be maintained throughout the contract period. 13.2. Documented quality assurance policies, systems, procedures and associated records given in shall be maintained by the Contractor and shall be available for inspection at the Contracting Officer's request. 13.3. The Contractor shall provide the Councils with a copy of the quality management system within twenty one days of the contract commencement date. Page 6 of 7
13.4. Where practicable, the Councils will work with the Contractor to eliminate any quality problems that may arise from the provision of Services or their assessment. Should the Contracting Officer consider that the Contractor is not ensuring that the system is working effectively or is ignoring quality complaints and problems, the Contracting Officer, without prejudice to any other remedies under the Contract will resort to implementing Default Procedures. Guidance on the requirements and extent of compliance can be obtained from the Contracting Officer. 14. Personnel and Equipment 14.1. The Contractor shall at all times during the contract period employ sufficient persons qualified to carry out the services in a proper manner. The Contractor shall also at all times during the contract period employ qualified persons of sufficient skill and experience to supervise the performance of the services in a proper manner 14.2. All person employed under the contract must hold and continue to hold a certificate of competence under the relevant legislative provisions. 14.3. All personnel employed on the contract must be properly equipped with suitable protective clothing and equipment that complies with the safety requirements set out in the Health and Safety Section of the main tender document. 14.4. Representatives of the Contractor shall at all times carry a means of identification of themselves as employees of the Contractor. In addition they shall carry with them and display in a prominent position at all times any means of identification or other authority issued by the Councils. 14.5. The Contractor will provide mobile telephones to the contract operatives to enable Council Officers to receive and make contact with them when they are at work; such devices shall be capable of sending & receiving email communications 15. Vehicles 15.1. The vehicle(s) shall display identification information as agreed with the Contracting Officers. 16. Health and Safety 16.1. The Contractor must supply for the approval of the Councils, his Health and Safety Policy, method statements, risk assessments (including lone working), emergency procedures, organisational arrangements for health and safety and any other documents required by the Councils. 16.2. The Councils Health and Safety Policies shall be the overriding policy in any dispute. These policies will be made available to the Contractor on request. 17. Customer Care 17.1. The Councils treat customer care as a high priority. Contractors employed by the Councils are required to work to the highest standards of customer care at all times. 18. Contractor s Staff 18.1. The Contractor shall ensure as far as is reasonably practical that all staff employed in the contract conduct themselves in a manner that is polite, orderly, conscientious and appropriate to the environment in which they find themselves. 18.2. Any contractor staff member failing to meet the standards required may be excluded from any further employment on the Contract at the Councils written instruction. Page 7 of 7