Peatland ACTION Snow days enhancement payments

Peatland ACTION – Policy – Snow day payments  2023/24 – 2025/26

Peatland ACTION recognises that there are additional costs incurred by contractors on projects when work has to cease because of extreme (snow) weather. It recognises the impact this can have on individual businesses and the perception of the industry being secure from a contractor employee’s perspective. This policy aims to provide some support to contractors to help manage the financial impact and ensure employee’s confidence in the industry is strengthened. It applies only to NatureScot, Cairngorms National Park and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park funded projects.

Our priority is to support projects where completion of the work on the ground is still possible. On that basis, rather than demobilise for short periods of snow cover, our preference is to keep machines on site for early return when weather allows. We are willing to incentivise contractors to retain machinery on site (where practicable and safe) by providing support payments when machines cannot work due to snow.

What costs does the policy cover and what are the eligibility requirements?

• We will pay £300 per day (+ VAT) for every machine which cannot operate during the agreed period.
   
• There will be a limit of 10 days for each machine on each project, therefore a limit of £3,000 per machine is available.
   
• Cost can be split between different snow events.
   
• Claims must not be made where machines could have been relocated to another site to continue working.
   
• Payment is conditional on the following:
  • Snow is the reason works needs to be paused. No other reasons are eligible.
  • The Project Officer/Funding Officer has been contacted in advance of work ceasing to inform them of the circumstances and the proposed decision to stop working.  The eligibility of the project for this payment will be discussed at that time. Projects will be assessed on a case by case basis by the Project Officer/Funding Officer and they will consider the specific circumstances including weather forecasts, likely return date, and how much work is still to be completed. In particular the discussion will focus on the likelihood of being able to return to site or whether demobilisation is a better option.
  • All machines are left on site.
  • Contractors return to site and work for at least the same number of days they were off.
  • The total number of days planned to be spent on restoration in the financial year i.e. the period up to the end of March, will not be affected.
  • Machine work on site commenced on the agreed project start date.
  • The number of machines brought on to site on the project start date, and retained for the duration of the works, was as proposed in the tender offer.

What is the claim process?

• All claims must be submitted no later than 15 April in the year following the completion of works.
  • For NatureScot projects claims to be submitted to peatlandactiongrant@nature.scot
  • For National Park projects claims to be submitted to your dedicated project officer.
• Claims must include the following project details:
  • Planned start date.
  • Actual start date.
  • The number of machine that were planned to be brought on site on the project start date.
  • The actual number of machines brought on to site on project start date and retained for the duration of the works.
  • Dates snowed off.
  • Confirmation that the original number of planned machine days for the financial year were delivered.

Projects with delayed start dates or where the number of machines originally proposed were not brought on site on the start date, or retained for the duration of the works, will need additional justification to allow us to consider if we will make a payment. This should be discussed with the project officer/funding officer at the point where a decision to cease work is being considered.

If a claim is approved, additional budget will be added to the project to cover the agreed costs. This will ensure that the number of machine days planned are still possible within the project budget.

This policy will remain in place until March 2026.  

If you have any questions, please contact your nominated Project Officer/Funding officer in the first instance.

Peatland ACTION reserve the right to cancel this policy if circumstances relating to the procurement and delivery of contracting services change to a degree where a cancellation is justified.