Communal Heating Systems for New Housing Developments Operation, Management and Maintenance Requirements

Tender description

The City of Edinburgh Council will shortly be inviting experienced organisations that can provide operational, maintenance, metering and billing services for new build housing developments that will be served by a communal heating system. This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is being published to notify the market of the upcoming opportunity and to give the market an opportunity to participate in finalising the Council’s procurement strategy and help shape the procurement process. The Council has an immediate requirement for operation, management and maintenance of a district heating system for 444 homes at a newly completed site at Western Villages, Granton. This opportunity may be published as a single procurement process, or the Council may proceed with the establishment of a Framework Agreement to engage with a number of longer-term partners for a series of new build developments, of which Western Villages will be awarded as a Call Off from this Framework. The objective of this PIN will be to determine market appetite; capability and capacity for Western Villages and the potential Framework. The PIN will also seek to identify the scope of the opportunity to identify the most appropriate scope for the requirement and procurement strategy is created. Potential bidders are invited to download the market research questionnaire and complete no later than Friday 26th November Those who submit a questionnaire may be invited to a dialogue session with the Project team to expand on their responses. The council is seeking to appoint an organisation or a number of organisations that can provide operational, maintenance, metering and billing services for new build housing developments that will be served by a communal heating system. Ideally the Council would like to appoint a single organisation to provide these services but would consider splitting the services depending on the outcome of the market engagement process. The services required include: Metering and Billing Services - To act as metering & billing agent, on behalf of the Council as the heat provider, to help set the most accurate heat tariff, ensuring the costs associated with providing heat are covered, whilst the costs charged to customers are fair. Services should be reliable, customer-focused, robust and competitively priced. It is expected metering and billing services are easy to use and ensure customers understand their energy bills and are in full control of their energy usage with high levels of end user support and customer service. Tariff Setting Advice - 6 monthly or annual reviews of customer tariffs to ensure the tariff is based on up to date energy prices and the system efficiency. System Performance Reviews - Review district heating performance to ensure the system is operating as efficiently as possible and troubleshoot and advise on how to boost performance to ensure cost to user and efficiency is optimised. Operational Maintenance - Operating and maintaining energy centres and in-home meter maintenance services to ensure the district heating network can continue to deliver heat and hot water for its full lifespan. Put in place quality control systems to ensure faults do not happen and minimise disruption to end users. Reactive Maintenance - Responsibility to respond within designated timeframes to all network emergency service calls where a problem has arisen that requires immediate action. Design Process Input - Provide advice and expertise on proposals for future developments which are in design development to ensure ease and cost of maintenance is factored into the appraisal and decision-making process. Life Cycle Asset Replacement - Proactive repairs and replacement of the heating network assets throughout the life cycle to prolong assets where possible. All the above services should: - Comply with Heat Network (Metering & Billing) Regulations 2014, including adhering to the limitations on suppliers regarding fees and profits attributable to services from heat networks. - Comply with CIBSE COP 2021 The Council will also assess the opportunity for capital works or installation works to be included in the Framework if appropriate.