Equivalent of Maintenance and Fuel Quality Standards and Certification Schemes for the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (NDRHI) Scheme

Tender description

Launched in 2011, the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (NDRHI) helps businesses, public sector and non-profit organisations meet the cost of installing renewable heat technologies such as biomass, heat pumps, (ground source, water source and air source), solar thermal collectors and biomethane. The NDRHI along with its sister scheme the Domestic RHI has been administered by the Office for Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) since their launch. The scheme covers England, Scotland and Wales; there's a separate scheme for Northern Ireland. The NDRHI in Great Britain closed to new applicants on 31 March 2021. In the Government Response to the consultation on the 'NDRHI: Ensuring a Sustainable Scheme' , published in January 2021, the government made a commitment to introduce two new obligations to NDRHI participants using biomass: - Participants will be required to adhere to a fuel quality standard provided as detailed in Schedule 4A of the NDRHI Regulations 3. - Participants using biomass boilers will be required to carry out an annual maintenance check in accordance to an industry standard developed by MCS (The MCS Service Company Ltd.) and accredited by HETAS (HETAS Ltd.), or an equivalent. On this basis, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) aims to secure an independent third-party able to assess equivalence between new standards and the existing standards and the equivalence of any certification scheme. The benchmark standards to be used in the assessment are the MCS 040 Standard and the standards specified in Schedule 4A of the 2021 NDRHI Regulations. At this stage BEIS would like interested suppliers to provide their feedback on the requirements, specifically in regard to the areas identified in the Early Engagement document. A brief overview of the requirements has been provided above however any interested supplier is to advised to read the supporting attachment and supporting links for further information of this requirement. By registering and attending you will be engaging in non-competitive dialogue which will enable BEIS to develop and assess the market's appetite, concerns, and views on formulation of its requirements. BEIS may consider the information and responses received as part of the preliminary market consultation to help inform the specification and further decision making in relation to the planning and conduct of the procurement, ensuring all valid options are considered. For the avoidance of doubt, this notice is not a Call for Competition; a Contract Notice will be issued as a call for competition. Not registering an interest shall not prevent any supplier participating in a future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the preliminary market consultation shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process.