CA257 – Provision of Regulatory and Economic Advisory Services for RP6

Tender description

Periodically, the Utility Regulator (UR) scrutinises NIE’s Business Plans through a process known as a Price Control Review. This determines how much NIE is allowed to charge in total per year for network investment, operating costs and allowed returns. The next price control period (RP6) is expected to commence on 1 October 2017. The UR is also planning to introduce contestability in respect of NIE’s connection services. NIE requires the services of external experts on regulatory and economic matters to support its team through the RP6 process and the introduction of contestability in connections. The purpose of this tender exercise is to put into place a panel of suitably qualified and experienced experts for NIE to call on for specialist regulatory, economic and advisory services as and when the need arises. NIE intends to place a panel of 3 or 4 organisations on framework contract. Services will be procured via this panel to assist NIE with specific assignments/projects as they arise during the course of the development of the RP6 price control and the introduction of contestability in connections. NIE intends to award frameworks for an initial three year period, with the option (exclusively exercisable by NIE) to extend for two further 12 month periods. This is a call-off contract with work being allocated by the NIE Project Manager. NIE cannot guarantee the quantity or continuity of services to be instructed under this framework. The amount of work arising from this framework may be less or greater than outlined in this document.