C345 (2027) Supply of non-SF6 33kV Switchboards

Descriptions

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited (NIE Networks) intends to establish a framework arrangement under which it shall appoint suppliers to enter into separate framework agreements for the C345 (2027) Supply of non-SF6 33kV Switchboards. It is anticipated that each framework agreement awarded will be for a period of five (5) years with an option, exercisable entirely at the discretion of the contracting authority and subject to the terms of the framework agreement, to extend by a further optional period of up to three (3) years, with a total potential duration of eight (8) years. NIE Networks estimates that the total spend under framework agreements could be up to £15 million over the total potential eight-year duration. Therefore, NIE Networks is conducting a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) supplier information event to gather insights from the market before initiating a procurement process for Contract C345 (2027) Supply of non-SF6 33kV Switchboards. This engagement aims to assess the market's interest and capabilities in delivering Contract C345 (2027), identify potential solutions and develop an effective procurement strategy. This PME supplier information event is open to suppliers and is intended to be a collaborative effort to ensure a robust and successful procurement process.

Engagement

EXPRESSING AN INTEREST Interested parties should register their interest in this PME supplier information event via eSourcingNI (https://e-sourcingni.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.shtml). A Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) envelope has been created named “pqq_4715” within Project “project_29027” to supply suppliers with preliminary information and to express their interest in participating in the PME supplier information event. Please note that a draft specification will be available to suppliers defining NIE Networks’ requirements so that suppliers can understand these requirements in advance of expressing an interest in this PME supplier information event. Suppliers must express interest in participating in the PME supplier information event by applying to attend via the messaging function within the PQQ on eSourcingNI. As part of the application to participate in PME, suppliers must provide a short description of their experience of supplying products of the nature outlined in the draft specification. In your response you must provide the name(s) and contact email addresses of who will attend. Attendance shall be limited to a maximum of 4 attendees per organisation. Should the PME supplier information event be oversubscribed NIE Networks reserves the right to shortlist attendees based on direct relevant experience in this area. This PQQ will close at 3.00pm on 19 February 2026 and NIE Networks cannot accept applications to participate in the PME supplier information event after this time. Upon receipt of suppliers' expressions of interest, NIE Networks will provide additional information with further instructions on how to participate in the PME supplier information event. Interested parties will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to this PME Notice or the PME supplier information event. Participation or non-participation in the PME supplier information event shall not prevent any interested parties from participating in any subsequent procurement process. SUPPLIER INFORMATION EVENT FORMAT It is anticipated that Preliminary Market Engagement meetings with interested suppliers will take place on 23 February and / or 25 February 2026 by MS Teams. This PME supplier information event shall consist of a presentation by NIE Networks with an opportunity for suppliers to engage and raise clarification questions. Interested parties should note that any questions regarding the content of the procurement process raised in advance of the PME supplier information event through eSourcingNI will not be responded to by NIE Networks. Please note that NIE Networks will be conducting this PME supplier information event in accordance with the principles of equal treatment, non-discrimination and transparency. To that end, it is important to stress that the structure, specification and all other aspects of the procurement will not be designed to give direct or indirect advantage to any interested party and all information concerning the forthcoming procurement will be disseminated to all interested parties. INFORMATION Any information from the PME supplier information event may be used to assist final procurement decisions and will be included within the final procurement documents which will be made available to all participating suppliers when the future procurement process is launched. Furthermore, NIE Networks also reserves the right to request additional information from any interested party in relation to any question raised or feedback provided as part of the PME supplier information event. The information provided in this PME Notice and as part of the PME supplier information event is preliminary in nature and is subject to amendment/updating by NIE Networks. For the avoidance of doubt however, NIE Networks will not disclose any specific comments or feedback provided by any interested party, nor the identity of any party that chose to take part in the PME supplier information event. No reliance may be placed by any party on the information contained in this PME Notice or provided as part of the PME supplier information event and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made in relation to such information. ANY FUTURE PROCUREMENT This PME Notice, and the PME supplier information event, do not constitute a call for competition, selection process or a current tender opportunity. This PME Notice has been produced solely for the purpose of conducting Preliminary Market Engagement. All interested parties will need to express a formal interest in any future tender opportunity in due course. Any future procurement for these requirements will be launched separately; currently this is anticipated to be in Spring / Summer 2026. Subject to any future procurement, NIE Networks intends to use Achilles UVDB to conduct the Pre-Qualification phase of the process. Depending upon the time of issue of any future procurement, NIE Networks will pre-qualify Suppliers using either Achilles UVDB Qualification System Notice (QSN) governed by the Utility Contract Regulations 2016 or Achilles UVDB Qualifying Utilities Dynamic Market (QUDM) subject to the Procurement Act 2023. Therefore, any interested parties will be required to be suitably registered with Achilles UVDB (www.achilles.com/uvdb/) to participate in the future procurement process. Suppliers are strongly advised to engage with Achilles UVDB directly and allow sufficient time for the registration process. Additionally, expressing an interest in this Preliminary Market Engagement will not necessarily be a pre-requisite in respect of the future tender competition. NIE Networks reserves the right to Direct Award in the absence of competition.