Delivery of Energy Efficiency Measures through HEEPS ABS programmes.

Descriptions

EST will act as a central purchasing body delivering a tender exercise on behalf of eleven Scottish local authorities to appoint contractors on to multiple supplier frameworks covering eleven local authority areas divided into six lots. The contractors will be involved in delivering energy efficiency measures through the Scottish Government funded Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland; Area Based Scheme (“HEEPS:ABS” scheme).The contractor frameworks would be appointed from October 2013 to March 31 2015, with an option to extend for a further two periods of one year each.Energy efficiency measures shall be delivered to the standards stated by Ofgem under the guidance to energy suppliers for the delivery of the Energy Company Obligation (“ECO”). Contractors will cooperate with contracting local authorities and/or managing agents to meet requirements for reporting and monitoring required by Ofgem. Contractors would have to offer the option of sourcing ECO funding for HEEPS:ABS projects if required by contracting local authorities or their agents.Energy Saving Trust will act as the central purchasing body and, on behalf of local authorities to invite and evaluate tenders from prospective contractors to form the multiple supplier frameworks. However contracts for works in each local authority area will be concluded directly between the relevant local authority and the selected contractor through a call-off procedure.Background to the Energy Saving TrustEnergy Saving Trust (“EST”) is a social enterprise with a charitable Foundation.EST is the leading UK organisation in developing evidenced-based insight, research and advice to engage households and communities on their energy and water use.EST works with governments, local authorities, communities, third sector organisations and businesses.EST's activities include:— delivering or managing government programmes;— testing low-carbon technology;— certification and assurance for businesses and consumer goods;— developing models and tools.Delivery of the HEEPS ABS Programme:Announced in March 2013 by the Scottish Government, the HEEPS:ABS is a 60 million GBP local authority led energy efficiency programme which commenced in June 2013. The funding is expected to lever in around 120m GBP of investment from major energy suppliers through ECO to assist delivery of the projects. The investment will be primarily targeted at fuel poor households in the private sector.The following 11 local authorities in Scotland will participate in this tender for multiple supplier frameworks to deliver energy efficiency programmes in their respective areas: Aberdeen City, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, East Lothian, West Lothian Edinburgh, Fife, North Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. The South East local authority areas including Edinburgh, Midlothian, Fife, East Lothian, Scottish Border and West Lothian will be tendered as a single lot.Following from this, Energy Saving Trust is seeking on behalf of the relevant local authorities to identify framework contractors covering defined lots to deliver the HEEPS:ABS and ECO funded energy efficiency programmes in their areas. This procurement exercise will invite tenders in six lots from organisations wanting to be appointed as framework contractors in any of the lots. The table below identifies the how the lots are defined and the estimated contract values:Lots Local Authority Areas Forecasted Contract Value (13/14) GBP Forecasted Contract Value (14/15) GBP1 Aberdeen City 2,500,000.00 *2,500,000.002 Clackmannanshire 2,100,000.00 *2,100,000.003 Falkirk 2,700,000.00 *2,700,000.004 North Lanarkshire 5,350,000.00 *5,350,000.005 Perth and Kinross 295,000.00 *295,000.006 Midlothian, Edinburgh, Fife, Scottish Borders,East Lothian, West Lothian 29,500,000.00 *29,500,000.00TOTAL 42,445,000.00 *42,445,000.00*Scottish Government funding is yet to be announced for HEEPS ABS 14/15 programmes as a result EST is unable to provide definitive figures in relation to the future contract value for 14/15 projects. Bidders should assume that future funding will be of a similar value to 13/14 (as displayed in the above table) funding.The HEEPS:ABS programme will be targeted in areas chosen by local authorities as approved by the Scottish Government. This is likely to include both rural and urban properties in areas of varying geographical complexity. Measures will be delivered primarily to private sector properties, but may include social housing properties where social housing providers agree to include some of their properties in call offs for identified projects (particularly where their participation would be necessary to allow works to be carried out in private sector properties).Successful contractors will be required to deliver energy efficiency and ancillary measures in the local authority area to which their contract(s) relate, including:— cavity wall insulation;— loft insulation;— external wall insulation;— hard to treat (HTT) cavity wall insulation as defined for the Energy Company Obligation;— underfloor insulation;— gas safety surveys;— thermographic surveys;— Green Deal advice reports or Chartered Surveyor reports as required to recommend -measures through ECO and calculate the savings;— Ancillary measures necessary to allow works to progress, for example, provision of scaffolding, lifting equipment and installing loft hatches and ventilation.It is expected that large volumes of measures will be installed under the scheme in the 11 local authority areas participating in this tender, giving a projected contractual value including HEEPS:ABS and ECO funding for 13/14 financial year of 42.5m GBP and for 14/15 financial year of 42.5m GBP creating a forecasted total contract value of around 85m GBP. Please note that these figures are subject to the final allocation of HEEPS:ABS funding for 13/14 and as stated above funding for 14/15 is yet to be allocated by the Scottish Government so these figures are a best estimate.The households may be offered home energy advice organised by the local authorities and/or their managing agents. In addition, all householders will be offered the chance to complete a Home Energy Check (“HEC”), this function may be fulfilled by Home Energy Scotland (“Advice Centres”), door to door assessors, online and/or through the nominated contractor. Subject to local authorities and/or their managing agent authorisation contractors may be approved to self-generate leads in their contracted areas which may require the contractor to complete a HEC with each householder and submit them to the Advice Centre. During the initial engagement, potential measures on offer under the scheme will be assessed and householders invited to sign up for the free or subsidised measures. As a result of this activity, it is expected that large numbers of geographically clustered warm leads for insulation measures will be passed to the relevant contractor for fulfilment.Measures will often be provided free to private sector householders and it is anticipated that the cost to the contractor of installing measures in each household will be funded partly through payment by the local authority out of its allocation of HEEPS:ABS funding from Scottish Government and through the leveraging in of ECO funding by the local authorities from energy suppliers or, where required by the local authority or managing agent, ECO funding sourced by the appointed contractor. Where a householder contribution is required this would come from the householder and could include Green Deal finance. Any works in social housing properties will be paid by the social housing provider and using energy supplier ECO funding accessed for the project. This could conceivably include Green Deal finance where this was agreed by the social housing provider and their tenant.Role of the Energy Saving Trust:EST will act as the central purchasing body on behalf of the listed local authorities. The Energy Saving Trust may also act as a managing agent on behalf of local authorities.Role of the Local Authorities and/or Managing Agents:It is anticipated that the relevant local authority for each area will contract with an installer from the contractor framework serving their area following a mini competition and pay under the terms of the relevant contract towards the cost of installing energy efficiency measures in households. The authority or its managing agent will also oversee the contract management and delivery of the scheme. This is likely to include:— Collation and storage of data on all HEEPS:ABS work.— Managing the quality assurance of works completed, outwith that required by energy suppliers for the purposes of securing ECO funding.— Sourcing ECO funding from energy suppliers and working with appointed contractors to ensure that energy supplier requirements for reporting and monitoring of measures are adhered to, unless the local authority requires that the ECO funding is sourced and managed by the contractor.— Screening and authorisation of invoices.— Planning and delivery of the scheme.Role of Contractors:It is anticipated that the role of the contractor(s) contracting with local authorities to deliver HEEPS ABS supported measures in areas selected by local authorities will include some or all of the following:— Providing the above listed measures which will usually be fully or partly subsidised through ECO and/or HEEPS:ABS funding in private sector properties and funded by ECO and/or social housing providers for participating social housing properties. Contractors may be required to collect household contributions where a householder contribution is required and, where agreed by local authorities and their partners, offer Green Deal finance, if this is available through the contractor.— Carrying out Green Deal advice reports or Chartered Surveyor reports for the purpose of recommending ECO funded measures.— Work with local authorities or their managing agents to meet requirements for reporting and monitoring of ECO activity, including liaising directly with energy suppliers that have partnered with local authorities, as required.— Sourcing ECO funding from energy suppliers and managing activities necessary to draw down ECO support from energy suppliers, if required to do so by local authorities or their managing agents.— Ensure work is completed in a timely fashion and to a high standard through to completion, including where delivered by sub-contractors.Supply schedules of costs for additional works including enabling measures, such as scaffolding for cavity wall insulation, alterations to loft hatches and loft clearances necessary to carry out loft insulation and ancillary works required to allow solid wall and HTT cavity wall to be carried out and organise these in parallel with insulation work.— In selected areas, participate in mini competitions for projects identified by local authorities and provide rates for measure.— Ensure surveyor and installer capacity is available to survey and install all identified measures included in mini competitions, which for measures funded from the 2013/14 allocation will be by the end of September 2014 and provide measures up to the end of March 2015 and beyond as required.— Provide weekly reporting on progress and outcomes for both surveys, installs and management information as deemed appropriate in a designated format specified by the local authority and/or managing agent, which might include direct liaison with their partner energy supplier ECO funders.— Manage complaints and queries regarding the installations, to the point of satisfactory completion of the works and to minimise dissatisfaction from householders.— Ensure the quality of all surveys is to the standards set for ECO funded measures and leave a copy of the completed survey sheet with the householder.— Ensure that the quality of all installed measures is to the standards set under ECO and to the required PAS 2030 and manufacture standard (initially at least 5 % of installations are required to be quality assured under arrangements set for the ECO).— Accurately complete a Home Energy Check (HEC) for every household engaged if lead is self-generated. This is subject to authorisation from the local authority and/or their managing agent to self-generate leads.— Make available a survey booking function which offers households a technical survey date on the door step for use by the local authority and/or their managing agent.— Carry out a variety of surveys on all properties eligible for the HEEPS ABS programme including EPC's and chartered engineer reports.The above description of the role of partners is not exhaustive and the delivery partner may be asked to provide additional programme support where necessary. Further detail will be set out in the contract documents issued with invitations to tender.Contract LotsBidders may bid for any one or more of the six lots covering eleven local authority areas in Scotland (as listed above) and will be required to bid through mini competitions to deliver measures in each of the areas for which they are appointed. It is anticipated that one contractor will be appointed following each mini-competition to deliver the measures which were the subject of that mini competition.TimescalesIt is expected that contracts for each of the six HEEPS:ABS areas will be awarded by the end of October 2013 and will cover the period up to 31.3.2015, with an option to extend contractor frameworks up to 31.3.2016 as required by participating local authorities and the Scottish Government.It is envisaged that the framework contract for each area will cover delivery of measures over the remainder of the 2013–14 financial year (ending 31 March 2014), but with measures committed before that date being delivered by September 30 2014 with further measures being identified in the 2014-15 financial year (ending 31.3.2015). The Contract may then be extended for a further period up to October 2016.NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=273565