Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Biomass Suppliers List.

Descriptions

System quality assurance planning services. System quality assurance assessment and review services. Project management consultancy services. Administrative development project services. Web page editing software development services. Keywords: System quality assurance planning services. System quality assurance assessment and review services. Project management consultancy services. Administrative development project services. Web page editing software development services.To procure a contractor to set up and manage the RHI Biomass Suppliers List until 2016.The Biomass Suppliers List should consist of suppliers of solid biomass fuel (log, chip or pellet) who have demonstrated that their supplies meet the RHI sustainability criteria, and self-suppliers of woody biomass, as defined below. The key aim of the Biomass Suppliers List is to create a single list of biomass suppliers for both domestic and non-domestic RHI participants. This will provide a mechanism for RHI participants to know they are buying solid biomass from a sustainable source which meets regulations.In order to register on the RHI Biomass Suppliers List, suppliers will be required to demonstrate compliance with the following RHI sustainability criteria:— The RHI Greenhouse Gas (GHG) criteria. Suppliers registering on the List will be required to verify that the emissions from the cultivation, processing and transport of biomass achieves a saving of at least 60 % against the EU fossil fuel average for heat, when used in a boiler which achieves an average of 70 % seasonal efficiency (= 34.8 g CO2 per MJ), calculated using the life cycle assessment set out in the European Commission's 2010 report on ‘Sustainability requirements for the use of solid and gaseous biomass sources in electricity, heating and cooling SEC 2010 65 Final' . This will become mandatory in 2014 – see the Non-domestic RHI Autumn 2013 Government Response ‘Improving Support, Increasing Uptake' for further details.— DECC has also published its intention to introduce legislated RHI land criteria, which will come into force no later than April 2015. Policy development of land criteria is ongoing and the introduction of land criteria is subject to EU or global legislation. As such, land criteria will not be marked as part of the tender evaluation.Suppliers of biomass who wish to be on the List will be required to submit data for audit by the Contractor. Suppliers who successfully register on the RHI Biomass Suppliers List will be permitted to label their compliant products with a statement or mark to illustrate that this fuel complies with RHI sustainability criteria.In high-level terms, the Contractor will be required to –— Create an online registration process for biomass suppliers and secure Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform (database), ready for the implementation of RHI regulatory requirements;— Develop and administer a robust mechanism for auditing against the RHI greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions criteria and for ensuring only those suppliers sourcing biomass from legal and sustainable sources can access Government-supported markets;— Develop and administer a robust mechanism for verifying that a registered supplier is a fit and proper person. For the purposes of the List, a ‘fit and proper person' means that the supplier clearly differentiates stocks of fuel which meet the RHI requirements from those which do not, and ensures that any fuel marketed as meeting the RHI criteria does meet those criteria;— Audit List members and applicants to the List against the RHI GHG emissions criteria;— Maintain an accurate, publically available, browseable and up-to-date database of registered, commercial (large-scale and local) biomass suppliers for RHI applicants;— Develop and administer a process for ensuring that self-suppliers accredited to the RHI scheme can meet the wider scheme requirements;— Develop and administer a process to manage non-compliance with the List requirements;— Report to DECC, in an agreed format, on monitoring and evaluation of the scheme, and provide record-level data for further analysis of the scheme by DECC;— Achieve these requirements in time for the List go-live in April 2014.These high-level requirements are expanded upon in the Invitation to Tender.DECC would also expect the Contractor to provide –— Project management services for the project to ensure high quality outputs to time and budget;— A service that is flexible and can adapt to potential future changes to sustainability criteria effectively in response to DECC's requirementsWe would expect the Contractor to fulfil the following obligations when developing a solution that meets DECC's requirements. However, the Tenderer should not be limited to the requirements listed below. If they can suggest different approaches to achieve the same or similar outputs, then these will be considered. The following requirements have been separated out into the categories of ‘set-up' and ‘ongoing responsibilities' as a reflection of the dual nature of the project:Set-upa. Design a secure, robust, reliable online system for managing applications to the list, for sign-off by DECC. This must hold data securely and be low cost for biomass suppliers. This must include as minimum a web-based application portal, secure CRM, simple online calculator and a public-facing List of suppliers;b. Provide a public-facing List of suppliers (commercial and local suppliers – as defined in the Invitation to Tender) which RHI participants can browse to find a supplier appropriate for their needs;c. Design and implement a registration process that is clear, customer-friendly and easy to use;a. Develop a methodology which verifies that registered suppliers have met the legislated RHI sustainability criteria. This methodology must take into account different types of solid biomass: woody biomass, energy crops and other as defined by the European Commission's 2010 report – taking into account differing supply chains between products (such as regional depots for wood pellets, local supply for wood chip). Tenderers should consider that any financial or administrative burden on suppliers must take into account the size and annual turnover of the organisation registering, as set out in the section above;d. Ensure that the Biomass Suppliers List is accessible to applications from non-UK firms, where these meet the sustainability criteria;e. Develop a non-compliance regime, detailing how to treat fraudulent submissions, but which allows flexibility for errors made in good faith. This should be coupled with an internal review process to allow for potential appeals from suppliers;f. To provide project management services to ensure high quality outputs to time and budget.Administrationa. Verify that applicants meet sustainability requirements and that they are fit and proper persons, as defined above;b. Enable applicants to be clear on eligibility requirements and obtain all the necessary information in relation to joining and maintaining a place on the Biomass Suppliers List;c. Provide accurate and timely reporting in a format agreed by DECC on the operation of the scheme to enable DECC to carry out a review of the scheme stage by stage in light of market developments. Environmental impacts of the scheme will be monitored through performance against the RHI GHG emissions criteria set out above, which will be introduced into legislation in 2014;d. Provide public reporting and analysis of performance/audit findings;e. Maintain an accurate and up-to-date database and remove fraudulent businesses from the List;f. Provide facilitation and stakeholder engagement services, including attending Industry Advisory Groups run by DECC, answering questions and providing feedback to members of the public, either online or by telephone.This contract will run for three years.This requirement is a new service and may be subject to changes / additional requirements throughout the duration of the contract.