Framework Agreement to Supply Carbon and Energy Infrastructure Upgrades Across the Public Sector in Ireland.

This opportunity seeks to establish a framework agreement for capable suppliers to provide low carbon energy efficient infrastructure services, improvements and upgrades to existing or new publicly funded health facilities in Ireland. These upgrades should offer client public bodies guaranteed reduced running costs, reduced energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions. Proposals should guarantee minimum levels of savings over the period of each contract let under the framework which may be for 15 to 30 years long ( after installation ), or the life of the plant installed. This framework agreement will be available for use by the entire Irish public sector as listed at bit.ly The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (COCH) and its partner the Carbon and Energy Fund Ltd seek to procure and manage a framework of capable contractors to upgrade carbon and energy infrastructure and services to the public sector in Ireland, which member hospitals intend to use under an intergovernmental partnership for Community Health Organisations (CHO) and voluntary hospitals and hospital groups and their estate, This OJEU seeks to establish that framework. See www.carbonandenergyfund.net for information of how the corresponding framework works in the UK. Framework bidders will be invited to offer Contracting Authorities infrastructural upgrades and services that include guaranteed reduced running costs, reduced energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions plus the management those assets and services for the duration of the contract which may be 15 to 30 years ( after installation ) or the life of the plant. Management of assets refers to the bidder taking all the risks and costs relating to the provision of all services including design, procurement, commissioning, operation, lifecycling and continued guaranteed performance of the installation using the bidders staff, contractors, or in some circumstances those of the Contracting Authority as may be agreed in the contract. Infrastructure improvements or upgrades bid may include combined heat and power, boilers ( steam LTHW or MTHW ), district heating or cooling, heat recovery, chilling, heat pumps, fuel cells, chillers, air handling, controls, solar PV, lighting, insulation ( roof, pipes, building, cladding or related), glazing, water savings, water abstraction, effluent treatment, waste to energy, pyrolysis, clinical waste destruction or conversion, processing or removal, biomass, biofuel, biogas, grid reinforcement, electrical ( HV, MV and LV ) improvements ( demand reduction, re-profiling, generation, aggregation, co-generation, tri-generation, wind generation, standby generation ), private wire, virtual power station, load or power management, gas supplies ( natural, anaerobic digestion or biogas, on or attached to the national grid or not ) technology to change or improve maintenance or lifecycling arrangements, medical or paramedical, records systems, building management, BMS, maintenance management, preventative maintenance, soft facilities management, electric or hybrid vehicles, vehicle charging, vehicle maintenance, medical equipment charging or improvements, transfer of staff, subcontracts or subcontractors and any related technologies or services that are relevant. In many cases the selected supplier may be expected to take over existing energy facilities building/ boiler house or plant rooms relevant to the project, sometimes under license and sometimes under a simple lease, for the operational period of the contract. In some cases the contract may include the construction or modification of existing buildings or structures associated with the delivery of services. Details of the site, energy usage and the existing installation will be set out in the memorandum of information for each project, and bidders will be encouraged to attend the site to fully investigate the existing plant plus cost and plan their bids. Bids may be supported by variant bids going beyond any core proposal included in the project documentation, to cover additional operation and maintenance of existing plant, facilities management services and equipment as makes sense. In this way bidders are encouraged to produce the best bid they can using all the available resources or skills they may possess. It is normal that all bids are in many ways unique and the CEF evaluation methodology will include the way to fairly evaluate different bids and variants. The contracting authority may accept consortia onto the framework if required in order to get the correct skill and experience mix.