Official UK procurement notice
Consultancy Services for Energy Infrastructure Improvement projects supporting the delivery of Net Zero targets
Authority: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSupply will be under a proposed public sector building net zero framework managed by the Carbon and Energy Fund Limited (CEF), to propose design and implement a series of improvements to take public buildings to net zero, repaid through guaranteed savings. Suppliers will consider the main routes to net zero which are available in the UK, namely geothermal energy, green district heating energy, hydrogen or biogas delivery, coupled with onsite comprehensive initial and ongoing low carbon energy efficient infrastructure services, improvements and upgrades to existing or new facilities.
The scope of services spans the full range of energy infrastructure measures and comprise 4 Lots: -
• Lot 1 - On-site Energy Reduction and Carbon Mitigation Measures: Covers a broad range of energy efficiency technologies, including LED lighting, BEMS controls, insulation, CHP, solar PV, boilers, battery storage, and internal building works.
• Lot 2 - Geothermal Infrastructure: Involves the design and delivery of ground source and deep geothermal heating systems.
• Lot 3 - District Energy Networks: Supports delivery of heating and cooling networks serving multiple buildings or sites.
• Lot 4 - Green Fuel Infrastructure: Covers hydrogen-ready boilers, biogas systems, and dual-fuel or hybrid energy technologies."
Read the full description (572 more characters)
Call-off under the framework will be via mini-competition to appoint a supplier as energy partner to a CEF member throughout the entire project.
CEF manages the entire net zero project on behalf of its members, including the provision of legal and technical advice, a copyrighted call off contract and suite of framework documents, monitoring and verification of savings throughout the entire contract term (typically 15 years), business case support, contracting authority approvals, off balance sheet treatment for Eurostat and IFRIC 12 and, if required, project finance.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Lot 1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Cancelled
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Concession
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 26 Mar 2026, 10:51 GMT
- Last source update
- 26 Mar 2026, 10:51 GMT
- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04f9a8
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons; Additional Repeat Extension Partial Replacement; Urgency
- Published justification
Additional or repeat goods, services or works - extension or partial replacement: CEF provides day-to-day management of the current COCH framework for the provision of carbon and energy infrastructure upgrade services (with COCH reference F023), acting as Existing Framework manager. The Existing Framework was procured in 2022 and is due to expire in 2028. Due to an error in the published estimated value of the more…
Existing Framework and the number and value of projects called off since the Existing Framework's inception, it now needs re-procuring earlier than expected. Single supplier - technical reasons: CEF is uniquely positioned as the only provider with the required procurement expertise, legal (including specialist contract, copyright to CEF), and technical expertise (including project feasibility, technical oversight of design and full quarterly monitoring and verification of the contract savings for the duration of the contract) alongside a pre-established funding structure. No other provider offers a fully integrated service under a concession model (see comparison against CEF peers in the Appendix). The call off will often include the development of novel services at the request of the contracting authority, for the purpose of testing the suitability of the service and researching the viability of the service. Examples of this included geothermal well testing and construction and research for provision of hydrogen and alternative heat sources, as well as the design and implementation of bespoke energy provision and energy management services for a contracting authority (integration of numerous types of technology and tailoring them to the individual needs of the contracting authority) as well as facilitating all this in a novel IFRIC 12 off balance sheet manner. Urgency: Seven Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) Round 4 funded projects must be delivered before March 2026,with more expected imminently. A competitive process would not be achievable within the funding deadlines and could result in the loss of grant funding. Additionally, there are strict, legally binding net zero carbon reduction targets imposed upon the public sector, requiring an 80% emissions reduction by 2028-2032, an ambitious target with extremely difficult delivery timescales (which would only be eroded further by the carrying out of a further competitive procurement exercise).
- Risks
- The estimated contract start and end date are estimated based on the estimated timescales for award of the Framework.
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics — not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE CARBON AND ENERGY FUND LIMITEDSMEService Concession contract to provide Energy Infrastructure Improvement projects support services1 Aug 2025 — 31 Jul 2033 | £201,600,000 | 25 Mar 2026 | CancelledWe have chosen not to proceed with awarding this contract at this stage, as we have discovered that there may be other providers in the market capable of delivering similar services. We plan to engage with the potential market through preliminary market engagement. This decision was made on 25 March 2026. |
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 27 Mar 2025- Procurement termination notice published26 Mar 2026, 10:51 GMTUK12
- Status changed26 Mar 2026, 10:51 GMT
- Procurement method changed26 Mar 2026, 10:51 GMT
- Buyer details updated26 Mar 2026, 10:51 GMT
- Contract signature expected24 Apr 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Transparency notice published27 Mar 2025, 15:41 GMTUK5
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- THE CARBON AND ENERGY FUND LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Conflict of interest declarationNot published
Notices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender