Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 21 Sept 2026, 15:42 BST

Official UK procurement notice

DESIGN, SUPPLY, INSTALLATION AND INTEGRATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS TO 150 PROPERTIES ACROSS NI (Re-tender)

Authority: Arbour Housing Ltd (Public body)

WorksBelow threshold - open competitionBelow threshold
Published estimate£750,000£750,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 8 Oct 202612:00 BST · 14d 23h left
Clarification cut-off 2 Oct 202612:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 5 mostarts 2 Nov 2026
Bids per lot · the market 6CPV 0933 · n=9 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Arbour invites suppliers to tender for the Design, Supply, Installation and Integration of Solar Photovoltaic Systems to 150nr domestic social housing properties in Portadown, Lurgan, Banbridge, Newry, Lisburn, Hilden and Belfast

CPV: Solar energy · Solar panel roof-covering work · Solar panels · Solar photovoltaic modules

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1 5 moPublished value£750,000
Contract period: 2 Nov 2026 — 31 Mar 2027 (5 mo)Turnover guideline: ~£1,500,000/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£750,000 exc. VAT · £750,000 inc. VAT
09330000 Solar energy09331000 Solar panels09331200 Solar photovoltaic modules45261215 Solar panel roof-covering work

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored

Contract will be awarded on a LAP basis

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Arbour Housing Ltd buys Solar energy (CPV 0933) — and who usually turns up

Arbour Housing Ltd’s own published record, next to the Northern Ireland market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Solar energy (CPV 0933)

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

Arbour Housing Ltd

contract notices in 36 months: 2 in CPV 0933 · 2 in division 09 · 7 in all categories

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 2 lots. All 2 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices, which count bids assessed. Small sample.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

5.5all categories · 36m · n=2 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 2 lots. Small sample.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%all categories · 36m · n=2 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 1 pairs. Small sample.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

21% belowall categories · 36m · n=1 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 3 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

27dall categories · 24m · n=3 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 18 notices.

Last 24 months.

0.5all categories · 24m · n=18 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 7 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%all categories · 36m · n=7 notices
How procedures are run robust · n=7
i

Which procedures buyers here use.

Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.

Based on 7 notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • Open 100%
  • Selective 0%
  • Limited 0%
  • Direct 0%

7 notices · all categories. Open and selective are competed (they feed the bid and price figures above); limited and direct are not; notices publishing no route are outside all four.

The market · authority’s region

Northern Ireland · Solar energy (CPV 0933)

contract notices delivered in Northern Ireland in 36 months: 9 in CPV 0933 (6 competed, 1 route not published) · 50 in division 09 (39 competed, 8 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 0933), last 36 months: 9 lots. All 9 lots are from older notices, which count bids received.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

6CPV 0933 · 36m · n=9 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 0933), last 36 months: 9 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%CPV 0933 · 36m · n=9 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 0933), last 36 months: 6 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 0933 · 36m · n=6 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 09), last 36 months: 13 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

29ddivision 09 · 36m · n=13 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 0933), last 36 months: 9 lots.

Last 36 months.

15%CPV 0933 · 36m · n=9 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 0933), last 36 months: 4 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

100%CPV 0933 · 36m · n=4 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=9
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 9 lots on 3 contested notices · CPV 0933, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 11%
  • 4–6 67%
  • 7+ 22%

Median 6 · 9 lots on 3 contested notices · CPV 0933.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=6
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 6 lot pairs · CPV 0933, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 0%
  • Within ±2% 100%
  • Above estimate 0%

6 lot pairs · CPV 0933.

robust · n=6
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on the Northern Ireland market’s usual movement over 6 lots (CPV 0933), applied to the £750,000 estimate on this notice. The range comes from the region’s middle half.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in Northern Ireland (CPV 0933, n=6 pairs) land a median at estimate: on this notice’s £750,000 that is about £750,000, middle half £750,000£750,000 (quartiles from Northern Ireland · CPV 0933). Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
2

Who you are likely to meet
i

Who you may be up against.

Suppliers on this buyer’s earlier similar contracts, and suppliers whose record fits this tender.

A guess from the record. Buyers do not publish who is bidding.

Suppliers on this authority’s earlier similar contracts, then suppliers with a matching track record — from published award history, not a bid list

Suppliers with a similar track record — and how they price
i

Suppliers with a similar track record, and how they price.

Suppliers matched on wins in this category, history with this buyer, location and size. Their award vs estimate is from their own past wins.

A guess from the record, not a bidder list.

SupplierEvidenceLast awardTheir award vs estimateRelevance
Myriad Heat and Power Products Limited SME4 class wins4 months agono comparable pairs57%
The Low Carbon Energy Company Limited SME6 class winsthis monthno comparable pairs56%
Clearsol Renewables Limited SME2 class wins6 months agono comparable pairs53%
SunGift Solar Limited SME5 class wins3 months ago28% below n=151%
ECOVISION ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED SME5 class wins4 months agono comparable pairs51%

Matched by the nightly worker on class wins, buyer history, delivery geography, scale and notice text; relevance is a 0–100% heuristic score, not a probability of bidding. “Their award vs estimate” is that supplier’s median on its own comparable single-supplier wins, CPV 0933 first. Nobody here is known to be bidding.

Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Below threshold - open competition
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Below threshold
Regulatory regime
Standard
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
21 Sept 2026, 15:42 BST
Last source update
21 Sept 2026, 15:42 BST
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Solar energySolar panel roof-covering workSolar panelsSolar photovoltaic modules
Delivery area
Not published
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0776ba Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via eTendersNI
Submission portal named on this notice: eTendersNI · Who buys & how to bid on eTendersNI
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowed
Access & registration note: Free Northern Ireland registration
Expression of interest (EOI)
Tender submission deadline
8 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
2 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £750,000 excludes VAT (£750,000 including VAT).

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice published2 days ago
    21 Sept 2026, 15:42 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 9 days
    2 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 15 days
    8 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  4. Contract startsin 40 days
    2 Nov 2026, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    21 Sept 2026, 15:42 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Arbour Housing Ltd

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentNorthern Irish devolved regulations apply GB-PPON: PXCV-1847-JBHT 18/22 Carleton Street, Portadown, Northern Ireland, BT62 3EN [email protected]

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender