Proposed Wood Recycling Facility at Silent Valley, Blaenau Gwent

Proposed Wood Recycling Facility at Silent Valley, Blaenau Gwent. Short description of nature and quantity or value of supplies or services: The purpose of this Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to alert suppliers to a potential opportunity in relation to the Partnership’s requirements for a long-term municipal waste wood recycling solution to treat up to 30,000 tpa. Such a long-term solution could take the form of: 1) A Design, Build Finance, Operate and Maintain scheme situated on Blaenau Gwent Council’s site at Silent Valley, which would be based on a reverting asset. 2) A Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain or on a new site introduced by a tenderer; or 3) A service-based contract at an existing operational wood recycling facility that is already under the legal ownership/control of a tenderer. 4) A Design, Build, Operate and Maintain Contract, under a public sector capital funding option. The Partnership is flexible in its approach, subject to any proposed solution that meets the required quality and recycling objectives. 1. The wider site at Silent Valley, Blaenau Gwent is currently used for waste treatment and recycling activities. It has a weighbridge, excellent transport and drainage infrastructure. Feasibility studies and early concept design work indicates there is sufficient space on site to allow the development and delivery of a c.30,000 tpa wood recycling facility. 2. We have engaged with several Local Authorities across South Wales in the past year to provide waste wood “feedstock” from their respective civic amenity sites and bulky waste collections. 3. The site at Silent Valley can accommodate a [94m x 20m] steel framed processing hall on a reinforced concrete slab to cover the site (c.11,000 sqm), and a facility that is compliant with all fire and operating permit regulations for waste wood reprocessing plants. We have estimated that the facility would require 26 (external) storage bays, traffic management system and a new [1.5MW] power supply and sustainable drainage solution. 4. The services, however supplied, must deliver a product capable of acceptance by 1) panel-board manufacturers and 2) biomass operators for the MDF product. Any processing plant, whether as part of a merchant or a design and build solution, will need to include shredder(s), telehandlers, picking station, conveyor system, screens, magnets, and other plant and equipment necessary to maximise recycling, minimise carbon emissions and achieve compliance with the Environmental and Fire Prevention Permits. 5. The scope under the above procurement models will include the management of offtake contracts. Such off-takers will primarily include panel-board manufacturers for the majority of wood chip output, together with other recycling outlets and associated haulage services. 6. The overall objective of the project is to procure a modern, environmentally sustainable wood reprocessing facility that will produce high quality outcomes such as high recycling and contributing to the Net Zero agenda. Actual dates are yet to be determined, as will depend on the procurement and contractual route selected, so at this stage this timetable is for indicative purposes only. OJEU notice and Suppliers’ Questionnaire published. [September 23] ITT’s issued to pre-qualified bidders [November 23] ITT’s Submitted. [February 2024] Contract Award [April 24] Contract Commencement [July 2024] Completion of Facility Construction [July 2025] Commissioning of Facility [July 2025] Service Commencement [August 2025] Potential suppliers will not be prejudiced by any response to this PIN, or failure to respond. This PIN does not formally signify the beginning of a procurement and does not constitute a commitment by the Authority to undertake any procurement exercise. Once the Authority decides to formally commence the procurement, a separate contract notice will be issued.