Find a TenderAwarded
Published 2 Feb 2022, 11:18 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Torness to Hawthorn Pit HVDC Link

Official notice

Authority: NATIONAL GRID ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION PLC (Public body)·Consortium: 3 public authorities

3 lotsWorksNegotiated procedure with prior call for competition
Published estimate£924,000,000total for 3 lots
Submissions closed 4 Mar 2022awarded 7 Dec 2023
Awarded to GE Vernova & Mytilineos +2 more2 awards

What is being bought3 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC (NGET) and SP Transmission PLC (SPTN) (the "Employers") are jointly developing a HVDC link between Torness, Scotland and Hawthorn Pit, England (the "HVDC Link"). This notice concerns the award of one or more Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contracts for the detailed design, engineering, procurement, manufacture, installation, construction, testing, commissioning, spares provision, operational hand-over and maintenance of the HVDC Link between Scotland and England.

CPV: Construction work · Construction work for electricity power lines · Electricity distribution and control apparatus · High-voltage cable · Installation of cable laying · Submarine cable

Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure

3 lots · all with a published value (£1,848,000,000 together)
Lot #1EPC of HVDC Voltage Source Commutated (VSC) converter stations at both Torness & Hawthorn Pit and HVAC underground cable at Hawthorn Pit between Converter Station and Point of Common Connection (PCC)CancelledPublished value£444,000,000

EPC of two HVDC VSC converter stations (England and Scotland), including the underground civils works, to accommodate x2 HVDC cable poles over a total route length of approximately 196 km, forming a connection and capable of delivering 2GW as more fully described in the procurement documents.

Delivery: UK · UK and UK territorial waters
Extensions: Maintenance for Converter StationsVariant bids: not allowed
Lot #2EPC of HVDC submarine and underground cable between converter stations (Torness & Hawthorn Pit) inc. HVAC underground cable at Torness between converter station & Point of Common Connection (PCC).CancelledPublished value£480,000,000

EPC of HVDC submarine and underground cable between converter stations (Torness & Hawthorn Pit) inc. HVAC underground cable at Torness between converter station & Point of Common Connection (PCC).

Delivery: UK · UK and UK territorial waters
Extensions:  Provide a spare duct to each landfall  Post Delivery Support AgreementVariant bids: not allowed
Lot #3A single contract (Turnkey)Published value£924,000,000

EPC of Two HVDC VSC converter stations (England and Scotland), including the underground civils works, to accommodate x2 HVDC cable poles over a total route length of approximately 196 km, forming a connection and capable of delivering 2GW as more fully described in the procurement documents.

EPC of two HVDC cable poles (underground and submarine cable), including the underground civils works, over a total route length of approximately 196 km, forming part of a connection between two HVDC converter stations (England and Scotland) and capable of delivering 2GW or 1.4 - 1.6GW.

Applicants' submissions must also include EPC of HVAC cable between the converter station and PCC at Torness and Hawthorn Pit. The submission must include interfaces (as defined in the procurement documents) between adjacent cable and converter equipment, allowing interconnection of a final end-to-end solution.

The contract will also include a warranty and maintenance period. The HVDC cable technology is 525kV XLPE, PPL or MIND. Proposed PPL and MIND cable systems (cables and accessories, including factory joints and transition joints) shall be type tested in accordance with Cigre Electra 189 and 171 before the award of the contract. Proposed XLPE cable systems (cables and accessories, including factory joints and transition joints) shall be Pre-Qualification tested in accordance with CIGRE TB852 or TB496 before the award of the contract.

Submissions must include detailed delivery plans/programmes clearly demonstrating how production and installation will be achieved to ensure full commissioning of the HVDC Link by Q4 2027.

Please note that the constituent parts of any joint venture or consortium Applicant participating in Lot 3 will be expected also to participate in Lot 1 and Lot 2.

The Employers envisage taking up to a maximum of three (3) Applicants on Lot 3 through to RfP stage.

For the purpose of awarding the contracts, the Employers may enter into joint venture arrangements. If this approach were to be adopted and, depending on the nature of the joint venture arrangements, the successful applicant(s) may be required to enter into a contract with a new JV entity relating to the execution of the works and services being procured.

As part of the contract award process, the Employers are considering the potential to award early works ahead of entering into the main EPC contract.

Delivery: UK · UK and UK territorial waters
Extensions:  Maintenance for Converter Stations  Provide a spare duct to each landfall  Post Delivery Support AgreementVariant bids: not allowed

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 were scored
Lot distribution rule: The Employers anticipate either awarding separate contracts for the HVDC converter stations and the cable system. (Lot 1 & Lot 2) or awarding a single Turnkey contract for both elements of the Project (Lot 3)
Conditions of participation2
  • Suitability

    As described in the procurement documents

  • Technical & professional ability

    As described in the procurement documents

Legal form for consortia
Where there is a group of economic operators, joint venture or consortium each economic operator, joint venture partner or consortium member must be jointly and severally liable for the whole of the performance of the obligations under any contract to which it is a party.
Staff
Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
Shortlisting
As described in the procurement documents
Successive reduction
Candidates will be reduced successively across stages

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Procedure method
Negotiated procedure with prior call for competition
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0025 Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (Directive 2014/25/EU)
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
2 Feb 2022, 11:18 GMT
Last source update
17 May 2024, 12:15 BST
FTS notice number
2024/S 000-015695
Classification (CPV)
Construction workConstruction work for electricity power linesElectricity distribution and control apparatusHigh-voltage cableInstallation of cable layingSubmarine cable
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-031223 Find a Tender
Contract terms summary

Torness to Hawthorn Pit HVDC Link is subject to regulation under the Ofgem RIIO-T2 Large Onshore Transmission Investment regime and therefore the project costs and payment provisions may be subject to regulatory oversight.

Contract terms
Performance terms

Contracts will be structured on an EPC basis, will be subject to the laws of England, Wales & Northern Ireland, and will contain performance guarantees. Completion and full commissioning of the HVDC Link needs to be scheduled to be completed by Q4 2027. Full details of the contract performance conditions are described in procurement documents.

Publisher note: For the purpose of awarding the contracts, the Employers may enter into joint venture arrangements. If this approach were to be adopted and, depending on the nature of the joint venture arrangements, the successful contractor(s) may be required to enter into a contract with a new JV entity relating to the execution of the works and services being procured. The Employers reserve the right to withdraw this notice or any of the Lots included in this notice at any time for whatever reason. In the event that the Employers decide to withdraw any Lots within this notice, the Employers reserve the right to continue the process in respect of any of the remaining Lots. Applicants shall be fully responsible for the costs of responding to this procurement at all stages of the procurement and in no circumstances do the Employers accept any liability for any costs incurred by any Applicants, howsoever or whensoever incurred.

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: SAP Ariba · Who buys & how to bid on SAP Ariba
Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free buyer-specific invitations
Submission deadline
4 Mar 2022, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission"}
Accepted languages
en
Participation fee
document
Bid validity
480 days from the deadline
Deposits and guarantees

The following contractual security may be required from contractors:

 Parent company guarantees from the ultimate parent company or equivalent third-party security

 Performance, retention and warranty bonds

 Collateral warranties in favour of the Employers from all key subcontractors (to be determined by the Employers)

 Advance payment bonds if the Employers agree to an advance payment, in each case as more fully described in the procurement documents

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

4 Mar 2022 → 17 May 2024 · 3 dates
  1. Submission deadline
    4 Mar 2022, 12:00 GMT
  2. Invitations to tender expected
    7 Apr 2022, 00:00 BST
  3. Notice published
    17 May 2024, 12:15 BST

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 17 May 2024
  1. Status changed to complete
    17 May 2024, 12:15 BST
  2. Buyer details updated
    17 May 2024, 12:15 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 2
Contracts signed 2latest 7 Dec 2023
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Not linked to a lot2 awards
GE Vernova & Mytilineos, Mytilineosjoint award——Awarded
Prysmian Powerlink SRL——Awarded

Contracts

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC

Contracting authorityPublic bodyElectricity GB-COH: National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC 1-3 Strand, London, London, WC2N5EHContact email

Consortium members and other public bodies

  • SP Transmission PLCContracting authority Glasgow, UKContact name, email, phone

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • High Court of JusticeReview body Queen's Bench Division Divisional Court, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London

Bidders & participating suppliers

3 commercial parties on the notice

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Economic and financial selection criteriatenderEconomic and financial selection criteria