Official UK procurement notice
UREGNI – Framework for the Provision of Gas, Electricity and Water Engineering Professional Services Support
Authority: Utility Regulator (Central government)·On behalf of: CPD
What is being bought3 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Utility Regulator (UR) wishes to establish a Framework for the Provision of specialist technical advice and regulatory consultancy advice for the Gas, Water, and Electricity sectors. Details of which are set out below
- Lot 1: Engineering Professional Services Support – Gas Sector. UR may require gas support in the following areas:
o Gas industry price controls;
o Development of the gas transmission network;
o Development of the gas distribution network; and
o Development of high-pressure gas storage.
o Evolving issues in the gas networks during energy transition development
- Lot 2: Engineering Professional Services Support – Electricity Sector. UR may require specialist technical advice on the electricity sector including, but not limited to:
o Electricity industry transmission and distribution price controls;
o The development of energy storage including battery storage
o Electricity generation;
o Electricity transmission; and
o Electricity distribution.
- Lot 3: Engineering Professional Services Support – Water Sector. UR may require specialist technical advice on the water sector including, but not limited to:
o Water industry price controls;
o Water resource management;
o Water treatment;
o Water distribution;
o Sewerage systems; and
o Wastewater treatment
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 31 Jan 2030, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Electricity distribution and related services · Energy and related services · Energy-efficiency consultancy services · Energy-management services · Engineering design services · Engineering services · Engineering-related scientific and technical services · Gas distribution and related services · Integrated engineering services · Management-related services · Miscellaneous engineering services · Project management consultancy services · +5 more
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Open framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs are awarded directly to appointed suppliers, without further competition
- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 Sept 2026
- Buyer regions
- UKN
Who may buy through it
Utility Regulator
Department for Economy
Published description of the framework
The Framework Agreement shall commence upon award and will remain in force for 3 years with one optional 12 month extension. The 3 Lots are as follows
Lot 1: Engineering Professional Services Support– Gas Sector.
Lot 2: Engineering Professional Services Support– Electricity Sector.
Lot 3: Engineering Professional Services Support– Water Sector.
For each Lot, Suppliers will be placed on a ranked call-off list which will be used by the Buyer UR. The top two (2) highest ranked Suppliers for each Lot will be awarded a place on the Framework. Suppliers can subcontract services under this framework. It is their responsibility to manage their subcontractors and ensure full compliance with the Mandatory requirements and terms and conditions. Detail regarding the ordering process can be found within the Terms and Conditions of Framework Arrangements document. Additional details regarding the allocation of workstreams, under each lot, can be found in the relevant Lot Specification.
Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure
3 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotEvery one of these 3 lots carries the same published figure, £1,000,000: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1Engineering Professional Services Support– Gas Sector.Renewalceiling above
UR’s remit includes the economic regulation of the gas transmission, distribution, and supply in Northern Ireland. This includes the work of the Gas Market Operator for Northern Ireland, four transmission network operators (owned by two parent companies) and three gas distribution network operators. Consideration is currently being given to the development of gas storage. UR requires specialist technical advice as described above across areas of all the main components of the gas sector including, but not limited to:
- Gas industry price controls;
- Development of the gas transmission network;
- Development of the gas distribution network; and
- Development of high-pressure gas storage.
- Evolving issues in the gas networks during energy transition development
- Technical & professional ability
Details will be provided in the tender documentation
Lot #2Engineering Professional Services Support – Electricity SectorRenewalceiling above
UR’s remit includes the economic regulation of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply in Northern Ireland. Part of UR’s functions in respect of generation and the balancing and capacity markets for electricity are discharged through the all-island Single Electricity Market (SEM) Committee. UR may require specialist technical advice as described above across areas of all the main components of the electricity sector including, but not limited to:
- Electricity industry transmission and distribution price controls;
- The development of energy storage including battery storage
- Electricity generation (including distributed generation);
- Electricity transmission; and
- Electricity distribution.
- Technical & professional ability
Details will be provided in the tender documentation
Lot #3Engineering Professional Services Support – Water Sector.Renewalceiling above
UR’s remit includes the economic regulation of the sole water and sewerage service provider in Northern Ireland, NI Water. UR may require specialist technical advice as described above across areas including all the main components of the water sector including, but not limited to:
- Water industry price controls;
- Water resource management;
- Water treatment;
- Water distribution;
- Sewerage systems; and
- Wastewater treatment.
- Technical & professional ability
Details will be provided in the tender documentation
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published sub-criteria (5)
- AC1 - Proposed Team Experience: 46.4%
- AC2 - Quality of Service: 16%
- AC3 - Contingency Arrangements: 6.4%
- AC5 - Price: 20%
- AC4 - Social Value: 11.2%
Published award criteria (5)
- AC1 - Proposed Team Experience: As per Tender Documentation
- AC2 - Quality of Service: As per tender documentation
- AC3 - Contingency Arrangements: As per tender documentation
- AC4 - Social Value: As per tender documentation
- AC5 - Price: As per tender documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Details will be provided in the tender documentation
- Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “UREGNI – Framework for the Provision of Gas, Electricity and Water…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract, and call-offs are awarded directly: getting appointed is the whole game.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Utility Regulator Department for Economy
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 31 Jan 2030
- First published
- 11 Mar 2026, 11:56 GMT
- Last source update
- 2 Jul 2026, 12:39 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Sept 2026
- Authority reference
ID 6244427- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-062217- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066719Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Contract Value
The estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation or increases to charges due to increases in the Real Living Wage. Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 5 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 27 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.
Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.
The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗
Timeline
11 Mar 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 7 dates- Planning notice published225 days ago11 Mar 2026, 11:56 GMT
- Next notice expected205 days ago31 Mar 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published112 days ago2 Jul 2026, 12:39 BST
- Clarification questions by87 days ago27 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends78 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown5 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Contract starts52 days ago1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by51 days ago1 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 11 Mar 2026- Planned procurement notice published11 Mar 2026, 11:56 GMTUK3
- Tender notice published2 Jul 2026, 12:39 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active2 Jul 2026, 12:39 BST
- Deadline moved to 5 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST2 Jul 2026, 12:39 BST+92 days · was 5 May 2026, 23:59 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
3 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- CPDBeneficiary authority
- CPD - Supplies & Services DivisionProcess contact pointProcuring entityConstruction and Procurement Delivery – Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender