6 November 2018 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal
The government is making it easier for public bodies to reduce their carbon footprint, by launching a new agreement that makes renewable energy easier to source.
The public sector currently accounts for around 2 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions, but the government is committed to reducing this figure.
The OJEU contract notice for HELGA (Heat Networks and Electricity Generation Assets) Dynamic Purchasing System is now live for suppliers. It will help public bodies and the wider public sector to find the right suppliers for solar panels, wind turbines, heat networks, battery storage and more.
The system supports the government's aim to maintain and improve UK energy security, and the way it has been designed also helps to level the playing field for small and medium-sized businesses by allowing large schemes to be broken into smaller, more biddable projects.
With a projected spend of £800 million over the lifetime of the agreement, the new HELGA DPS offers an opportunity for suppliers to be involved in the forefront of the public sector's drive to reduce their impact on the environment.
Each customer using the system will be able to select from the following range of services.
Energy Advisory, Design and Technical Services: Technical services relating to advice and design of any demand management or generation type.
Delivery Services: Delivery services to install, manage and maintain any demand management or generation type.
Energy Purchase Agreement: Provision of Energy Purchase Agreements through direct or indirect opportunities.
Commoditised Products: Access to commoditised products through bulk purchasing.
One Stop Shop: One-stop-shop solution to deliver full end-to-end advisory, design, delivery, energy purchase agreements, and commoditised products.
Adam Garbutt, category lead for utilities and fuels at the Crown Commercial Service, said: "This is a brand new agreement and is unlike anything else we have produced before. It will allow energy companies, both large and small, to assist in providing the new types of energy sources needed to make UK public services cleaner, greener and more secure."
Suppliers interested in registering on the HELGA DPS should visit the website here.