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T2723 - Belfast City Council District Heating Network Project

Closed

Submission Deadline Has Passed

This tender's submission deadline has passed and is no longer accepting applications. The information below is kept for reference purposes.

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Deadline
Expired
February 13, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Other
Reference
006338-2026
Value
Not disclosed
Location
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Published
March 27, 2026
Organization
Belfast City Council
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

January 23, 2026

Deadline for Questions

February 06, 2026

Submission Deadline

February 13, 2026

Contract Start Date

September 30, 2027

View Original
Budget
Not disclosed
Duration
480 months
Location
Northern Ireland
Type
Other
76
Quality Score/100
Good

Original Tender Description

Belfast City Council is progressing Northern Ireland’s first city-centre low-carbon, district heat network. The climate team was set up five years ago, to build partnerships across the city to deliver climate initiatives beyond the Council estate. Early development of the heat network has been underway for 18 months, supported by Innovate UK funding and the climate team’s internal budget. The Council is now seeking engagement with heat network developers, developer-led teams, or consortia with strong experience of development, delivery, operation and investment. The Council is conducting this pre-market engagement exercise to engage with potential lead developers to provide such organisations with some preliminary information about the procurement opportunity. It is anticipated that there will be subsequent, more detailed pre-market engagement exercises prior to the formal launch of any competitive process. The Council would also like to use this opportunity to test market capability, appetite for innovation and refine the future procurement and delivery strategy for this important project. A key theme for the project is drawing on innovative approaches to lowering the heat tariff for users. To support this PME exercise we have developed a more detailed PME project prospectus document setting out more detail about the project and further engagement plans with interested lead developers. To request a copy of this prospectus please email cps@belfastcity.gov.uk before the 'Engagement Deadline' i.e. 13th February 2026.

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Requirements & Qualifications

12 requirements across 5 categories

Submission (3)
Mandatory (1)
Compliance (2)
Technical (5)
Financial (1)
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS3
--Must request a copy of the PME project prospectus document.
--The request for the prospectus must be sent via email to cps@belfastcity.gov.uk.
--The email request must be sent before the Engagement Deadline of 13th February 2026.
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--No mandatory exclusion grounds are specified in this pre-market engagement notice.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS2
--Must be a heat network developer, a developer-led team, or a consortium.
--Must be interested in engaging in a pre-market exercise for Belfast City Council's district heat network project.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS5
--Must possess strong experience in the development of heat networks.
--Must possess strong experience in the delivery of heat networks.
--Must possess strong experience in the operation of heat networks.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS1
--No specific financial requirements are specified in this pre-market engagement notice.

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Documents

4 documents available with AI summaries

Planning NoticeHTM
006338-2026.html

This notice from Belfast City Council is a preliminary market engagement for Northern Ireland's first city-centre low-carbon district heat network project, inviting experienced heat network developers to request a detailed prospectus by emailing cps@belfastcity.gov.uk before 13th February 2026.

OCDS RecordDOC
006338-2026_ocds_record.json

This OCDS record provides initial details for Belfast City Council's pre-market engagement regarding Northern Ireland's first city-centre low-carbon district heat network, seeking experienced developers for its development, delivery, operation, and investment.

OCDS Release PackageDOC
006338-2026_ocds_release.json

This document is an OCDS Release Package providing preliminary information about Belfast City Council's pre-market engagement for Northern Ireland's first city-centre low-carbon district heat network, seeking experienced developers.

Official PDF VersionPDF
006338-2026_official.pdf

Belfast City Council is conducting a preliminary market engagement for Northern Ireland's first city-centre low-carbon district heat network, seeking experienced developers to refine procurement strategy and test market capability, with interested parties invited to request a project prospectus by February 13, 2026.

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76
Good

Tender Quality Score

This is a well-structured pre-market engagement (PME) notice, clearly outlining the project's intent and how to participate, with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation. While some details typical of a formal tender are absent, this is appropriate for a PME phase.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

As a pre-market engagement, this notice is not subject to the full legal compliance requirements of a formal tender. The purpose is clearly stated, CPV codes are relevant, and there are no disputes. The 'Type: None' and 'Procedure: None' in structured data are minor gaps but mitigated by the descriptive text.

•Formal procedure type not specified in structured data (though clarified as PME in description)
Clarity80/100

The description of the project and the purpose of the pre-market engagement are exceptionally clear and unambiguous. Requirements for engagement are well-defined, and the intent to gather market insights is evident.

Completeness70/100

The notice provides all essential information for a pre-market engagement, including project title, organization, reference, and engagement deadline. While estimated value is not disclosed and evaluation criteria are absent, this is typical and acceptable for a PME phase.

•Estimated value not disclosed
•Evaluation criteria not specified (expected for PME)
Fairness85/100

The pre-market engagement process itself promotes fairness by seeking broad market input before a formal tender. Requirements are generic and not tailored. While document access requires an email request, this is a reasonable approach for a PME.

•Document access requires email request rather than direct download
Practicality65/100

Engagement via email for prospectus requests is practical for a PME. The future contract start date and duration are specified, which is helpful. However, the lack of direct document URLs and detailed financing information for the main project reduces overall practicality.

•No direct document URL provided for prospectus
•Financing details for the main project are not available
Data Consistency90/100

Key fields are largely populated, and dates are logical and consistent. There are no reported suspensions or disputes, indicating good data integrity.

Sustainability80/100

The project has a strong inherent focus on environmental sustainability (low-carbon district heat network) and explicitly seeks innovative approaches. While social aspects are not explicitly detailed, the core project aligns well with green procurement principles.

•No explicit social criteria mentioned

Strengths

Clear purpose and detailed description of the pre-market engagement.
Strong focus on environmental sustainability (low-carbon heat network).
Emphasis on innovation for user tariff reduction.
Good data consistency and logical future timelines.
Requirements for engagement are generic and fair.

Concerns

Estimated value of the future contract is not disclosed.
Document access requires an email request instead of direct download.
No explicit social aspects mentioned within sustainability criteria.
Lack of direct e-submission portal for engagement.
Detailed financing information for the main project is not available.

Recommendations

1. For the subsequent formal tender, ensure full disclosure of the estimated contract value.
2. Consider providing direct download links for PME documents where feasible to enhance accessibility.
3. Explore incorporating explicit social criteria into future procurement phases to broaden sustainability impact.

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