Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Lead Procurer: Wave Energy Scotland Ltd
An Lòchran, 10 Inverness Campus
Inverness
IV2 5NA
Telephone
+44 1463245245
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKM - SCOTLAND
National registration number
SC493764
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.1) Name and addresses
Wave Energy Scotland Limited
An Lòchran, 10 Inverness Campus
Inverness
IV2 5NA
Telephone
+44 1463245245
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKM - SCOTLAND
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
In the case of joint procurement involving different countries, state applicable national procurement law
The applicable national procurement law will be confirmed later in the procurement process.
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at
www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Technology research and development support
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Prior information notice: Design, develop, and demonstrate wave energy converter systems (EuropeWave PCP)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 73100000 - Research and experimental development services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
This pre-commercial procurement (PCP) is a joint procurement by two procurers within Europe (the ‘Buyers Group’):
- Wave Energy Scotland, An Lochran, 10 Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5NA, Scotland, UK (Company number SC493764);
- Ente Vasco de la Energía, Alameda de Urquijo 36 1º, Bilbao 48011, Basque Country, Spain (Company number Q5150001E).
The EuropeWave PCP is carried out by Wave Energy Scotland, appointed as lead procurer to coordinate and lead the joint procurement in the name and on behalf of the Buyers Group.
The procurement aims to trigger new solutions to be developed and tested to address the following overarching challenge: the design, development, and demonstration of cost-effective wave energy converter (WEC) systems for electrical power production that can survive in the harsh and unpredictable ocean environment.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: 16,333,333 EUR
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 73300000 - Design and execution of research and development
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- 00 - Other NUTS code
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This PIN provides early information about the expected starting date and proposed scope for the EuropeWave PCP, and about the open market consultation that is organised in preparation of this procurement.
The main technical challenges to be addressed within the overarching challenge may be expressed in terms of:
- Performance – obtain quantitative evidence of appropriate power capture and conversion capability and increase confidence in yield predictions from numerical model simulations.
- Reliability & survivability – demonstrate appropriate levels of availability through reliable prototype operation.
- Affordability – increase confidence in the estimation of the technology costs (capital and operational) and the requirements for achieving the SET Plan’s LCOE targets.
The members of the Buyers Group are facing the same common challenge and are thus looking for similar solutions.
The procurement will take the form of a pre-commercial procurement (PCP) under which R&D service contracts will be awarded to a number of R&D providers in parallel in a phased approach. This will make it possible to compare competing alternative solutions.
Each selected operator will be awarded a framework agreement that covers three R&D phases.
The three phases are anticipated as being:
- Concept development
- Detailed design / modelling
- Open-sea deployment and testing programme.
After each phase, intermediate evaluations will be carried out to progressively select the best of the competing solutions. The contractors with the best-value-for-money solutions will be offered a specific contract for the next phase.
The open-sea deployment and testing programme is expected to take place at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Scotland and the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP) in the Basque Country.
The R&D service contracts for phase 1 are anticipated as starting in January 2022. The final phase contracts are anticipated as concluding in June 2026.
The contract notice is expected to be published in June 2021 with a deadline for receipt of tenders in September 2021.
The selected operators will retain ownership of the intellectual property rights (IPRs) that they generate during the PCP and will be able to use them to exploit the full market potential of the developed solutions i.e. beyond the procurement.
This procurement receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under grant agreement No 883751 — EuropeWave (www.europewave.eu).
The EU has given a grant for this procurement but is not participating as a contracting authority in the procurement.
The open market consultation event will be in the form of a webinar, details of which will be announced using the following communication channels:
- A notice published through the Public Contracts Scotland portal (all operators that have registered an interest in the PIN will be notified automatically);
- Press releases;
- News items published on the EuropeWave project website and the websites of the EuropeWave project partners;
- News items published on and promoted through social media.
Queries may be raised in advance of the open market consultation using the online “Question and Answer” facility on the Public Contracts Scotland portal. The last date to submit a query will be 7 (seven) calendar days prior to the date of the webinar. Further queries may be raised for a period of 7 (seven) calendar days following the webinar.
More information about the open market consultation is provided in the accompanying Additional Information document.
two.2.14) Additional information
Additional information is provided in the accompanying document “Additional Information”.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
21 June 2021
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
This PIN is published to announce an open market consultation on a future procurement procedure. The PIN is not a commitment to procure.
Pre-commercial procurement is exempted from the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), the EU public procurement directives and the national laws that implement them. This is because it concerns the procurement of R&D services where the benefits do not accrue exclusively to the contracting authority for its use in the conduct of its own affairs.
Publication of this Prior Information Notice in the EU Official Journal is not to be understood as a waiver of this exemption. Publication is made on a voluntary basis and the procurement will not follow the procedures under the EU public procurement directives, but rather the procedure described in the tender documentation.
Further information regarding this PIN can be obtained from the Public Contracts Scotland portal (the national public procurement portal of the lead procurer, Wave Energy Scotland) by:
- searching for the title of this PIN stated in II.1.1) at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_MainPage.aspx ; or,
- selecting the PIN from the current notices on Wave Energy Scotland’s buyer profile at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA24283 .
Operators must register an interest in the PIN to obtain the Additional Information document.
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=644773.
(SC Ref:644773)