Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Natural Resources Wales
Ty Cambria House, 29 Newport Road
Cardiff
CF24 0TP
Contact
Alex Jennings
alexander.jennings@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
Telephone
+44 3000653000
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKL - Wales
Internet address(es)
Main address
http://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
Buyer's address
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0110
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Environment
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Aeroflow Sustainable Active Treatment (SAT) Phase 2
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 71241000 - Feasibility study, advisory service, analysis
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Abandoned Metal Mines cause multiple failures of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) standards in Wales, with c.1,300 mines impacting over 700 km of rivers. 11% of our rivers fail their required quality objectives. In the Western Wales River Basin District mine waters cause 23% of water body failures. Nine of the ten catchments most polluted by abandoned mines in the UK are in Wales.
Cambrian Environmental Technologies (CET) has presented a potential alternative solution for treating neutral pH mine water. The CET Aeroflow SAT (Sustainable Active Treatment) system has been developed based on the need for a flexible and adaptive modular system to account for the complexity and site-specific nature of water treatment requirements in a mining context. This purchase is to undertake lab and pilot trials to enable NRW to determine whether Aeroflow SAT is a suitable, alternative treatment method, which could potentially provide resource, energy and waste saving, generating a cost-effective remediation solution.
Following the completion of Phase 1 (lab trials), this VEAT notice is being published to cover the additional costs for Phase 2 (field trials).
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £225,920
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 71241000 - Feasibility study, advisory service, analysis
- 24962000 - Water-treatment chemicals
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKL - Wales
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Abandoned metal mines cause multiple failures of WFD standards in Wales, with c.1,300 mines impacting over 700 km of rivers. The Failing Waterbodies Report (Coal Authority, 2020) commissioned by NRW identified that remedial works at the 129 highest priority sites would be circa 278 million GBP. The Metal Mine Programme is therefore committed to identifying new treatment technologies that could reduce on-going operation and maintenance costs.
Typical categorisation of active or passive treatment systems does not account for recent technological advancement. Passive systems typically require maintenance/refurbishment during their whole life (40 years) to ensure that performance remains effective, enabling metal removal. Fully active systems, such as High Density Sludge (HDS), often have high CAPEX and OPEX costs, and a large constituent of OPEX are energy and reagent costs as well as sludge disposal. Spent media in passive systems and sludge possess high metal content and current advice is that this must be disposed of as hazardous waste to landfill in England. Metal recovery from sludge is also difficult, warranting separate research and development. At higher mine water flow rates, greater energy or treatment media is required, increasing costs.
CET has presented a potential alternative solution for treating circum-neutral pH mine water. CET is a newly formed 50/50 joint venture research company owned and managed by Mine Environment Management Ltd (MEM) and Maelgwyn Mineral Services Ltd (MMS). CET has created a technical team from MMS and MEM that has identified degassing circum-neutral mine water using the MMS-patented Aachen™ reactor and oxidation using patented slot aerator can increase the pH sufficiently enabling sorption to remove metals.
The CET Aeroflow SAT system has been developed based on the need for a flexible and adaptive modular system to account for the complexity and site-specific nature of water treatment requirements in a mining context. Degassing and oxidation as options have the potential to be less expensive in material, energy and carbon than traditional HDS systems. Metal removal by sorption can be achieved by adding media, with the process eliminating or vastly reducing sludge production, improving potential metal recovery and reducing residual waste costs.
The Aeroflow SAT provides an opportunity to develop a flexible, cost-effective and more sustainable remediation solution for our treatment toolbox with lower energy and waste disposal costs.
Following the completion of Phase 1 (lab trials), this VEAT notice is being published to cover the additional costs for Phase 2 (field trials).
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
This arrangement is in accordance with Regulation 32(b)(ii) & (iii) of the Public Contract Regulations (2015) which allows for the negotiated procedure without prior publication to be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts where (b) the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator due to (ii) competition being absent for technical reasons or (iii) the protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2023/S 000-035154
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
4 March 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 1
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 0
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Cambrian Environmental Technologies Ltd
Innovation Centre Festival Drive, Victoria Business Park
Ebbw Vale
NP238XA
Telephone
+44 7407062175
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKL16 - Gwent Valleys
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £168,267.15
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
(WA Ref:139600)
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Telephone
+44 2079477501
Country
United Kingdom