Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Natural Resources Wales
Ty Cambria House, 29 Newport Road
Cardiff
CF24 0TP
Contact
Christian Clee
christian.clee@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.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) Lab and Pilot Trials
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.
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: £215,731
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.
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.
MMS has registered exclusive patented Intellectual Property rights which are required for the Aeroflow SAT system. The first is the Aachen™ reactor system (Patent No: EP 1831411) used originally when capturing gold pulp of a defined fraction. The patent application was submitted in 2006 and is valid for a period of 20 years.
The second is the slot aerator system (Patent No: EP 2054143) a device for dispersing a gas into a liquid. The patent application was submitted in 2007 and is valid for a period of 20 years.
These patents will be combined in the trials to enable effective degassing and safe removal of metals.
Addressing the caveat that no reasonable alternatives or substitutes need to exist in order for regulations (ii) & (iii) to be used; whilst other active or passive metal mine water treatment systems exist, they either produce hazardous sludge or spent media. Whilst each mine site has its own demands typical to the constraints present, no treatment methodology known has the potential to be considered as an alternative to the Aeroflow SAT solution in this instance. The Aeroflow SAT offers an opportunity to future-proof the Metal (Non-Coal) Mine Programme, providing an alternative treatment solution that is both cost-effective and sustainable with significantly lower energy and waste disposal costs. The two patented technologies to degas and oxidise the mine water aiding subsequent treatment, capture and removal of metals, offer long-term savings to the public purse.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract/concession
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
19 June 2020
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
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/concessionaire is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £215,731
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=121691.
(WA Ref:121691)
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