Scope
Reference
P3440
Description
Birmingham City Council (the "Council") is seeking to understand potential interest and solutions for the provision of solar energy for Waste sites managed by the Council. It is expected that the potential supplier would install, maintain and manage a solar energy solution on Council owned land at Queslett Landfill Site.
The anticipated solution envisages a potential supplier designing, installing, and managing a Solar array on the Queslett Landfill Site, including all grid connections. It is envisaged this would potentially include battery storage if considered appropriate and advantageous. The Council is open to proposals on potential end users of the electricity created. The Council is also open to considering alternative models in respect of both length of term and the end users, and this would include funded and non-funded options.
The Queslett landfill site extends to approximately 45 acres, but not all of this may be developable, due to Nature Conservation requirements and the topography of the site. It is thought that up to one third of the site may be capable of being developed, subject to survey. A survey of the site and potential grid connections is being undertaken by the Council's technical advisers and will be made available to potential suppliers at tender stage.
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2036
- 10 years
Main procurement category
Goods
CPV classifications
- 09330000 - Solar energy
Contract locations
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
Engagement
Engagement deadline
19 November 2025
Engagement process description
The Council wishes to hold an early market engagement session to understand the interest in the market and to develop potential solutions in order to inform an Outline Business Case for the proposed project. In this initial market engagement, the Council wishes to understand the following from the market:
• Appetite for undertaking the project, either with BCC funding or with supplier funding
• Capacity to provide the installation and management of the project
• Potential infrastructure solutions for this type of site
• Issues which may affect optimum output from the site
• The type of alternative financial models which could be utilised
• Implications of Private Wire v To the Grid
• The potential term of the Contract
• What incentives may be available in the market for this type of project
The early market engagement will take place between November and December 2025. From this early market engagement, the Council will decide whether to continue with the procurement and if so, there may be further market engagement, with a tendering process expected to be undertaken in mid-2026, however this is dependent on funding options.
The Council has formed a questionnaire asking for high level information from interested suppliers. The Council may contact individual companies that respond to this Market Engagement Questionnaire to have further in-depth discussions via Microsoft Teams.
The Council will only invite suppliers for further individual market engagement if they have indicated in the questionnaire below that they would be able to deliver a full solution that meets the Council's overarching requirements. The reason for this is that at this stage, the Council's aim is to understand the viability of a supplier delivering a solution that meets the Council's full requirements, in order to inform the options appraisal in the Outline Business Case.
Following the market engagement activity, the Council will publish responses to questions and notes from any individual market engagement meetings via Intend for access by the suppliers who expressed an interest.
If you are interested in participating in this pre-market engagement, please register online against the project via the Council's In-tend e-tendering portal https://in-tendhost.co.uk/birminghamcc
A questionnaire is attached to those parties who express an interest in response to the UK2 Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (reference: P3340 - Solar Farm Development).
Registration and access to the In-tend electronic tendering tool is free and all correspondence for this pre-market engagement must be made via this on-line process.
Interested parties must download a market testing questionnaire from the e-portal and submit completed questionnaires by 5pm on 19th November 2025.
Report any problems in accessing or using the In-tend e-portal to the Corporate Procurement Team via email at cps@birmingham.gov.uk
PLEASE NOTE: This pre-market engagement exercise and the phases outlined above should not be treated as a formal call for competition. The intention of this pre-market engagement is purely used to gather information from the market assess and consider responses to this questionnaire in order to assist the council in developing the most viable and efficient future delivery service for this area.
Contracting authority
Birmingham City Council
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PCJJ-4826-QMLZ
Council House, 1 Victoria Square
Birmingham
B1 1BB
United Kingdom
Contact name: Commercial and Procurement Services
Email: etendering@birmingham.gov.uk
Region: UKG31 - Birmingham
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government