Design, manufacture, delivery and commission of HVDC equipment for IFA - Sellindge

CPV: Power converters

Procedure method

Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0025 Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (Directive 2014/25/EU)

Procurement category

Goods

Notice status

Awarded without competition

Procurement threshold

Unspecified in notice

Regulatory regime

Standard

Commercial structure

Stand-alone contract (no framework)

Competition type

Direct award (no call for competition)

GPA / WTO covered

Unspecified in notice

Recurring procurement

Unspecified in notice

First published

21 Jan 2022, 18:35 GMT

Last source update

21 Jan 2022, 18:35 GMT

FTS notice number

2022/S 000-001930

Classification (CPV)

Power converters

Delivery area

UK

Official registry OCID

ocds-h6vhtk-030e23 Find a Tender

Why no open competition

The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons

Published justification

In September 2021, a fire broke out at Sellindge, the UK converter station of the IFA1 interconnector. Due to the damage to assets onsite the IFA capacity was reduced to zero (from 2000MW).

In late October 2021 bipole two was returned to service, restoring the site to half capacity (1000MW). Due to the damage sustained on bipole one, an asset replacement or repair exercise was required to be undertaken in order to recover the second 1000MW of IFA capacity.

Multiple options were explored to return full capacity of the interconnector, including refurbishment of the damaged equipment. Independent HVDC experts were engaged to support an assessment of the feasibility of integrating third party (non-OEM) assets with the original OEM system and to review the technical challenges associated with interfacing replacement equipment with the current control system, not damaged in the fire, which is in use on both the UK and French side of the interconnector.

The independent assessment confirmed it was not technically possible to integrate third party (non-OEM) assets to the existing control system. Replacement of the control system, to attempt to facilitate third party replacement assets, was estimated to be uneconomical and would also require the agreement of RTE, the joint operator of IFA, due to the additional works required in both France and the UK. Such additional work would also lead to a significant extension of the recovery programme, leading to a further extension of the unavailability of a strategically significant transmission asset.

Following the above evaluation, it was determined that competition was absent as the only viable technical solution was to replace the damaged assets on a like for like basis and therefore the decision was taken to proceed to contract with the Original Equipment Manufacturer to supply replacement assets on a sole source basis.

1 further award records carry no date or value.

No document links were published on the notice.