Sustainability consultancy framework creates new route to market for energy advisers
A new framework for sustainability advice in electricity underlines how public buyers are bundling strategic decarbonisation and compliance expertise.
A new framework for sustainability advice in electricity underlines how public buyers are bundling strategic decarbonisation and compliance expertise.
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EirGrid plc has launched a framework for sustainability consultancy services to support the transformation of Ireland's electricity system. The new sustainability consultancy framework will focus on decarbonisation, compliance with EU directives and specialist advice across a range of sustainability topics, signalling a more strategic approach to buying expert support.
On 16th January 2026 EirGrid plc published a contract notice for a Framework Agreement covering sustainability consultancy services. The agreement is intended to underpin the company’s strategy for transforming Ireland’s electricity system, rather than addressing sustainability issues project by project.
The buyer is explicit that the framework will focus on three linked priorities: decarbonisation, compliance with EU directives and expert advisory input across various sustainability areas. That combination places regulatory obligations alongside broader sustainability ambitions, and recognises that specialist advice will be needed as the energy transition accelerates.
The reference to “various sustainability areas” suggests that the scope is deliberately wide. Rather than limiting consultancy support to carbon or energy efficiency alone, EirGrid is seeking access to advice that can respond to different sustainability questions as they arise across the organisation.
Using a Framework Agreement allows EirGrid to set up a commercial structure once and then place specific pieces of work under it over time. In procurement terms, that shifts sustainability consultancy from one-off engagements to a standing resource, available as the system transformation strategy develops.
By dedicating a framework to sustainability consultancy, the buyer is also embedding sustainability considerations into its purchasing arrangements. Decarbonisation and EU compliance become core drivers for commissioning professional services, not just constraints applied after technical or financial decisions have been made.
EirGrid is far from alone in treating sustainability consultancy as a category in its own right. Across Europe and beyond, public bodies are using frameworks to secure long-term access to advisory services on climate, environment, social impact and governance.
In December 2025, The Crown Estate advertised a Sustainability Advisory Framework. That multi-supplier arrangement is intended to provide strategic sustainability advisory and specialist services across various sectors, supporting net zero, nature recovery and social impact initiatives. It shows how sustainability expertise is being pooled to serve multiple programmes through one commercial route.
In September 2025, Waterways Ireland sought consultancy services for developing a Sustainability Roadmap aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. That roadmap-focused brief underlines a demand for structured, long-term plans rather than isolated initiatives, echoing EirGrid’s emphasis on system-wide transformation.
Elsewhere, sustainability consultancy is being asked to shape formal ESG strategies and reporting. In September 2025, Odvoz a likvidácia odpadu a.s. issued a notice for ESG Strategy Consulting Services, seeking professional support to develop a customised ESG strategy and sustainability report for selected municipal enterprises, ensure compliance with sustainability regulations and improve communication of environmental impact.
A similar pattern appears in the electricity sector outside the EU. In December 2025, the National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan published a prior information notice for Consultancy for ESG Integration. The buyer is looking for firms to provide ESG diagnostics, sustainable development reporting, greenhouse gas emissions assessment and staff training, confirming that sustainability advice now spans both external reporting and internal capability-building.
Sustainability consultancy is also being tied directly to economic development policy. In September 2025, Physikalisch - Technische Bundesanstalt Braunschweig launched a framework for Strategic Consulting for Quality Infrastructure, aimed at enhancing sustainable economic development, competitiveness, trade and environmental protection in Africa. Here, advisory work on standards and infrastructure is explicitly linked to sustainability outcomes.
Taken together, these notices point to a set of common expectations for sustainability advisers in the public sector:
EirGrid’s framework, with its focus on decarbonisation and EU directives, sits squarely within this broader move to treat sustainability advice as a strategic service category.
The energy sector is seeing particularly intensive use of frameworks for advisory and technical services, often blending sustainability with operational and economic expertise.
In September 2025, the Crown Commercial Service signalled plans for an Energy Supply and Decarbonisation Framework. That arrangement will cover the supply and management of electricity and gas for more than 1000 customers, with an emphasis on energy management, risk strategies and alignment with decarbonisation policies. It shows how commodity procurement is being tied more closely to climate objectives.
Regulators are also refreshing their access to expert advice. In December 2025, Ofgem announced plans for a new Energy Services Framework Agreement covering gas, electricity, renewables, heat networks and economics, to replace its current framework when it expires. That scope underscores the need for integrated advice across multiple energy vectors and market issues.
Network operators are making similar use of frameworks for specialist engineering and consultancy support. In August 2025, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited issued a contract notice for Earthing Design Consultancy Services, seeking providers of earthing designs, assessments, consultancy and training services across locations in Northern Ireland.
In November 2025, Energinet launched a Framework Agreement for Consultancy Services aimed at procuring project specialists for a range of construction and operational projects in the energy sector. The tasks under that framework will vary by project, underlining the value buyers see in flexible, call-off models for technical capacity.
Grid development is another area where frameworks are becoming central. In October 2025, ENIDA AS began a prequalification for a Consultancy Services Framework Agreement, planning to select up to five consultants for planning and engineering design services for grid development projects, with a potential duration of up to eight years.
Also in October 2025, Ellevio AB advertised a Technical Consulting Services Agreement for local and regional electricity networks, covering various areas of expertise and allowing suppliers to qualify for multiple parts. This indicates a need for diverse technical skills that can be accessed under a single contractual umbrella.
These frameworks, alongside EirGrid’s sustainability-focused agreement, show how energy system operators and regulators are assembling long-term pools of expertise. Some frameworks emphasise engineering design or network safety; others, like EirGrid’s, place decarbonisation and EU directive compliance at the centre of the advisory brief.
The detail of EirGrid’s sustainability consultancy framework will become clearer as it is implemented: the balance between decarbonisation strategy, EU compliance work and wider sustainability topics will be defined through the specific assignments placed under the agreement.
For consultancies, the notice confirms that advisory work on sustainability for public-sector energy bodies is now structured through frameworks rather than isolated tenders. Similar arrangements across Ireland, the UK and other countries suggest a growing, long-term market for firms that can combine sustainability expertise with an understanding of complex infrastructure systems.
For policy and procurement observers, EirGrid’s move raises practical questions about how EU directives and decarbonisation policies are translated into day-to-day decisions on grid planning, operations and corporate strategy. The new framework provides the mechanism; its call-off contracts will show how that mechanism is used in practice.
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