Government agency launches tender for building decarbonisation studies
Tender seeks engineering consultancies to design practical decarbonisation options for a portfolio of buildings, underscoring growing demand for climate expertise.
Tender seeks engineering consultancies to design practical decarbonisation options for a portfolio of buildings, underscoring growing demand for climate expertise.
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The Office of Public Works (OPW), acting through the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, has gone to market for engineering consultancies to carry out feasibility studies and conceptual designs for decarbonisation solutions across selected buildings as part of its Climate Action Plan. The Feasibility Study for Decarbonisation Solutions, published on 29th April 2026, underlines how climate commitments are now driving a steady stream of technical consultancy work in the built environment.
The OPW is seeking engineering consultancies to answer two linked questions: what decarbonisation measures are technically and economically feasible for its chosen buildings, and how those measures should take shape at a conceptual design level. The notice points directly to “decarbonisation solutions for selected buildings” and ties the work to the organisation’s Climate Action Plan.
That combination of feasibility study and conceptual design matters. It suggests the OPW wants advice that goes beyond generic options appraisal, producing building-specific concepts that can underpin later investment decisions and, ultimately, construction or retrofit tenders. The focus on “selected buildings” also hints at a targeted approach, rather than a one-size-fits-all programme.
Although the notice does not spell out technologies or building types, it places engineering consultancies at the centre of the next phase of the OPW’s climate planning. The successful providers will not be installing equipment or running works on site; they will be defining what a credible decarbonisation pathway looks like for each building in scope and giving the client enough design detail to move into procurement of delivery partners.
The OPW commission sits upstream of the kind of projects that are already emerging from similar public-sector studies elsewhere. In November 2025, South Oxfordshire District Council went to market for a design-and-build contractor for Decarbonisation Works at Cornerstone Arts Centre, including verification of designs, removal of existing heating systems, installation of air source heat pumps and solar PV, and other measures. That project illustrates how early feasibility work can translate into concrete packages of low-carbon plant and fabric upgrades.
A month later, in December 2025, the London Fire Brigade sought a design-and-build supplier for Decarbonisation Works for Fire Stations including replacing gas heating with air-source heat pumps, installing solar panels, enhancing lighting efficiency and coordinating new electrical mains. The detail in that notice shows what a mature decarbonisation package looks like once studies have narrowed down the options.
Education projects point in the same direction. In December 2025, St. Mary's C.B.S. Primary School in Clonmel advertised Consultancy for Climate Action, combining climate-focused advice with full electrical upgrades, LED lighting, insulation and EV charging infrastructure. By February 2026, St. Eithne's GNS in Dublin followed with a tender for Climate Action Consultancy Services covering heating, lighting, insulation, a heat pump, EV charger and bike rack. Both notices blend engineering design with on-the-ground works.
Healthcare adds another dimension. In April 2026, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service issued a tender for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Design and Climate Action Consultancy Services across its estate, covering building services design, energy optimisation and decarbonisation strategies in healthcare environments. That contract underlines how climate-focused engineering advice is now embedded in core estate planning.
Taken together, these examples show a clear trajectory: feasibility and concept work at one point in time, followed by combined consultancy-and-delivery contracts at individual sites. The OPW’s new study-based procurement appears to occupy the earlier stage of that same pipeline, shaping the options that may later drive works contracts.
While the OPW notice does not specify technologies, other recent procurements highlight where many public bodies are directing their low-carbon investment, especially around heat. In January 2026, Kilkenny County Council advertised consultancy services for a district heating feasibility study, while Offaly County Council launched a similar District Heating Feasibility Study for Tullamore town and surrounding areas.
In April 2026, Harrogate Town Council sought technical consultancy for a Harrogate District Heating Study, aligning the work with community energy funding requirements. And in March 2026, the municipality of Wustermark in Germany commissioned engineering services for a Feasibility Study for a Heating Network based on waste heat from a data centre, with potential links to existing networks.
Geothermal heat is also prominent. In December 2025, Stadtwerke Augsburg Energie GmbH commissioned a Geothermal Energy Feasibility Study as part of a climate strategy to reduce CO₂ emissions and meet growing district heating demand. In January 2026, the research organisation Inria sought a feasibility study on geothermal heating and cooling via heat pumps, while the Département de L'Indre launched Geothermal Energy Feasibility Studies for three colleges in April 2026.
Other schemes are trialling alternative low-carbon heat sources. In February 2026, DALKIA issued a contract notice for Geotechnical Studies for a Heat Plant using hydrothermal energy from the Garonne, while in April 2026 the company Green Future 1 sought Technical Consultancy for a Solar Heating Plant to support district heating decarbonisation.
Across these notices, consultants are being asked to test technical potential, shape concepts and, in some cases, carry projects through into full design and supervision. The OPW’s building-focused decarbonisation study falls squarely within this trend towards networked, low-carbon heat solutions backed by extensive engineering input.
The OPW is not alone in treating specialist advice as a central plank of climate action. In November 2025, Greek state holding company Elliniki Etairia Symmetochon kai Periousias A.E. launched a tender for Consultants for Decarbonization Projects to provide legal, economic, technical and support services across programmes funded by Decarbonization and Modernization Funds. The emphasis there is on maturing and implementing a pipeline of renewable energy and infrastructure schemes, rather than on a single site.
In November 2025, Finnish property body Senaatti-kiinteistöt issued a broad framework for Environmental Consulting Services, spanning technical planning, monitoring, risk management of contaminated land, remediation projects and environmental protection structures across its property portfolio. This kind of long-term framework suggests that environmental performance is now treated as a routine aspect of asset management.
Closer to the OPW’s own context, the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) launched a tender in April 2026 for Environmental Consultancy Services covering greenhouse gas emissions reporting, energy management and environmental certification. The notice links these services directly to decarbonisation strategy and compliance with national and EU obligations.
Even where no immediate capital project is in view, public bodies are looking for structured advice on climate and sustainability. In March 2026, Donegal Local Development Company went out to market for a Climate Change Capacity Building scoping study to assess the training needs of community organisations on environmental sustainability and climate action. And in December 2025, Donegal County Council sought professional services for a Feasibility Study for Infrastructure aimed at reducing carbon footprints and bolstering the green and blue economy.
Viewed against this backdrop, the OPW’s new feasibility commission looks less like a standalone assignment and more like part of a broader shift in which climate action is increasingly mediated through specialist consultancy contracts. Engineering, environmental and governance expertise are being procured together to turn strategic climate goals into project pipelines.
The OPW’s feasibility and conceptual design work will not, on its own, cut emissions. Its value will lie in the quality of options identified for the buildings in scope and in how far those options can be translated into funded projects. If the studies point to clear, costed pathways, follow-on tenders for detailed design or construction could emerge, echoing the route taken at the Cornerstone Arts Centre, the London fire stations and various school upgrades.
For engineering and sustainability consultancies, the notice reinforces two messages. First, early-stage advisory and design skills remain in demand as public bodies seek to align their estates with climate action plans. Second, experience of turning feasibility work into deliverable projects is increasingly important, as buyers look for partners who can bridge the gap between high-level ambition and practical decarbonisation of real buildings.
How the OPW’s commission develops, and whether it feeds into a broader programme of works, will be a useful indicator of how far climate planning in the state estate is moving from strategy to implementation.
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