Mutual Energy Limited (‘Mutual’) sought a panel of three competent and experienced providers for the award of places on a framework. The objective was to appoint providers that could deliver safety case, emergency response, pipelines, mechanical and civil services, aimed at small scale projects with a call-off value of less than GDP 10 000 per activity. Whilst Mutual conducted this tender process, the Framework Agreement and call-off contracts shall be entered into by Interconnector Services Limited (‘ISL’), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mutual, which exists to contract services which are shared across the 3 operating companies of the Mutual Energy Group (West Transmission Limited, Belfast Gas Transmission Limited and Premier Transmission Limited). The framework will incorporate a range of day rate and/or resource prices aligned with the activities required.

The Mutual gas companies engage the services of expert consultancy service providers to undertake a range of technical, integrity and compliance related services. These services cover a range of disciplines including health and safety management, emergency response, pipeline integrity and operation and design (mechanical, civil, electrical and instrumentation) for plant enhancements and replacements.

The consultancy service providers have previously been procured as and when required. The process of procuring each service separately is administratively burdensome. Also, the services are often required at short notice e.g. corrosion identified and requiring specialist assessment, possibly when pipeline pressures are lowered or pegged. In light of this, Mutual took the decision to advertise the appointment of several gas consultants on a framework contract, in order to create a panel that would simplify and expedite engaging the experts at competitively tendered rates when specific work requirements arise.

This project incorporates minor consultancy work, compliance and legislation activities and mechanical, civil and pipeline integrity work, for example, associated with the gas safety case and emergency response procedures. Mutual anticipates a total value of 750 000 GBP over the period of the framework, with an anticipated average call off value of less than 10 000 GBP.