Decision details

To award the contract for Technical, Commercial and Stakeholder Engagement support of the Worthing Heat Network Project to AECOM via the SCAPE Consultancy Framework Lot 2.

The Contract amount is up to £496,000, to be funded from the £950,000 HNIP grant discussed at JSC on 5/10/2021.

To provide skilled technical, commercial and stakeholder engagement expertise to enable the council to continue in its delivery of the Worthing Heat Network. The appointed consultants will work closely with the council, central government, public sector partners and other externally appointed consultants to deliver a successful project. This work will include significant refinement of the technical design of the heat network and associated financial modelling, skilled engagement with public sector offtakers and overall strategic thinking regarding the appropriate business models and procurement options available to deliver the project.

Since being appointed as technical consultants at the start of the project, AECOM have delivered a number of feasibility studies and appendices that have contributed to the project's success to date. Additionally, subcontractors 1Energy have been working closely with WBC to refine the business case and secure offtaker buy-in to the project since their appointment in 2020. The value of the subcontracted work is £175,000.

The Worthing Heat Network is on a very tight delivery time frame due to the conditions set by the funding agreements offered to WBC by BEIS. As such, a full procurement exercise would result in unacceptable delays to the project. The proposed solution offers the council an effective way to ensure momentum in this flagship decarbonisation project is continued.