United Kingdom-NEWPORT: Replacement of PSTN Lines and related Telemetry Equipment (for use with Gas Controllers)

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Ref: (2022/S 000-011772/EN)
Nature of contract: Supply contract
Procedure: Negotiated without a call for competition
Type of bid required: Not applicable

Voluntary ex ante transparency notice
Supplies

Section I: Contracting authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Official name: Wales & West Utilities Ltd
Postal address: Wales & West House, Spooner Close, Coedkernew
Town: NEWPORT
Postal code: NP108FZ
Country: United Kingdom
Email: wwuprocurement@wwutilites.co.uk
Internet address(es):
Main address: www.wwutilities.co.uk

I.6) Main activity
Production, transport and distribution of gas and heat

Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title: Replacement of PSTN Lines and related Telemetry Equipment (for use with Gas Controllers)
II.1.2) Main CPV code: 32440000
Supplementary CPV code: KA06
II.1.3) Type of contract Supplies
II.1.4) Short Description:
Wales and West Utilities Ltd (WWU) operate a UK Gas distribution network, This is a notice to award a contract for provision of Telemetry Hardware Equipment and associated digital communications required to profile and control a low pressure gas network without the use of copper phone lines or mains power.
Pressure control is critical to reduce excessive pressure and leakage in the network ensuring safety and environmental risks are limited. Self learning low pressure management and profiling is a key contributor to lowering gas emissions.
Ofcom have approved BT Openreach to remove wholesale line rental (PSTN Copper lines) in the UK by 2025 upon which the current gas control system relies and as such an alternative solution is required.
We require a self learning, forecast and profiling solution with control equipment and supporting communications solution capable of varying the outlet pressure of the governor to suit network demand; pressures must follow a self learnt profile to be raised at periods of high demand and decreased at periods of low demand automatically within safe limits. Logger data at low point extremities must feed into the profiling solution over a reliable communications solution without the use of copper phone lines PSTN
II.1.6) Information about lots
The contract is divided into lots: no
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement(excluding VAT)

II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
Nuts code: Main site or place of performance:Wales & South West of England

II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Telemetry
The currently deployed low pressure gas control platform is unique to a single provider’s proprietary solution; The current provider is Technolog Ltd and their forecast and profiling solution is used by all UK Gas Distribution networks. We believe that there are no alternative telemetry systems in the market with the capability to operate without mains power, without copper phone lines and with the ability to execute automatic control actions of a gas governor autonomously within fail safe limits.
Communications
The Technolog Ltd. telemetry solution relies upon mobile digital communications. The digital communications used must have 4G NBIOT / CATM – IP or 5G NBIOT / CATM – IP available in time to meet the commencement of the roll out in Q4 2022, to achieve the March 2025 completion deadline of the project.
The solution must be deployed in its entirety across 1671 sites to ensure continued operation of the gas network. The target completion date is the end of March 2025.
A telemetry solution, if offered, must –
1. Provide a self-learning, forecast and profiling solution with control equipment capable of varying the outlet pressure of the in situ Technolog Ltd. Gas governors to suit network demand; pressures must follow a self learnt profile to be raised at periods of high demand and decreased at periods of low demand automatically within safe limits.
2. Enable data from District Governors to feed into the profiling solution over a reliable communications solution without the use of copper phone lines PSTN.
3. Enable logger data at low point extremities to feed into the profiling solution over a reliable communications solution without the use of copper phone lines PSTN.
If a communications solution is offered it must meet the following requirements –
1. If a solution for both Telemetry and communications is offered –
a. The communications must work with the telemetry hardware proposed above
b. The communications must work without a PSTN line
c. The communication system must work without a mains power supply
d. The solution must include provision of a service for managing any failures within an agreed SLA for a Critical Network Infrastructure platform.
2. If a communication solution only is offered –
a. The communications must work with Technolog telemetry hardware – Rugged Modem Operations (RMO) and Gas Station 4 (GS4).
b. The communications must work without a PSTN line
c. The communication system must work without a mains power supply
d. If Mobile Digital communications is proposed
i. The solution must include provision of SIM cards
ii. The solution must include provision of Airtime
iii. The solution must include provision of a service for managing communication failures within an agreed SLA for a Critical Network Infrastructure platform.
iv. It must have 4G NBIOT / CATM – IP or 5G NBIOT / CATM – IP in time to meet the commencement of the roll out in Q3 / Q4 2022 to meet the March 2025 completion deadline of the project.

II.2.5) Award criteria
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:yes
Description of options:
Contractual review and extension mechanisms

II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated procedure without prior call for competition(in accordance with Article 50 of Directive 2014/25/EU)
IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement(GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: no
IV.2) Administrative information

Section V: Award of contract/concession
Contract No: WWU1198
V.2) Award of contract/concession
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract/concession award decision:2022-05-06
V.2.2) Information about tenders
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot/concession(excluding VAT)
for framework agreements – total maximum value for this lot
for contracts based on framework agreements, if required – value of contract(s) for this lot not included in
previous contract award notices

Section VI: Complementary informationVI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Official name: Wales & West Utilities Limited
Town: Newport
Country: United Kingdom

VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice:
2022-05-06

Justification for the award of the contract without prior publication of a call for
competition in the Official Journal of the European Union