Invitation to Tender: Greater Manchester Low Carbon Economic Area - Feasibility Work

Download the Invitation To Tender:

• Invitation to Tender: Greater Manchester Low Carbon Economic Area (4958kb)

Greater Manchester’s Commission for the New Economy working jointly with the Environment Commission wish to procure consultancy services to help develop our feasibility work relating to recent designation as the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area for the Built Environment. Funding for this feasibility work has been provided by the North West Development Agency.

In July 2009 the government launched the Low Carbon Transition Plan, its response to maximising the economic opportunities which climate change presents. This included the proposed establishment of a series of Low Carbon Economic Areas building on particular local strengths; the first of these to be established was the south west focussing on marine energy. Others have since followed; the North East (Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles) and the North West/Yorkshire Humber regions (nuclear).

On December 9th the Chancellor announced the designation of Greater Manchester as the fourth LCEA with a focus on the Built Environment. This announcement within the Pre Budget Report was a result of work undertaken by officers working for the Environment Commission and New Economy with support from the North West Development Agency (NWDA). In undertaking one of the largest building retrofit programmes ever seen our proposals suggest that over a five year period the LCEA will:

• save 6 million tonnes of carbon
• support 34,800 jobs; and
• contribute £1.4 billion to the economy.

The decision to grant this status around the Built Environment was based upon a series of unique strengths, which the conurbation has, namely:

• An unrivalled evidence base in relation to supply chain, jobs and skills providing the basis for robust policy and delivery interventions in a targeted and focussed way.
• A strong knowledge pool combining the resources of both academic and professional institutions, including the highest rated research department on the built environment in the UK.
• An enviable track record of delivering high profile international projects, including the Commonwealth Games and Media City.

We are seeking proposals to help us to develop our feasibility work around the following areas of work:

(i) Assistance with organisational design, including:

• Teasing out key issues and trade offs
• Providing alternative models and case studies
• Stakeholder engagement

(ii) Business case development, including:

• Undertaking analysis
• Building financial models to determine project and initiative costs and benefits on a consistent basis
• Drafting the business plan
• Sharing business case with key stakeholders and helping secure buy-in.

(iii) Programme management, including:

• Providing support to develop the programme management principles
• Developing the programme and governance
• Identifying and developing projects and delivery accountability.

(iv) Retrofit financing, including:

• Developing principles and potential financing structures, which address inherent barriers to financing of retrofit (engaging with financiers and eg landlords)
• Evaluating suitability of projects for (pilot) financing
• Engaging with equity and debt finance providers, and support the (pilot) third party financing of projects
• Engaging with stakeholders
• Once financing structures have been proven, develop mechanisms to ease roll-out to further projects (including nationally) eg standard procedures, contracts etc.

Download the Invitation To Tender:

• Invitation to Tender: Greater Manchester Low Carbon Economic Area (4958kb)

An electronic and two hard copy responses to this ITT need to be received by 09.00 GMT Friday 29th January 2010.

For further details, email Steve Turner or phone 0161 237 4417.

Alternatively, contact Steve Turner by post:
Steve Turner
Head of Carbon Economy
Commission for the New Economy
Churchgate House
56 Oxford Street
Manchester
M60 7HJ
Tel: 0161 237 4417
Fax: 0161 236 4160
E-mail: steve.turner@neweconomymanchester.com