Tender

Bolton Heat Network & Advanced Zonal Program

BOLTON METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

TenderCancellation

18 Feb 2026 at 15:37

Tender

11 Sep 2025 at 15:56

Planning

18 Jun 2025 at 16:01

Summary of the contracting process

The Bolton Heat Network & Advanced Zonal Program, led by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, represents a significant procurement initiative aimed at evolving the town's heat network infrastructure. Although initially planned and initiated, an attempt to appoint a development partner via a competitive flexible procedure did not culminate in success, with the tender ultimately being cancelled on 18 February 2026 due to the absence of compliant bids. This project, categorised under services in the energy supplies sector, covers the Bolton area within the United Kingdom (UKD36). Despite the cancellation, prior stages included planning and an active tender phase which sought proposals from stakeholders willing to engage in the commercialisation of the heat network programme through a Development Agreement. Key dates involved a tender period ending on 31 October 2025, with contract commencement originally scheduled for 3 February 2026.

This procurement offered opportunities for businesses in the energy development sector with an interest in public infrastructure projects. With a gross value of £57.5 million, the initiative promised lucrative contracts for developers capable of delivering high-quality technical solutions with an emphasis on social value. The competitive flexible procedure facilitated various stages including an invitation to tender, clarification, and award, fostering transparency and fair competition. Though the contract was not awarded, future similar initiatives could present substantial opportunities are particularly suited to firms with technical and economic readiness to handle large-scale energy projects, thus fostering business growth and community impact. Industries specialising in innovative energy supplies and distribution systems would find these opportunities especially beneficial.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Notice Title

Bolton Heat Network & Advanced Zonal Program

Notice Description

Bolton Council wish to appoint an investor / developer of heat networks to commercialise Bolton's heat network Advanced Zonal Program, including the town centre reference scheme from its current status through to a stage that will allow the investor / developer to commit to delivering the AZP and town centre projects. This procurement will appoint a development partner via a Development Agreement.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054f65
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014896-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

65 - Public utilities


CPV Codes

65400000 - Other sources of energy supplies and distribution

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£57,500,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£57,500,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Feb 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
31 Oct 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
29 Jul 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
3 Feb 2026 - 2 Feb 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Cancelled
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BOLTON METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
Additional Buyers

MISSING

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
corporate.procurement@bolton.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BOLTON
Postcode
BL1 1RU
Post Town
Bolton
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD36 Greater Manchester North West
Delivery Location
TLD3 Greater Manchester

Local Authority
Bolton
Electoral Ward
Queens Park & Central
Westminster Constituency
Bolton North East

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-054f65-2026-02-18T15:37:59Z",
    "date": "2026-02-18T15:37:59Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-054f65",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "planning": {
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "033479-2025",
                "documentType": "plannedProcurementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK3",
                "description": "Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033479-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-06-18T17:01:01+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PBJZ-9785-JTLD",
            "name": "Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PBJZ-9785-JTLD"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Town Hall, Victoria Square",
                "locality": "Bolton",
                "postalCode": "BL1 1RU",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKD36"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "corporate.procurement@bolton.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ],
                "url": "http://www.bolton.gov.uk"
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PBJZ-9785-JTLD",
        "name": "Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "Q094",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Bolton Heat Network & Advanced Zonal Program",
        "description": "Bolton Council wish to appoint an investor / developer of heat networks to commercialise Bolton's heat network Advanced Zonal Program, including the town centre reference scheme from its current status through to a stage that will allow the investor / developer to commit to delivering the AZP and town centre projects. This procurement will appoint a development partner via a Development Agreement.",
        "status": "complete",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "65400000",
                        "description": "Other sources of energy supplies and distribution"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKD3",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKD3",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethod": "open",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Competitive flexible procedure",
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "submissionMethodDetails": "www.the-chest.org.uk",
        "submissionTerms": {
            "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
            "languages": [
                "en"
            ]
        },
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-10-31T16:00:00Z"
        },
        "awardPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-01-08T23:59:59Z"
        },
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete",
                "awardCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Technical",
                            "description": "subject to review",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 70,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Commercial (Quantitative)",
                            "description": "subject to review",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 10,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Social Value",
                            "description": "subject to review",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 20,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Technical",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 70,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Social Value",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 20,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Commercial (Quantitative)",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 10,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "selectionCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "economic",
                            "description": "A pass / fail will be implemented for our evaluations of each bidding team to asses a bidders financial capability to fund their development activities and to deliver the investment / development program for the circa PS400m AZP scheme."
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "technical",
                            "description": "A pass / fail will be implemented for our evaluation to assess each bidding teams capability to deliver the technical aspects of the scheme. This will be carried out by assessing the three case studies each bidder puts forward. Each case study will be marked out of 8 and bidders not obtaining at least 12 marks in total will be failed unless they can provide supporting information of why three case studies could not be submitted, for example, the consortium team is a new entrant into the UK market."
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-02-03T00:00:00Z",
                    "endDate": "2027-02-02T23:59:59Z"
                },
                "value": {
                    "amountGross": 57500000,
                    "amount": 57500000,
                    "currency": "GBP"
                }
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2025-07-29T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 57500000,
            "amount": 57500000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procedure": {
            "features": "Invitation to Tender Stage Clarification Stage Award Stage"
        },
        "enquiryPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-10-24T16:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            },
            {
                "id": "L-1",
                "documentType": "biddingDocuments",
                "url": "https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=d6ba61c4-1a8f-f011-813a-005056b64545&p=e0cc5631-4690-e511-80fb-000c29c9ba21"
            },
            {
                "id": "055972-2025",
                "documentType": "tenderNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK4",
                "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055972-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-09-11T16:56:55+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "014896-2026",
                "documentType": "tenderCancellationNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK12",
                "description": "Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014896-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-02-18T15:37:59Z",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en",
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "status": "cancelled",
            "statusDetails": "No compliant bids were received.",
            "finalStatusDate": "2025-10-31T00:00:00Z",
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ]
        }
    ]
}