Planning

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with PV (Photovoltaic) integration

DEVON & SOMERSET FIRE & RESCUE AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

01 Aug 2025 at 12:27

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority has initiated a preliminary market engagement process concerning the development of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with photovoltaic (PV) integration for their local fire stations. These projects are currently in the planning stage, with key industry categories being solar energy and solar panel roof-covering work, classified under CPV codes 09330000 and 45261215, respectively. The engagement will be facilitated through remote one-to-one meetings scheduled between mid-September and early October 2025. The meetings aim to explore the feasibility and design of systems capable of maintaining fire station operations during energy outages. Located in Exeter, UK, the authority invites expressions of interest for participation, supporting its goal of reducing reliance on grid power and increasing energy resilience.

This initiative presents valuable business growth opportunities, particularly for SMEs and businesses with expertise in solar energy technologies and infrastructure integration. Prospective suppliers in the fields of energy storage, photovoltaic systems, and associated support services stand to benefit from participating in this engagement, which seeks innovative solutions and partnerships. Those with capabilities in providing technical advice, budgetary estimates, and intelligent energy management systems will find this engagement particularly aligned with their expertise. This exploration phase could form the basis for future capital investment planning and subsequent tenders, creating significant business prospects in the renewable energy sector.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with PV (Photovoltaic) integration

Notice Description

***This is a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice, not a Tender Notice*** Overview: Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority (the Authority) is seeking to engage with industry providers to explore the feasibility, design and deployment of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with PV (Photovoltaic) integration for the building type of a local fire station, specifically On-Call stations which are similar in gross internal area to a non-commercial domestic property but have critical infrastructure for the running of a fire station. The purpose of the solution is to increase energy resilience, reduce reliance on grid power, and maintain uninterrupted operations during grid power outages. This preliminary market engagement (PME) seeks input on technical, operational, and financial aspects of potential solutions to help inform and develop understanding of the installation of potential systems at our fire stations. Details: Our fire stations serve a emergency response function and must remain operational during grid failures, natural disasters, or other disruptions. The desired system should be capable of the following: * Provide 1-3 days of energy resilience, based on typical energy loads * Include on-site PV generation (new or integrated with existing) * Be compatible with a central control system for intelligent energy management, system diagnostics and remote monitoring * Support automatic switchover during outages Objectives: The Authority are seeking preliminary market engagement with suppliers to: * Understand the range of available technologies and configurations * Review the technical and operational pros and cons of each system * Obtain budgetary estimates to inform future capital investment planning * Assess the integration potential with existing infrastructure and any regulatory or grid requirements, such as Distribution Network Operator (DNO) restrictions. * Understand options for the support and maintenance, of proposed different systems, during and after install and any indicative costs associated [Please note that the Contract Start and End Dates in this PME notice are mandatory fields that the Authority is required to complete. The Authority does not currently have contract start and end dates for this project identified. This is very early stages preliminary market engagement and may not result in a procurement/contract process.]

Planning Information

The Authority will make available five (5) , one-to-one, meeting slots with interested suppliers to present upon the Objectives outlined in the Procurement description section of this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice. Suppliers are invited to express an interest in presenting at a one-to-one meeting with Authority representatives. Expressions of interest should be submitted via email by the closing date of this PME notice to procurement@dsfire.gov.uk and be marked for the attention of Aimee Lee (Category Manager - Estates & Environmental). Please include the name of your organisation and the name and contact details of the Lead Person from your organisation. You should also confirm whether you are a manufacturer or an installer, and the make/models of your products e.g. your panel, inverter, and battery products. The five (5) one-to-one meetings will be held from mid-September 2025 and are available on a first come first served basis. Dates and times for the five meetings are identified as: Thursday 18 September 2025 13:00 to 14:30 Thursday 25 September 2025 13:00 to 14:30 Friday 26 September 2025 10:30 to 12:00noon Tuesday 30 September 2025 10:00 to 11:30 Thursday 02 October 2025 14:00 to 15:30 Please note these dates and times may be subject to change at the Authority's discretion. The Authority also reserves the right to invite further suppliers for a meeting and as such a waiting list of expressions of interest will be collated where a higher number of interested suppliers apply. The Authority will contact suppliers directly via email with an available date and time, to invite them to a meeting. Please do not attempt to request specific meeting dates and times. If you are unable to attend at the date and time offered to you, then you will forego the opportunity, and the Authority will propose that date and time to the next supplier on the waiting list. If you do not respond to the invitation to confirm your acceptance of the meeting within 2-working days, the Authority will revoke the invitation and offer it to the next supplier on the waiting list. The meeting will be a maximum of 1.5hours in length; 45minutes for the supplier to present in respect of the Objectives (as outlined in the Procurement Description section of this PME Notice) and 45minutes for questions and answers. The meetings will be held remotely via MS Teams. Supplier attendees will be restricted to 3 persons. The meetings will be recorded for reference purposes. We want these meetings to be productive, efficient, and technology focussed. Please avoid concentrating on Sales information about your organisation. If you require any specific information from the Authority prior to the meeting, you may request this in reply to the invitation. Please note we may not be able to provide any/all requested information. If you are not invited to a meeting but wish to provide information which you believe will assist the Authority, you are welcome to submit such information via the email address provided. Please note all information received from suppliers will be considered disclosable through this PME process unless identified as commercial sensitive and notified of such sensitivity to the Authority by the Supplier.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-056b56
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045225-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

09 - Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy

45 - Construction work

CPV Codes

09330000 - Solar energy

45261215 - Solar panel roof-covering work

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Aug 20256 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
12 Sep 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEVON & SOMERSET FIRE & RESCUE AUTHORITY
Contact Name
FAO Aimee Lee
Contact Email
procurement@dsfire.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
EXETER
Postcode
EX3 0NW
Post Town
Exeter
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK43 Devon CC
Delivery Location
TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
East Devon
Electoral Ward
Clyst Valley
Westminster Constituency
Exmouth and Exeter East

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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. 

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