Planning

Community Energy School Solar Programme

ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

27 Mar 2026 at 11:26

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council is embarking on the "Community Energy School Solar Programme," focusing on deploying rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) and other sustainability initiatives across 556 schools in Essex. As part of the planning stage, this procurement process aims to engage with potential delivery partners to assess service capabilities and market potential. The primary industry category is solar energy, with the project location being within the UKH3 region of the United Kingdom. An initial engagement deadline is set for 17 April 2026. This initiative supports the government's push towards net-zero goals and aims to enhance renewable energy generation, lower energy costs for schools, and encourage community ownership of such projects.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses to grow by partnering with Essex County Council. Organisations with expertise in renewable energy, particularly those focusing on solar energy solutions, will find this tender appealing. Additionally, businesses capable of collaborative working, especially with community energy sectors, will be well-suited to the programme's goals. The potential contract period spans from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030. The programme accommodates various delivery models suitable for different contexts, making it an excellent opportunity for SMEs and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) to get involved and contribute to community-focused sustainability efforts.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Community Energy School Solar Programme

Notice Description

Essex County Council (ECC) is exploring a countywide programme to support the deployment of rooftop solar PV and other sustainability initiatives across the 556 schools in Essex, in collaboration with the local community energy sector. This programme would be successful if we were able to engage half of the total schools and develop delivery models appropriate to a variety of contexts and status for individual schools. Intended outcomes of the programme will be to significantly increase renewable generation across Essex through using the roof space on the school estate, lower schools' energy costs, provide opportunities for community ownership of renewable generation, and promote engagement and education on sustainability initiatives within schools. One clear priority of the programme is to engage and collaborate with the growing community energy sector in Essex and enable community investment and ownership of solar PV on schools. While our initial focus is on scaling renewable energy generation on the school estate, our ambition is to develop a more holistic programme that provides solutions across multiple decarbonisation and sustainability interventions. DfE and central government are placing greater emphasis on the role schools and education facilities can play in net zero and climate goals, so there is an opportunity to deliver additional benefit. ECC intends to procure a delivery partner (or consortium) with the expertise and capacity to work collaboratively with us, schools, and our community energy groups. Before initiating a full procurement process, ECC is carrying out this market engagement exercise to better understand the range of services available, delivery models, market capability, and any considerations that should inform our programme design. The programme aims to: * Assess and prioritise rooftop solar PV potential across the Essex school estate. * Engage and support schools to understand the benefits of installing renewable energy generation at their schools and to the benefits of community energy. * Provide technical feasibility assessments, business case development, and project development support. * Work collaboratively with the community energy sector to deliver projects that offer community investment and ownership opportunities. * Develop variety of delivery models suitable for a range of school type, context and funding models. * Explore additional sustainability opportunities, such as energy efficiency upgrades, demand reduction, water efficiency upgrades, and wider decarbonisation and sustainability options for schools. ECC is particularly interested in delivery partners that can operate in a collaborative, facilitative, and partnership based way with the community energy sector. To engage with us, please fill out this form > https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/r7MMWx8wc7 It is important to note that this market engagement exercise is not a call for competition and as such you will need to express your interest in any future tender opportunity once the contract notice is published on Find a Tender. It should also be noted that this market engagement exercise invites individuals and organisations to express an interest in this exercise only, and it is NOT a pre-qualification questionnaire, and is NOT part of any pre-qualification or selection process. This market engagement exercise is intended as an awareness, communication, and information gathering exercise. An expression of interest is no indication of a commitment to participate in any future tendering process nor does it infer any preferential or special status on those individuals and organisations who participate.

Planning Information

Engagement is via a questionnaire - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/r7MMWx8wc7 Further meetings and engagement may take place after the initial engagement period, ending 17th April 2026.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06764b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028420-2026
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, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

09330000 - Solar energy

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
17 Apr 20262 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
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
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Post Town
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

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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