---
title: "HEAT NETWORK DEVELOPMENT PARTNER"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04ebb1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04ebb1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04ebb1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04ebb1.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-04-29"
---

# HEAT NETWORK DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

Buyer: PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04ebb1

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## Summary

Plymouth City Council has completed the award stage of its procurement process for a Heat Network Development Partner. Situated in United Kingdom's South Coast, the project focuses on developing heat networks in Plymouth's South Coast and Derriford areas using waste heat from South West Water Central Plant. Buro Happold Ltd, Amberside Advisors Ltd, and Burges Salmon LLP have provided project management, commercial evaluation, and legal support respectively. The buyer has secured funding from the government Green Heat Network Fund. The procurement method used a selective, competitive flexible procedure with exclusive rights determined by future Zoning Regulations. The final award notice was published on 29th April 2026, with contract commencement slated for 15th June 2026.

The Heat Network project presents opportunities for businesses specialising in low-carbon infrastructure engineering and energy services. Companies capable of large-scale district-heating construction or related energy services might find this procurement beneficial for business growth, specifically those in utilities and environmental sectors. Private and public entities interested in connecting to this innovative network, such as universities, police divisions, and community homes, enhance future expansion possibilities. Business opportunities might further expand owing to the evolving regulatory framework, paving the way for involvement in sustainable city heat networks.

## Notice

Plymouth City Council (PCC) was seeking a Development Partner (DP) to develop and deliver a heat network(s) in the Plymouth's South Coast and Derriford areas. Initially, the Development Partner will be responsible for design and commercialisation of the proposed heat network, up to an approval gateway. The DP will be required to meet minimum mandatory requirements for the proposed heat network, set out in the Development Agreement. If approval is granted the delivery stage will commence. The DP will use a special purpose vehicle in which Plymouth City Council will hold a "golden share" PCC has undertaken commercialisation work in relation to an initial phase of a heat network in Plymouth's South Coast area, which identified a viable commercial scheme using a significant waste heat source (South West Water Central Plant). A number of public and private sector entities, such as the University of Plymouth, Arts University Plymouth, Devon & Cornwall Police, Plymouth City Council, National Marine Aquarium, Theatre Royal and Plymouth Community Homes are interested in being connected to the heat network to meet their Net Zero ambitions, other parties may be join the scheme in future. The Plymouth South Coast and Derriford areas have been identified through the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero's heat network zoning pilot, as being suitable for low-carbon heat networks. Exclusive rights to develop heat networks in these areas will be subject to the outcome of future Zoning Regulations. Plymouth City Council have secured government Green Heat Network Fund grant towards the new heat network costs, including commercialisation and construction costs. The remaining development and delivery funding will be provided by the appointed Development Partner.

### Planning Information

The preliminary market engagement related to this project will take the form of a Bidders Day which will be held on 10th April 2025 in Commonwealth Suite, Crowne Plaza, Armada Way PLYMOUTH PL1 2HJ https://maps.app.goo.gl/uE5csanftaMC1zUi6
Main session:
Suppliers interest in bidding for this opportunity should complete an online registration form following the link: https://forms.office.com/e/ksM9Aqzdt2 . 
Places are limited.
Due to venue capacity, we are forced to restrict the number of representatives to 3 per organisation. Booking of places will be on first come first serve basis.
Networking session:
There will also be an opportunity for local suppliers to attend a networking lunch (from 12.30pm) to find out how they might become involved in the project. Suppliers wishing to join the networking session should register using the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/fmJ66qHeDs. Places are limited.
Any queries regarding the Bidders Day should be emailed to the team on: heatnetwork@plymouth.gov.uk

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039309-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Works |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 8 Aug 2025 |
| Future notice date | 12 May 2025 |
| Award date | 22 Apr 2026 |
| Contract period | 14 Jun 2026 - 31 Dec 2097 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £3,500,000,000 |
| Lots value | £3,500,000,000 |
| Awards value | £3,500,000,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL |
| Additional buyers | AMBERSIDE ADVISORS LTD; BURGES SALMON LLP; BURO HAPPOLD LIMITED |
| Locality | PLYMOUTH |
| Post town | Plymouth |
| Postcode | PL1 3BJ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of |
| Local authority | Bristol, City of |
| Electoral ward | Lawrence Hill |
| Westminster constituency | Bristol East |
| Delivery location | TLK41 Plymouth |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | VITAL ENERGI UTILITIES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 45 - Construction work
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 45232140 - District-heating mains construction work
- 71314000 - Energy and related services

## Release History

- 29 Apr 2026 at 14:12 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039309-2026
- 15 Jul 2025 at 14:55 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040135-2025
- 11 Mar 2025 at 15:46 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008794-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039309-2026
  29th April 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040135-2025
  15th July 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008794-2025
  11th March 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://procontract.due-north.com/RFx/RFxSummary?rfxId=55368348-c55c-f011-813a-005056b64545&projectId=13001e03-a35c-f011-813a-005056b64545

## Notice URLs

- http://amberside.uk
- http://www.plymouth.gov.uk
- http://www.vitalenergi.co.uk
- https://forms.office.com/e/fmJ66qHeDs
- https://forms.office.com/e/ksM9Aqzdt2
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/uE5csanftaMC1zUi6
- https://www.burges-salmon.com/
- https://www.burohappold.com
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04ebb1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04ebb1.json.