---
title: "District Heating"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05f5d6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05f5d6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f5d6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f5d6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "ASTON UNIVERSITY"
published: "2025-12-15"
---

# District Heating

Buyer: ASTON UNIVERSITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05f5d6

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## Summary

Aston University, located in Birmingham, United Kingdom, has awarded a contract for the operation and management of its new Energy Centre, which forms part of the University's decarbonisation efforts. The Energy Centre will supply heat to the campus via the District Heating Network, replacing the existing agreement with Birmingham District Energy Company Limited (BDEC). This contract, valued at £37.5 million, is targeted to support Aston University's objective of achieving net-zero carbon emissions for Scope 1 and 2 by 2028. The procurement process was completed under a direct award method on grounds of intellectual property and technical compatibility, with the contract period set to commence on 1st January 2026 and conclude on 31st December 2051.

This procurement presents significant business opportunities for BDEC due to the long-term nature of the contract and the specialised nature of the energy supply required. Businesses engaged in sectors such as renewable energy, utilities, and green technologies will find this contract particularly relevant as it aligns with the growing emphasis on sustainability and carbon-neutral initiatives. The direct award was necessitated by the exclusivity in service provision and the comprehensive technical requirements, suggesting that businesses with technical expertise in district heating and energy management systems will be well-suited to compete in similar future opportunities.

## Notice

Aston University intends to award a contract for the operation and management of its new Energy Centre, which will supply heat to the campus via the existing District Heating Network. The new Energy Centre is part of the University's decarbonisation strategy and is funded through Salix PSDS. The contract will replace the existing Energy Supply Agreement with Birmingham District Energy Company (BDEC), ensuring continuity of service and technical compatibility across the network. The new agreement will support Aston's goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions for Scope 1 and 2 by 2028, two years ahead of its strategic target.

### Procurement Information

Grounds for direct award under the Procurement Act 2023 are: -Schedule 5: The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract- (a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. This is demonstrated by the current contract with BRING and the technical incompatibility of multiple suppliers operating on the same Heat Network at differing specifications. -Schedule 7: The public contract concerns the supply of goods, services or works by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, or partial replacement of, existing goods, services or works in circumstances where- (a) a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods, services or works that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing goods, services or works, and (b) the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance This is demonstrated by technical incompatibility of operating two independent Energy Centre's operating at incompatible specifications on the same Heat Network.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082946-2025 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 15 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 15 Dec 2025 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2051 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £37,500,000 |
| 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 | ASTON UNIVERSITY |
| Locality | BIRMINGHAM |
| Post town | Birmingham |
| Postcode | B4 7ET |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
| Electoral ward | Nechells |
| Westminster constituency | Birmingham Ladywood |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT ENERGY |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 09323000 - District heating

## Release History

- 15 Dec 2025 at 14:21 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082946-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082946-2025
  15th December 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-05f5d6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f5d6.json.