--- title: "Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Maintenance Services RFI" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "University of Ulster" published: "2026-09-24" --- # Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Maintenance Services RFI Buyer: University of Ulster Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6.json) ## Summary Ulster University intends to procure comprehensive maintenance, servicing and repair of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems and associated equipment across all its campuses. The service is to cover planned maintenance and repairs arising from servicing, breakdowns and call-outs, with the supplier maintaining the university’s F-gas register. Inspection, testing and repairs must follow British Standards and manufacturers’ maintenance recommendations. The work is building-services maintenance, including refrigeration and cooling equipment. Suppliers would need to provide an all-inclusive service across the university’s campus estate, covering the systems and equipment in scope rather than a single installation. This is at the planning stage: the university is conducting preliminary market engagement and seeking information to help develop the specification, not inviting tenders. It expects to publish a future tender notice on 9 November 2026; potential suppliers are expected to express interest in that future competition. The market consultation is scheduled to conclude on 8 October 2026. The planned service is estimated at £485,000 excluding VAT (£582,000 including VAT). The intended contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2031, with provision for extension to 31 March 2035. The procurement route, contract duration and contract type will be decided after market consultation. The plan is for a single lot, marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. This may suit refrigeration and air-conditioning maintenance contractors able to service and repair a broad range of equipment across multiple university campuses, including responding to breakdowns and call-outs as well as completing planned work. Suppliers should be capable of delivering an all-inclusive service, maintaining equipment functionality, and managing the university’s F-gas register. Relevant technical competence includes inspecting, testing and repairing refrigeration and air-conditioning systems in line with British Standards and manufacturers’ maintenance recommendations. The university is seeking market input to shape its specification, so businesses with experience of comprehensive, multi-site maintenance services may be well placed to contribute. The planned contract is identified as suitable for SMEs, and suppliers can use the consultation to inform their preparation for a later competition. No particular accreditation or prior experience requirement is stated. ## Notice The University is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and competent Supplier to deliver a fully comprehensive, all-inclusive service for the maintenance, servicing and repair of all the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning systems and associated equipment. The Supplier shall carry out all repairs necessary as a result of both the planned maintenance servicing, break downs / call-outs of all equipment forming part of the refrigeration and air conditioning systems to maintain a fully functional system at all times on an all-inclusive basis on all campuses (i.e. at no extra cost to the University), except for vandalism, accidental damage or misuse. The Supplier will also maintain the University's F Gas register. During the term of the Contract the Supplier will provide the University with the inspection, testing and repair of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning systems in accordance with British standards and Manufacturers Maintenance recommendations. ### Planning Information The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) notice and Request for Information (RFI) is to invite potential service providers to express an interest and provide information to assist with the procurement development of a specification for the University's Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Maintenance Services. The procurement route, duration and type of contract(s) shall be determined following this preliminary market consultation and engagement with market participants. It is important to note that this PME and RFI is not a call for competition, a pre-qualification questionnaire, part of any pre-qualification/selection process or a current tender opportunity. Potential providers will need to express an interest in any future tender opportunity once a Tender Notice is published. This RFI is intended as an awareness, communication, and information gathering exercise. An expression of interest is no indication of a commitment to participate in the RFI process, nor does it infer any preferential or special status on those individuals and organisations who express an interest in the RFI exercise. It is anticipated that any future tender competition will have a different CfT reference to this RFI exercise on the eTendersNI platform The RFI Questionnaire can be accessed by registering with eTendersNI (www.etendersni.gov.uk) and searching for the relevant CfT_6730173. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090757-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 24 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 9 Nov 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2031 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £485,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | University of Ulster | | Locality | COLERAINE | | Postcode area | Northern Ireland | | Postcode | BT52 1SA | | Country | Northern Ireland | | ITL 1 | TLN Northern Ireland | | ITL 2 | TLN0 Northern Ireland | | ITL 3 | TLN0C Causeway Coast and Glens | | Local authority | Causeway Coast and Glens | | Electoral ward | University | | Westminster constituency | East Londonderry | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 42 - Industrial machinery - 45 - Construction work - 50 - Repair and maintenance services ### Codes - 42113130 - Condenser air-cooling systems - 42123300 - Compressors for refrigerating equipment - 42500000 - Cooling and ventilation equipment - 42530000 - Parts of refrigerating and freezing equipment and heat pumps - 42943100 - Refrigeration coils - 45259300 - Heating-plant repair and maintenance work - 50000000 - Repair and maintenance services - 50700000 - Repair and maintenance services of building installations ## Release History - 24 Sep 2026 at 17:21 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090757-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090757-2026 24th September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement 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-0779f6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0779f6.json.