---
title: "Air Conditioning Service & Maintenance"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Cardiff University"
published: "2026-10-05"
---

# Air Conditioning Service & Maintenance

Buyer: Cardiff University  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1.json)

## Summary

Cardiff University intends to procure planned, reactive and remedial air-conditioning and cooling maintenance across its estate in Cardiff. The work covers about 2,500 assets, including systems serving teaching, research and operational facilities. Some support Home Office-regulated facilities, clean rooms, specialist laboratories and MRI scanners. The services are intended to maintain statutory compliance, protect research continuity and high-value equipment, extend asset life, and reduce environmental harm from refrigerant leaks. The estimated scope also includes emergency replacement of air-conditioning systems when required. This is building mechanical installation repair and maintenance work (CPV 50712000), rather than a supply-only contract. The University is consulting the market to understand suppliers’ capacity, obtain views on the service requirements and contract structure, and test how the eventual procurement can support competition, innovation and value for money.

The process is at planning: Cardiff University is conducting voluntary pre-market engagement to shape a future procurement, not inviting tenders at this stage. It expects to use a two-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023, with an initial participation stage selecting the three highest-ranked bidders for a full tender and technical and commercial evaluation. The University expected supplier questionnaire responses by 12 October 2026, with a subsequent notice anticipated on 16 October 2026. The proposed contract is one lot, with an initial three-year term from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030 and options to extend by up to four years, to 31 March 2034. Its estimated maximum value is £8,837,500 excluding VAT (£10,605,000 including VAT); actual spend may be lower, with no minimum spend guaranteed.

The work is intended to suit suppliers able to maintain a large, varied university estate, including firms with experience of specialist and critical cooling infrastructure and large chiller installations. Suppliers should consider whether they can provide planned, reactive and remedial servicing at this scale, respond to emergency replacement needs, and support systems whose failure could disrupt research, teaching or essential operations. The University is seeking market feedback on service specifications, contract structure, performance measures such as KPIs and service-level agreements, and opportunities to improve sustainability and value for money. These responses are intended to help shape the future requirement; taking part in engagement is voluntary and will confer neither an advantage nor a disadvantage in the later tender. The proposed procurement is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. No specific accreditations or technical qualifications are set out at this planning stage.

## Notice

Cardiff University is undertaking early market engagement to inform the development of its upcoming procurement for the upcoming procurement for securing a supplier to deliver planned, reactive and remedial air-conditioning (AC) maintenance services across Cardiff University's estate. The proposed contract will cover approximately 2,500 AC and cooling assets. Many of these assets support critical teaching, research and operational activities, including Home Office regulated facilities, clean rooms, specialist laboratories and MRI scanners. Effective maintenance will help ensure statutory compliance, support research continuity, protect high-value equipment and infrastructure, maximise asset life, and minimise the environmental impact associated with refrigerant F-gas leaks. The purpose of this engagement is to: * Understand the market's capacity and capability to deliver air-conditioning and cooling maintenance services across a large and complex estate. * Obtain feedback on the proposed contract structure, specification and service delivery requirements. * Assess supplier expertise in maintaining specialist and critical cooling infrastructure, including large chiller installations. * Seek feedback on performance management arrangements, including KPIs and Service Level Agreements. * Identify opportunities for innovation, sustainability improvements and value for money. * Ensure the procurement approach reflects current market conditions and encourages effective competition. This stage does not formally commence a procurement process. Participation in this Pre market engagement is voluntary and will not provide any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent tender process. Please note: The estimated maximum value of the contract is PS8,837,500 excluding VAT (PS10,605,000 including VAT) over the full potential contract term of seven (7) years, comprising an initial term of three (3) years with options to extend for up to a further four (4) years at the University's discretion. The estimated value includes planned and reactive maintenance services together with a provision for the emergency replacement of air conditioning systems where required. Actual expenditure may be lower and no minimum level of spend is guaranteed

### Planning Information

The University anticipates using a two stage Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. This will include:
Stage 1: Conditions of Participation (selection stage) to down select to the top three ranked bidders.
Stage 2: Full tender stage with detailed technical and commercial evaluation
Pre Market Engagement (PME) feedback will help shape the specification, KPIs, commercial model and procurement structure.
PME Activity 
Supplier Questionnaire - response by 17:00 on 12/10/2026
How to participate
Suppliers interested in participating in PME should register their interest via: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/cardiffuniversity/aspx/Home
Once registered, please download and complete the questionnaire and return via uploading your response and submit via the correspondence function of the portal

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093850-2026 |
| 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 | 5 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £8,837,500 |
| 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 | Cardiff University |
| Locality | CARDIFF |
| Postcode area | Cardiff |
| Postcode | CF24 4HQ |
| Country | Wales |
| ITL 1 | TLL Wales |
| ITL 2 | TLL5 South East Wales |
| ITL 3 | TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan |
| Local authority | Cardiff |
| Electoral ward | Cathays |
| Westminster constituency | Cardiff South and Penarth |
| Delivery location | TLL22 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50712000 - Repair and maintenance services of mechanical building installations

## Release History

- 5 Oct 2026 at 13:49 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093850-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093850-2026
  5th October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/business/why-work-with-us/for-suppliers
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/cardiffuniversity/aspx/Home
- 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-0780d1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0780d1.json.