Cheshire and Warrington Outline Energy Plan Consultancy Opportunity

Contracts Finder - Open Opportunities

Published February 16th, 2026

Detected March 6th, 2026

Summary

UK Government has published an open procurement notice for consultancy services to develop a Cheshire and Warrington Outline Energy Plan. The contract is valued at £75,000 and closes for applications on March 11, 2026.

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What changed

ECW, on behalf of Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, and Warrington Borough Councils, is seeking consultancy support to create an Outline Energy Plan for the Cheshire and Warrington region. This plan will provide an evidence base for local growth, investment, and spatial development, supporting engagement with the NESO Regional Energy Strategic Planning process. The objective is to understand baseline energy demand, conduct scenario planning, secure strategic grid reinforcement, and drive investment in energy infrastructure to support local growth ambitions and decarbonisation goals.

Interested suppliers must submit tenders by March 11, 2026, 5pm. The contract is valued at £75,000 and is scheduled to start on March 23, 2026, ending on September 25, 2026. This is an open procedure (below threshold) suitable for SMEs and VCSEs. The procurement reference is C&W_OEP26. Bidders will be assessed on their technical approach, stakeholder engagement, quality assurance, project management, and value for money.

What to do next

Review tender requirements for the Cheshire and Warrington Outline Energy Plan consultancy opportunity.
Submit tender applications by the closing date of March 11, 2026, 5pm.
Assess suitability for SMEs and VCSEs if applicable.

Source document (simplified)

Published date: 16 February 2026

Last edited date: 6 March 2026

Open opportunity - This means that the contract is currently active, and the buying department is looking for potential suppliers to fulfil the contract.

Watch this notice Print this notice Closing: 11 March 2026, 5pm

Contract summary

Industry

Research services - 73110000
Research consultancy services - 73210000

Location of contract

CW7 1AH

Value of contract

£75,000

Procurement reference

C&W_OEP26

Published date

16 February 2026

Closing date

11 March 2026

Closing time

5pm

Contract start date

23 March 2026

Contract end date

25 September 2026

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (below threshold)

What is an open procedure (below threshold)? Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

ECW, on behalf of and in coordination with Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, and Warrington Borough Councils, is seeking to appoint consultancy support to produce a Cheshire and Warrington Outline Energy Plan; providing the evidence base to support local growth ambitions and investment pipeline development, support future spatial development work in Cheshire and Warrington, and support engagement in the NESO Regional Energy Strategic Planning (RESP) process. This commission will provide a strong local evidence base for current and future demand, and build the case for investment in energy infrastructure to support both local growth ambitions and commitments in our Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Strategy to support the local energy transition and government ambitions for Clean Power by 2030.

Clean Energy is one vital component of Cheshire and Warrington growth ambitions, with unique existing (e.g. VisNet, Gas Storage Facilities) and upcoming (e.g. HyNet, HALEU) infrastructure providing substantial opportunities for us to pioneer approaches to clean power and industrial decarbonisation. This infrastructure will support wider growth opportunities, ensuring that Cheshire and Warrington is an attractive location for housing growth, business development, and reindustrialisation. To better grasp this opportunity, it is vital we:
1. Better understand our baseline energy demand.
2. Have access to light-touch scenario planning to anticipate the likely changes to generation and demand over the next 5-10 years.
3. Can clearly and consistently produce early evidence for RESP, DSO, and NGET to secure strategic reinforcement to grid.
4. Understand the integration of different energy transition vectors across the C&W landscape.
5. Can drive investment to strategically vital energy projects in Cheshire and Warrington that support wider economic development.
This commission will provide the foundation for attracting inward investment in Cheshire and Warrington. In the first instance it will ensure a clear understanding of the current and future energy infrastructure requirements, supporting the business case for major developments currently stalled by grid constraints (e.g. Mersey Ring), and position the region competitively for national funding streams in 2027-28 which will be available via DSO ED3, potential T3 re-openers, and the NESO RESP process.

This ITT sets out the information which is required in order to assess the suitability of bidders in terms of their technical approach and solutions, stakeholder engagement and relationships management, quality assurange and project management approach, and value for money to meet the requirements of ECW for the development of a Cheshire and Warrington Outline Energy Plan.