Six bidders in running for SWaMP partnership contract

The contract, which is thought to involve a capital investment of between £120 million and £150 million, aims to provide residual waste treatment infrastructure in the south of the country, where the eight members of SWaMP, the Southern Waste Management Partnership, produce 250,000 tonnes of municipal waste a year.

The partnership stressed in its advertisement for bidders for the 25 to 40-year-long deal, which was issued in July 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story), that bids could not involve moving grate or fluidised bed incineration technology.

The long-list of bidders are:

• A consortium led by Irish waste management company Greenstar and including Blackpool-based BioGen Power, German MBT specialists Strabag Umweltenlagen and mechanical heat treatment company Orchid Environmental;
• A Biffa-led consortium, which also involves Irish waste management company Natural World Products and Spanish-owned AD and composting specialists Ros Roca Environmental;
• Northern Ireland Sustainable Solutions – a consortium between consultancy Cyril Sweett Investments, Spanish waste treatment company Urbaser and construction contractors John Sisk & Son;
• Irish waste management firm Brickkiln Waste, working with United Utilities;
• Irish investment company One51, who own hazardous waste specialists Augean, in partnership with VT Environmental Engineering;
• Quinn Group, the Irish owners of Quinn Glass, working with Italian environmental engineers and MBT technology providers Entsorga.

 

Following the announcement, SWaMP's joint committee chairman, councillor Charles Rollston, said: “SWaMP2008 is very pleased to have received six very high quality bids from consortia which combine the best in local knowledge with the experience of leading innovators in Europe.

“The complex process of assessing these bids has now begun and will examine criteria including previous experience in waste management, sustainable technology, environmental benefits and price.

“We will be looking to get the best possible option for the people of this region, as well as driving for the best value for money on behalf of all ratepayers in the eight council areas of SWaMP2008,” he added.

The partnership has said that it aims to narrow down the list of bidders by the end of this month, before inviting detailed bids from the remaining contenders over the next 12 months.

It aims to appoint a final contractor in December 2010 and begin construction on any facilities in early 2011.

SWaMP has stressed that, while potential sites for the new infrastructure have been identified, they will not be finalised until consultations with planners and the bidders have been completed.

The SWaMP grouping is made up of: Armagh city and district council; Banbridge district council; Cookstown district council; Craigavon borough council; Dungannon and South Tyrone borough council; Fermanagh district council; Newry and Mourne district council; and, Omagh district council.