Four to battle for one of NIs largest waste contracts

This is one of the largest and most complex procurement projects ever undertaken in the region

 
Evelyne Robinson

The £500 million, 25-year deal is set to see the development of waste treatment capacity to handle the waste of the seven local authorities which comprise the North West Region Waste Management Group (NWRWMG) – Ballymoney, Coleraine, Derry, Limavady, Magherafelt, Moyle and Strabane.
The group of shortlisted bidders are:

• Birmingham-based waste management firm Biffa
• A consortium of Londonderry-based civil engineering firm Brickkiln Waste and services firm United Utilities
• Irish-owned Greenstar Holding (Greenstar UK)
• A joint bid between investment firm One51 and the waste arm of civil engineering company VT Group, VT Environmental Engineering

The four bidders, who had originally competed alongside Irish-based multinational company Quinn Group and waste management firm Shanks Group, are now expected to put forward detailed proposals on developing a combination of mechanical biological treatment and advanced thermal treatment. Although the NWRWMG has previously ruled out the use of incineration-based treatment methods (see letsrecycle.com story).

Commenting on the shortlist, councillor Evelyne Robinson, chair of the NWRWMG, said she was “encouraged” by the levels of interest shown in the contract, which Cllr Robinson identified as “one of the largest and most complex procurement projects ever undertaken in the region”.

She added: “Apart from the environmental benefits, the project will also generate construction jobs, produce energy which could be used by industry and homes, and enable the region to avoid potentially severe EU fines for failing to dramatically reduce our reliance on landfill sites.”

The NWRWMG aims to cater for a combined total of 200,000 tonnes of waste generated each year in the region and improve its existing recycling rate of 34% to 50% by 2020.

The consortium intends to name a preferred bidder for the deal towards the end of 2010.

Announcement of the NWRWMG shortlist comes one month after SWaMP2008 – which handles waste for the southwest of North Ireland – cut the list of bidders for its own long-term waste management contract, which is set to be worth around £150 million (see letsrecycle.com story).