Four shortlisted for Edinburgh and Midlothian deal

Spanish waste management firm FCC Medio Ambiente SA, Urbaser, Veolia Environmental Services Aurora Ltd and Viridor Waste Management Services are in the running for the contract after submitting successful pre-qualification questionnaires.

The successful bidder will be contracted to provide waste treatment facilities capable of treating up to 110,000 tonnes of mixed residual waste starting in 2017. The councils are keen for bidders to propose a range of technologies, although the proposals must involve a process to sort and remove recyclables and to recover energy from any non recyclable waste.

Millerhill

The councils have stipulated that any proposed reception and initial treatment facilities must be also located at its Zero Waste Project site near Millerhill, Midlothian, although any thermal treatment facilities can be proposed at other sites.

Planning permission has been approved in principal for waste treatment facilities to be built at the Millerhill site (see letsrecycle.com story) but the successful bidder will need to submit a more detailed proposal to the planning authorities.

Bidders will be required to submit detailed tenders by the end of 2012, with the councils then likely to narrow down the shortlist further. The remaining firms will then submit final tenders and the council will name a preferred bidder.

It is expected that the residual waste contract will then be formally awarded in 2014, with the facilities operational in 2017.

Zero Waste

Edinburgh and Midlothian councils joined forces to procure waste treatment services under the Zero Waste banner in 2009, and have already reached the final stages of the procurement process for a food waste treatment contract, naming a shortlist of two firms (see letsrecycle.com story).

Gordon Pollock, project director for Zero Waste, said: We are delighted to move to the next stage of the procurement process for state of the art residual waste treatment facilities. We can now engage with the bidders in more detail to ensure we get the best possible long-term solutions for Edinburgh and Midlothian.

Christina Reekie, commercial director at the Scottish Futures Trust, which is represented on the Zero Waste Project Board, said: The Zero Waste Project is making excellent progress and we are pleased to support this procurement process which aims to deliver real long term value for money for councils.