Public procurement notice: Contract Notice
Published: 2024-12-11
Buyer: Gas Networks Ireland
Country: IE
Region: IE061
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Negotiated with prior call for competition
CPV classification: 44161100 | 44212318 | 71320000 | 71353000 | 71356300
Estimated value: 53000000 EUR
Submission deadline: 2025-01-14
Award criteria: price, quality

Technical requirements: Management of the gas pipeline network is a sophisticated 24-hour operation. GNI wish to put in place a framework agreement with suitably experienced and competent service providers, to provide pipeline inspection services to support GNI pipeline safety management. It is expected that the successful tenderers will be required to undertake some or all of the below listed services for the networks division of GNI, covering transmission pipelines and installations, and on occasion selected distribution pipelines in the Republic of Ireland. Provision of pipeline inspectors and equipment to supervise excavation works close to GNI Transmission and Distribution pipelines and within GNI installations, provision of inspectors to carry out surveillance activities over pipeline routes as required, performing PSR (Pressure System Regulation) inspections on transmission AGI’s, provision of administration resources to manage the GNI transmission permit system, carrying out leak survey of transmission network locations, provision of qualified a non-destructive testing service and inspectors to carry out non-destructive testing, ultrasonic and MPI on pipelines and PRI’s as required for operational and reactive issues, provision of experienced management agents to manage all aspects of the GNI inspection works, carrying out surveys on transmission watercourse crossings, provision of pipeline inspectors to participate in out of hours standby rota for excavation supervision or surveillance where necessary, provision of qualified welding inspectors and equipment to supervise welding works on pipelines and within PRI’s as required for operational and reactive issues, provision of inspectors to carry out rural line walks of transmission cross country pipeline routes. Gas Networks Ireland Gas Networks Ireland is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ervia, established pursuant to section 5 of the Gas Regulation Act 2013. It carries out activities with respect, inter alia, to the construction, operation and maintenance of and the provision of services with respect to Gas Networks Ireland’s transmission and distribution networks used to transport natural gas to and in Ireland and includes all businesses carried out or to be carried out by the networks business from time to time and any subsidiaries of Gas Networks Ireland from time to time (other than GNI (UK)). Gas Networks Ireland is certified to both the Environmental Management system, ISO14001 and the Energy Management System, ISO50001. Tenderers should note that the evaluation of Tenders may include elements that relate to environmental and energy performance of services, materials, methodology and equipment proposed by the Tenderers. For more information, please see Gas Networks Ireland’s website, which can be found at www.gasnetworks.ie GNI (UK) Limited GNI (UK) Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gas Networks Ireland, registered in England and Wales. The principal activity of the company is the transportation of natural gas (1) together with GNI, through two pipelines from Moffat in Scotland to Ballough in Ireland; and (2) from Belfast to Derry (through the North-West Pipeline) in Northern Ireland, and from Gormanston, Ireland to Belfast (through the South-North Pipeline). GNI (UK) Limited is certified to both the Environmental Management system, ISO14001 and the Energy Management System, ISO50001. Tenderers should note that the evaluation of Tenders may include elements that relate to environmental and energy performance of services, materials, methodology and equipment proposed by the Tenderers.
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
The purpose of this agreement is to ensure that GNI have in place the necessary resources to carry out inspection programmes on GNI’s pipelines and installations.
The new European Regulation “Methane Emission Reduction 
Regulation 2019/942”, requiring GNI to take all appropriate mitigation measures to prevent and minimize methane emissions to its operations
The expertise required is to cover areas not provided for in existing framework agreements such as:
• Pressure testing of pipelines and AGI’s, development of welding, coating and painting specifications, 
• Interpretation of welding x-rays, application of internal and external pipelines coatings, 
• Tensile strength of steel linepipes and testing methodology.