Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2017-03-23
Buyer: Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca Dipartimento per la Formazione Superiore e per la Ricerca Direzione generale per il coordinamento, la promozione e la valorizzazione della ricerca — Ufficio IV
Country: IT
Region: Lecce
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 73100000
Estimated value:  EUR

Technical requirements: ‘Reducing the production of biological sludge and maximising energy savings in sewage treatment plants.’ This Prior Information Notice announces an open market consultation and provides information at an early stage on the expected starting date and purchase volume for a pre-commercial procurement (PCP).
Testing of a limited set of products/services is expected to take place in Cosenza, Catanzaro e Lecce.
The aim of this procurement is to trigger new solutions to be developed and tested to address the following common challenge faced by the beneficiary administrations (Municipalities of Lattarico, Corigliano Calabro, Guagnano, Rose, Rovito, San Benedetto Ullano, San Martino di Finita, Spezzano della Sila, Zagarise, Cosenza, Dipignano, Montalto Uffugo): ‘To reduce the production of biological sludge and to maximise energy savings in sewage treatment plants’.
1. High reduction of the sludge production and the impact on the environment, contributing to the conservation of ecosystems in High Nature Value areas (Natura 2000 areas, Sites of Community Importance (SCI), Special Protection Areas (SPAs)).
2. Simultaneous reduction of energy consumption by maximising plant efficiency at economic and management level.
The proposed solution shall aim at the up-grading and subsequent management of urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants, through the study and optimisation of innovative biotechnologies, which must be easy to integrate with one another and in the existing treatment plants. The solution shall also be applied to the type of purifiers located in the area managed by the beneficiary administrations of this initiative, whose technical requirements will be specified in the contract notice.
The solution will ensure a systematic approach, guaranteeing the improvement of the quality status of the ecosystems protected under EU and national directives (Habitats Directive; Birds Directive; Legislative Decree No 152 of 2006 — ‘the Code on the Environment’; Italian Framework law No 394 of 1991 on ‘Protected Areas’), both through the reduction of impacts generated by the production of excess sludge masses and a significant reduction of energy consumption. Therefore, the eventual subsequent adoption of the solution should also contribute to the achieving of the ‘20-20-20 Renewable Energy Directive’ objectives, adopted also in the Covenant of Mayors, and furthermore outlined in the SEAP.
The implemented solution needs to be more powerful than those currently available on the market in order to ensure the integrated prevention of emissions into air, water and soil, according to the Emissions Limit Values (ELVs) and the quality objectives for SCI (Sites of Community Importance) that might be identified as SPAs and/or included in the Natura 2000 areas.
The largest expenditure item faced by the beneficiary municipalities for the use of purifiers is the energy consumption; thus, the developed solution requires a significant reduction in terms of energy consumption, compared to existing solutions. The adoption of the developed solution could also contribute to the achievement of the SEAP objectives.
The results of R&D are not reserved for the exclusive use of the Contracting Authority (Ministry of Education, University and Research and the above listed administrations); the rights on R&D results will be the subject of prior negotiation between the contracting authority, the beneficiary administrations, the suppliers and other public authorities.
According to Article 158, paragraph 2, of the Code of Public Contracts (Legislative Decree No 50 of 18.4.2016), pre-commercial tenders are excluded from the scope of application of the Code, with the exception of the general principles included therein.
The procurement will take the form of a pre-commercial procurement (PCP) under which R&D service contracts will be awarded to a number of R&D providers in parallel in a phased approach. This will make it possible to compare competing alternative solutions.
After each phase, intermediate evaluations will be carried out to progressively select the best of the competing solutions. The contractors with the best-value-for-money solutions will be offered a specific contract for the next phase.
#Phase 3, ‘Original development and validation and testing of a limited set of first products or services’.
The R&D activity is conducted up to the production of a limited quantity of products / services, with the exclusion of large-scale production.