Research and Innovation Advisory Services to undertake a collaborative research, development and innovation project with HVDC Technologies Ltd entitled "The Impact of Renewable Energy Schemes on Electrical Power Networks" - AWARD

Tenders are invited from interested parties for the provision of Research and Innovation Advisory Services to HVDC Technologies Ltd to be delivered as part of the Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) project led by Keele University.

The purpose of the procurement is to appoint a Service Provider to deliver research and innovation advisory services as detailed in the Tender Specification in Section 2 of the ITT to support HVDC Technologies Ltd. The tender is hence based upon a specific project research brief devised and written in conjunction with an individual SME beneficiary company.

Given the need for one Service Provider to co-ordinate the delivery of all of the services required, the contract has not been divided into lots.

In order for the University to meet the "Output Indicator Definitions Guidance for the European Regional Development Fund" it is a mandatory requirement of this invitation to tender that the Service Provider is a "Research Entity". A research entity is an organisation whose primary activity is R&D. This includes the following:

• England Public Sector Research Establishments (PSRE) or equivalent.
• Research and Development Organisations (RDO's) or equivalent.
• Research and Technology Organisations (RTO's) or equivalent.
• Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) or equivalent.
• Further Education Institutions (FEIs) or equivalent.

Tenderers must indicate on page 35 of the ITT which of the above organisation groups they belong to and provide documentary evidence in their tender submission to verify this.

Any tenderer who is not a Research Entity or fails to provide documentary evidence to verify that they are a Research Entity, will be deemed non-compliant with the tender requirements and their tender will not be considered further.

The SEND project (project reference code 32R16P00706) is part-funded from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds England Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The Research and Innovation Advisory Services required are also part funded by ERDF.

The Service Provider will be paid a fixed total fee of £61,217. This fee will cover the delivery of all of the services required under the contract including the C1, C4, C26 and C29 output (as detailed in the Tender Specification in Section 2 of the ITT) covering the entire contract period, reflect the cost of providing a full-time graduate researcher, cover the delivery of the required quality of the proposal, and be fully inclusive of all expenses including travel and subsistence and accommodation costs, disbursements and any other costs but be exclusive of VAT. The fee will be fixed for the duration of the contract.