Management, Operation and Maintenance of Mine Water Treatment Schemes and Monitoring Sites, Mine Gas Fan Stations and Land Drainage Pump Stations.

The Coal Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for the licensing of Coal Mining, historical coal mining liabilities and the provision of coal mining information for the UK.

The Coal Authority employs 140 staff, based mainly at the head offices in Mansfield with some field staff remotely based in order to respond quickly to incidents in the coal mining areas.

The Authority has a requirement for a 10 year contract to manage, operate and maintain its mine water, mine gas and other environmental assets/facilities. Mine Water treatment schemes treat from 5 l/s up to 450 l/s some of which are chemically dosed, pumping stations, mine gas venting infrastructure and monitoring sites.

The Authority may require the Contractor to take the responsibility for holding consents to discharge. The inclusion of this requirement in the contract will depend on the whole life cost and value that this approach will deliver for the Authority.

The management of these environmental assets will be split into 2 contracts:

Pumped mine water treatment sites - currently 62 schemes and circa 700-800 monitoring sites;

Passive mine water treatment sites - currently 20 schemes.

The majority of the portfolio of sites stretch from South Wales, through the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire to the North East Cumbria and Scotland, but sites are also located outside of these regions.

Additional sites may be added to the portfolio as new schemes are planned, built and commissioned depending on funding.

There may be scope for additional subsidence pumping stations to be added to the portfolio of sites during the term of this Contract.

The scope may include both coal and non coal mine water and may also cover other responsibilities performed by the Authority.

The Contractor(s) for both contracts will collaborate in a partnership approach with the Coal Authority's Design and Construct provider and the Coal Authority on new scheme construction and refurbishment projects.

This partnership working will involve an integrated approach with the Design and Construct provider to align design and construction with operational asset management to deliver an efficient and seamless service to the Coal Authority which will also include decommissioning of existing sites prior to removal from the portfolio.

The Authority requires continuous improvement to asset management and operational efficiency, sustainable solutions, innovation and R&D investment to deliver year on year savings. The contract start date will be 1.1.2015 however there will be a handover period and full contractual responsibility will commence on 1.4.2015.

The services will also include the provision of the following:

• Supply and installation of replacement and new pumps;
• Ground water recovery tests;
• Power management;
• Pump overhauls and testing;
• Mechanical and electrical maintenance;
• Supply of chemicals;
• Sludge and waste management;
• Reed bed management;
• Landscape management;
• Supply of data loggers;
• Supply of gas analysers;
• Measuring, sampling and testing of water, gas and sludge;
• Research and development;
• Asset management;
• Telemetry;
• Electronic management reporting;
• Design of mechanical and electrical requirements;
• Maintenance of structures and site roads, tracks and paths.

The services will incorporate the following:

• Sludge and waste management;
• Reed bed management;
• Landscape management;
• Supply of data loggers;
• Supply of gas analysers;
• Measuring, sampling and testing of water, gas and sludge;
• Research and development;
• Asset management;
• Electronic management reporting;
• Maintenance of structures and site roads, tracks and paths.