Award of RESAS/012/21 - Incineration Review – Options Appraisal

Introduction1. On behalf of the independent chair of the review of the role of incineration in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, the Scottish Government is seeking a contractor to undertake an options appraisal of residual waste treatments. The overall aim of the contract is to provide a report on the impact of residual waste treatment options to the independent chair of the review. The options appraisal will consider existing evidence and literature on residual waste treatment options, while also accounting for a call to evidence for the review.2. This specification sets out what is required, provides background information on the independent Review of Incineration, and invites contractors to respond3. We welcome bids from individuals, organisations or collaborations / consortia with the appropriate skills and experience. If there is a collaborative bid there must be one lead organisation.Background & Context4. In May 2021 the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport set out a commitment to review the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy in Scotland. On 3 August, the shared policy programme agreed between the Scottish Government (SG) and the Scottish Green Party was published, noting that this review would include an assessment of the need for new incineration capacity.5. In a statement to Parliament in September 2021, the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity set out the intention for the review to:-be led by an independent chair;-prioritise consideration of national capacity requirements for incineration and-have scope to consider how emissions from existing incinerators can be reduced and residual heat may be reused; and consider the societal impacts of residual waste treatment, including health and community impacts.6. In addition, the Minister set out an ambitious timeline for the review, notably to undertake the review between December 2021 and March 2022, and publish the review as soon as possible once the review has been completed.7. On 17 Nov the Minister announced the appointment of Dr Colin Church as independent chair of the review. Dr Church has indicated that he intends that the review will include opportunities for all stakeholders to provide their views and evidence. To achieve this, a call for evidence will be launched before the end of December 2021 and will close in February 2022.