The redevelopment of Edmonton EcoPark by North London Waste Authority (NLWA), and its procurement of work at the site, has gained recognition after being awarded ‘Public Sector Procurement Project of the Year’ at the ‘Tomorrow’s Procurement’ awards, hosted by Built Environment Networking.
The major works at the Ecopark include the construction of extensive and advanced recycling facilities and EcoPark House, an off-grid, architect-designed building for the community, and the replacement of the early 1970s energy-from-waste plant with a high-tech, Energy Recovery Facility. All facilities at Edmonton EcoPark are publicly owned and are for the benefit of two million north London residents.
NLWA launched the procurement for the recycling facilities and EcoPark House in 2019. As a result, tender responses were submitted before either COVID-19 cost or time impact could be included. To mitigate, NLWA moved procurement to a digitally collaborative approach and devised a first-of-a-kind approach to sharing the pandemic associated risks. This ensured that an equitable approach to risk sharing was agreed.
Tenderers were evaluated against Quality and Commercial criteria with particular focus on Sustainability, Social Value and Collaborative Behaviours.
Since the contract was awarded to Taylor Woodrow in 2020, they have created 14 apprenticeships and 93 training placements with the contract incentivising the employment of local residents and the sub-contracting of services by local businesses, contributing towards the project's £24.5 million local spend.
NLWA chair, Cllr Clyde Loakes, said: “The transformation of the publicly owned, Edmonton EcoPark into a sustainable waste and recycling hub is being undertaken at an exemplary, world-class standard. This recognition as ‘Public Sector Procurement Project of the Year’ acknowledges the huge amount of work that was done my NLWA colleagues to ensure that, in particular, local people and businesses would greatly benefit.”
In 2020, the procurement for the Energy Recovery Facility began. NLWA again used digital collaboration to maintain the project’s momentum, ensuring that critical and emerging risks were managed successfully. Tenderers were evaluated against Quality, Technical and Commercial Criteria and had to demonstrate their commitment to delivering several social value themes.
Tenderers approaches to construction environmental management and the Sustainable Procurement Plan were also evaluated. They were required to source materials from suppliers verified by third party certification schemes. During a dialogue period, the panel discussed 1,200 topics, with dialogue participants based across four European countries. Since the contract was awarded to Acciona in December 2021, they have committed to providing 90 full time equivalent apprenticeships and 180 training placements.
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