Client
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
Project Description
The mission of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is to play a leading role in transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices. SEAI’s Energy Demand Management (EDM) Department programmes offer a range of support services to public bodies including partnerships with SEAI, best-practice energy efficiency services, funding, finance, monitoring and reporting. It is envisaged that Energy Performance Contracts (EPC), Local Energy Supply Contracting (LESC) and Integrated Energy Contracts (IEC) will provide many public bodies with a mechanism to finance energy demand management efforts in the future. SEAI has decided to contract a suitably qualified legal-service provider to develop (in collaboration with leading international EPC, LESC and IEC experts) model documentation for procurement, contracting and associated guidelines based on worldwide best practices and adapted to the needs of Irish public-sector organisations wishing to enter the energy efficiency market. SEAI envisages nurturing the Energy Service Company (ESCO) market by implementing some public-sector pilot projects.
The law firm Philip Lee Solicitors has been chosen by SEAI as the legal-service provider to work in partnership with Econoler, Maicon, KPMG and Target Energy on the creation of various model contracts to be used for the Irish ESCO market.
Highlights
Econoler provided Philip Lee SolicitorsSEAI with support in developing contracts, especially those related to EPC.
Econoler’s mandate included the following tasks:
- Assessed the approaches to public-sector contracts currently being followed in Canada, and the USA and in other countries (mainly from Europe) by reviewing relevant documents about the current ESCO environment and previous projects.
- Assisted in preparing a position paper on EPC options and issues concerning asset ownership and accounting treatment, operation and maintenance, procurement strategy, extension of existing facilities management contracts, measurement and verification, financing, and risks from fluctuating energy prices.
- Provided technical support during consultations with public- and private-sector stakeholders.
- Participated in the preparation and delivery of draft and final procurement and contract documentation.
- Contributed to the formulation of procurement and contracts guidelines.
The process lead to the development of a sustainable Energy Performance Contracting framework for the institutional sector in Ireland.