SP Energy Networks

SP Energy Networks own and operate the electricity transmission and distribution network in Central & Southern Scotland, Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and North Shropshire.
View dashboard

Notices

June 20, 2024
SP Energy Networks is calling flexibility service providers to participate in its new month ahead flexibility market
SP Energy Networks is calling flexibility service providers to participate in its new month ahead flexibility market

We have new DSO flexibility opportunities on Piclo now!

  • Tender for flexibility requirements for service windows on a month-by-month basis from June 2024 to March 2025
  • Visibility of flexibility requirements for the next four years until March 2028

If you're a Flexible Service Provider looking to earn extra income, register your solutions via Piclo Flex 👉 https://picloflex.com/

You can find all the tender documentation and supporting information on the Documents tab here on the Piclo site.

Next Steps

  1. Create a Picloflex account and complete the Dynamic Purchasing (DPS) application if you have not done so already.
  2. Upload your asset data to the Piclo Flex platform, providing all the requested information.
  3. Review and sign the Standard Flexibility Services agreement

In order to take part in our competitions you must complete the above, have prequalification confirmed and signed the Standard Flexibility Services Agreement available at www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/flexibility 

Tender Process

The process, steps and timeline of our month-ahead tendering model is as follows:

Bidding opens on the 15th of each month. However, if the 15th of the month falls on a weekend or bank holiday this will be adjusted automatically to the next working day.

Further information about the tender process and instructions on how to submit tender bids is available at SP Energy Networks Flexibility Services Market - Piclo Flex

Contact us

If you have any queries relating to this tender or would like to be sent information on the webinar please e-mail us at flexibility@spenergynetworks.co.uk.

Tender Timelines

We will now tender for flexibility services for the next year on a month-by-month basis. Key dates for each tender round for the next year is highlighted in the table below:

November 24, 2023
SP Energy Networks is calling flexibility service providers to participate in its Autumn 23 Tender
SP Energy Networks is calling flexibility service providers to participate in its Autumn 23 Tender

We have new DSO flexibility opportunities on Piclo Flex now!

  • Flexibility requirements of 297.8MW at 575 locations, covering all voltage levels
  • Service windows between April 24 and October 2025
  • We continue to provide visibility for future requirements and have also uploaded onto the Piclo Flex platform, requirements until March 2028

If you're a Flexible Service Provider looking to earn extra income, register your solutions via Piclo Flex 👉 https://picloflex.com/

You can find all the tender documentation and supporting information on the Documents file here on the Piclo site.

Next Steps

  1. Create a Picloflex account and complete the Dynamic Purchasing (DPS) application if you have not done so already.
  2. Upload your asset data to the Piclo Flex platform, providing all the requested information.

In order to take part in our competitions you must complete the above and have prequalification confirmed by:  8th December 2023.

Bidding opens on 11th December 2023 and ends on 15th December 2023.

Webinar

We held a webinar about this tender on the 15th of November. Check out the recording here if you missed it and have a quick read through of the webinar slides - download a copy here.

Contact us

If you have any queries relating to this tender or would like to be sent information on the webinar please e-mail us at flexibility@spenergynetworks.co.uk.

April 24, 2023
SP Energy Networks is calling flexibility service providers to participate in its Spring 23 Tender:
SP Energy Networks is calling flexibility service providers to participate in its Spring 23 Tender:

We have new DSO flexibility opportunities on Piclo Flex, now!

  • Tender for flexibility requirements for service windows between November 23 to March 2025
  • Visibility of flexibility requirements for the next five years until March 2028

If you're a Flexible Service Provider looking to earn extra income, register your solutions via Piclo Flex 👉 https://picloflex.com/

What next?

Create a Piclo Flex account and complete the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) application.  If you haven't already, you’ll need to upload your solution data onto the Piclo Flex platform

Tender Timelines

We will now tender for flexibility services for the next 18 months, rolling forward by six months for each subsequent tender. For example:

Spring 2023

Service Windows: November 2023 to March 2025

Autumn 2023

Service Windows: April 2024 to November 2025

Spring 2024

Service Windows: November 2024 to March 2026

Autumn 2024

Service Windows: April 2025 to November 2026

What is the payment structure?

Please review document March 23- Pricing Strategy

Can the number of Utilisation Events be provided?

For Utilisation, it is anticipated that the products will be managed as follows:

Can bids only be submitted from assets already connected?

We will consider bids from assets already connected and also from those in development.However, we are using these services to ensure network security, therefore during our bidassessment phase we will consider the validity and certainty of projects and may require development milestones within the Flexibility Services Agreement.

We will also consider bids from providers who wish to contract with assets following Contract Award, however as for assets in development, we may require milestones to be included within the Flexibility Services Agreement.

Note: any asset would need to be available for testing at least one month prior to the first service window.

Is exclusivity required?

No, we do not require exclusivity.

You are required to declare your availability a week ahead during the contracted service window thereby confirming that you can provide the contracted import/export position in response to a schedule and/or instruction from us.

You are permitted to stack other services with other parties, providing they do not prevent you from meeting your contractual obligations with us. If, due to reduced network requirements, we do not accept your week ahead availability declaration you are free to provide other services during the contracted service window the week ahead declaration covered.

Can a split bid be submitted?

All bids must be submitted via the Picloflex platform and the following applies:

  1. Providers can submit individual bids for the different Service Requirements within each area.
  2. MWs/MVARs can be offered in smaller volumes with either a single price or split price offered.
  3. Bids must be for the whole service window of the individual Service Requirements
  4. You can bid different prices for different assets, but you cannot bid the same asset in at multiple different price points.

How will performance be monitored?

Performance will be monitored using meter data from meters at the site.

What is the baseline methodology?

For all successful bidders, a site-specific baseline will be agreed.

The intention of any baseline method is to determine how the site/asset offering the service would have been operating if it didn’t have a Flexibility Services contract in place, i.e. what the site would normally be doing – this is the baseline against which service provision will be measured and paid for. Once the baseline is agreed, we are not concerned with how you operate during the service windows providing that, if instructed by us, you can deliver the contracted service. For example, if the agreed baseline position for your site was 2MW exporting (i.e. that’s how the site/asset would be normally operating), and we had a contract with you to provide 3MW export of flexibility service, then your site would have to operate at an absolute export position of 5MW when it was providing us with the service.

To further clarify:

  • If during a particular service window your site is already operating at 5MW export, and we then instruct the service, you don’t need to do anything as you are already at 5MW export so would be deemed to be providing the service.
  • If during a particular service window your site is operating at 1MW export, and we then instruct the service, you need to increase your export by 4MW so the site is at 5MW export.
  • In all cases, service provision is measured against the baseline position agreed with you in advance and included within the Flexibility Services Agreement.  Service provision is not measured against whatever import/export position you are operating at when a service instruction is issued.
  • For connected sites, the baseline will be set based on historic meter data. For sites in development the baseline will be agreed via discussion between parties. Once agreed, the Baseline Positions will remain fixed for the duration of the contract, unless both the parties agree to change them.

What assessments will be carried out on the bids/bidders?

Please review the Bid Assessment document

Request a one-to-one appointment

We are happy to attend one-to-one appointments with our flexibility services stakeholders to assist with any queries relating to our policies and process for the procurement and use of Flexibility Services.  Please e-mail flexibility@spenergynetworks.co.uk or support@piclo.energy to request a meeting.

Feedback

We welcome feedback from all stakeholders, please e-mail us at flexibility@spenergynetworks.co.uk with any comments or questions on our policies, processes or tenders.

General Queries

For any general comments, please contact our Flexibility Team at flexibility@spenergynetworks.co.uk