The Coal Authority has launched a supplier engagement exercise ahead of going out to tender for an upcoming contract for Waste Management Services for reed beds with an estimated value of £18 million.
The Authority is seeking individual engagement sessions with interested parties to better understand market conditions, identifying and reducing potential barriers and for development of its procurement strategy which relates to treatment processes for mine water.
The Authority deals with mine water pollution from both coal and metal mines and other mining legacy issues and operates sites within Scotland, England and Wales in a wide variety of settings across former collieries in and around urban areas across the mining regions of the UK.
It currently operates 161 individual reed beds providing treatment capacity at 59 mine water treatment sites and 130 settlement ponds at 53 sites. The purpose of the mine water treatment sites is to remove iron that has been mobilised from old mine workings into groundwater. The mine water treatment sites operate by enabling oxidation of the iron, which is then precipitated as iron hydroxide (ochre) and settled in settlement ponds.
The effluent from the settlement ponds is then passed through reed beds to polish the water before discharge to local water courses under discharge consents. The reed beds are planted with a variety of wetland plants that act primarily as filters to remove any remaining ochre from the water before it is discharged.
Over time there is a build-up of ochre within the settlement ponds and biomass from reed growth together with the ochre and any windblown dust that is captured within the reed bed. For the reed beds and settlement ponds to operate correctly the available headroom for the water levels have to be maintained within an acceptable range. An amount of this build up has to be removed periodically and disposed of through an environmentally sustainable route.
The Coal Authority requires a competent and experienced contractor(s) to provide an environmentally sustainable disposable route for the reed bed and settlement ponds material. The Authority is seeking individual engagement sessions with interested parties to better understand market conditions, identifying and reducing potential barriers and for development of the procurement strategy.
The Coal Authority is inviting suppliers to register their interest in attending by contacting Sarah Kendrick Procurement Business Partner at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Suppliers will then be contacted to arrange engagement sessions. A supplementary document will also be sent to interested parties to introduce set out further details in relation to this requirement
Interested contractors will need to demonstrate their ability to dispose of the material complying with the permits required for disposal and their expertise in finding environmentally friendly disposal routes i.e. not landfill.
The Authority anticipates the sessions will be held virtually over a duration of 2 days on the 26th of June 2024 - 27th of June 2024.
Following market analysis and feedback from the market engagement the requirements will be structured across three Lots to maximise the probability of the most beneficial outcome being delivered and to lower barriers for SMEs:
Lot 1 - Reed Bed Management
Excavation, transplant existing reeds, procure and plant new reeds
- £1.75m per annum
- £7m per framework
Lot 2 - Reed Bed Disposal:
- Transportation and sustainable disposal avoiding landfill
- £1.75m per annum
- £7m per framework
Lot 3 - Sludge & Ochre Management
- Lagoon desludging, excavation, transportation, ochre preparation, packing and haulage
- £1m per annum
- £4m per framework
The Coal Authority currently has the capacity to treat 220 billion litres of mine water every year. Treating the mine water has prevented nearly 4,000 tonnes per year of iron solids and other pollutants entering watercourses or aquifers, directly protecting and improving over 350km of rivers and several important regional aquifers. Last year 97% of the iron solid waste was recycled or reused.
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