The Great Grid Upgrade, as National Grid is calling it, is described as “the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations”.
It will enable the grid to carry higher volumes of electricity to keep up with growing demand.
National Grid’s strategic infrastructure business unit is seeking suppliers for £4.5bn worth of network construction by 2030.
The programme will initially centre on nine projects.
Two design and consenting service suppliers and four to six construction contractors are needed to deliver the infrastructure required, including new overhead lines and substations.
The ‘enterprise partnership’ approach aims to deliver integrated planning and working between projects, enabling the supply chain to combine capacity, capability, knowledge and experience to accelerate delivery and deliver cost efficiencies, National Grid said.
Director of onshore delivery Matt Staley said: "The government ambition of 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 demands unprecedented scale and complexity of action. It is essential that we unite as a sector and as an industry to rise to this challenge.
"In our Great Grid Upgrade Partnership we are looking for supply chain partners with a history of successful collaboration, innovation, sustainable practice and commitment to responsible business. By taking a partnership approach, we aim to deliver integrated planning and working between projects, enabling the supply chain to accelerate delivery and deliver cost efficiencies – in turn delivering value for money for consumers and working with local communities to leave a positive legacy.
"By working together we can connect more clean, renewable energy from where it’s generated out at sea to where it’s needed, helping contribute to lower energy bills over the long-term, providing a catalyst for a green jobs boom and making the UK’s energy more self-sufficient."
Procurement documents are available via service.ariba.com/Sourcing.aw
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