Four to battle for one of NI’s largest waste contracts
A consortium of north-west Northern Irish councils has cut the shortlist of bidders in the running for one of the largest ever waste management contracts in the province.
The £500 million, 25-year deal is set to see the development of waste treatment capacity to handle the waste of the seven local authorities which comprise the North West Region Waste Management Group (NWRWMG) - Ballymoney, Coleraine, Derry, Limavady, Magherafelt, Moyle and Strabane.
The group of shortlisted bidders are:
- Birmingham-based waste management firm Biffa
- A consortium of Londonderry-based civil engineering firm Brickkiln Waste and services firm United Utilities
- Irish-owned Greenstar Holding (Greenstar UK)
- A joint bid between investment firm One51 and the waste arm of civil engineering company VT Group, VT Environmental Engineering
The four bidders, who had originally competed alongside Irish-based multinational company Quinn Group and waste management firm Shanks Group, are now expected to put forward detailed proposals on developing a combination of mechanical biological treatment and advanced thermal treatmen, although the NWRWMG has previously ruled out the use of incineration-based treatment methods.
The NWRWMG aims to cater for a combined total of 200,000 tonnes of waste generated each year in the region and improve its existing recycling rate of 34% to 50% by 2020.
The consortium intends to name a preferred bidder for the deal towards the end of 2010.