Issue - meetings

Cllr Lynden Stowe sought Cabinet approval for delegated authority to conduct a competitive procurement exercise in respect of a contract or (as appropriate) contracts for the purchase and installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at selected maintained schools in Gloucestershire.

Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:

1. Approve  the release of up to £2m from the budget approved at Full Council in February 2024 as part of 2024/25 budget to provide solar PV on selected maintained schools’ premises through the purchase and installation of the solar photovoltaic panels and associated equipment/infrastructure described in Recommendation 2 below;

2. Delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Asset Management & Property Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, to:

a) Conduct, subject to the financial restrictions set out in the Resourcing Implications section of this report below, a competitive procurement process under the CCS (Crown Commercial Service) RM6313 Demand Management & Renewables dynamic purchasing system (DPS) for such number of contracts as may be deemed necessary for the purpose of purchasing and installing solar photovoltaic panels at all maintained schools in Gloucestershire that have applied for and been selected by the council to receive such panels and associated equipment/infrastructure.

b) Award such contract(s) to the preferred tenderer(s).

5.1 Cllr Lynden Stowe, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, sought Cabinet approval to delegate authority to conduct a competitive procurement exercise in respect of a contract or, (as appropriate), contracts for the purchase and installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at selected maintained schools in Gloucestershire.

5.2 Approval of the decision involved the release of up to £2m from the council’s 2024-25 budget approved by Full Council in February 2024 to provide solar PV on selected maintained schools’ premises for the purchase and installation of the solar photovoltaic panels and associated equipment/infrastructure. The combined aggregate value of the contract to not exceed £2m. The proposed contract(s) for the purchase and installation of the panels will be managed by the council’s Asset Management & Property Services (AMPS) team.

5.3 Cllr Stowe advised of a pilot scheme that was currently in progress, involving six of GCC’s maintained schools, one in each district. The pilot would help establish the costs for the installation and determine any useful lessons to inform the main body of works.

5.4 Approximately 85 out of 100 maintained schools within the county were anticipated to meet the council’s required selection criteria for solar PV installation based upon each school's energy use. Installation of onsite generation in terms of Solar PV was estimated to generate a total average annual savings of £4,360 per school, with an average annual income and savings to be in the region of £348,800. From an economic perspective, solar PV will make energy bills more manageable and predictable, increase spending power and boost the overall local economy and employment market.

5.5 The work will also have the potential to reduce over 500 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, amounting to 12% of the council’s scope 2 emissions, (indirect emissions generated from purchased energy). Other positive outcomes anticipated from the project included a reduction in greenhouse gases and improvements to air quality and health & wellbeing.

5.6 It was anticipated that most maintained schools in Gloucestershire would benefit from the decision, subject to satisfactory loading, engineering, and structural surveys.

5.7 In proposing the recommendations, Cllr Stowe, believed the project would send out a great message on the council’s approach to climate change.

5.8 Speaking in support of the proposals, Cllr Philip Robinson, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Bus Transport, referred to the ‘educational benefit’ of the decision and agreed to explore the proposed development of an education pack to distribute to the schools involved in the project. Cllr David Gray, Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, stated that, as a result of the current financial strength of the council, the project represented another great achievement for Gloucestershire and a tangible contribution to the council’s green agenda.

Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:

1.    Approve the release of up to £2m from the budget approved at Full Council in February 2024 as part of 2024/25 budget to provide solar PV on selected maintained schools’ premises through the purchase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5