The SMART STREET LIGHTING project contemplates the execution of the following main phases, which will be carried out during the years 2024, 2025 and 2026. These phases are based on the methodology indicated in the ‘Practical Guide to the Public Procurement of Innovation Process for Public Bodies of the Valencian Community’ by AVI, as can be seen below:
- PHASE 0. CREATION OF THE PPI WORKING TEAM AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CLUSTER.
The initial phase of the project will lay the foundations for the implementation of the PPI procedure and the launch of a municipal PPI team. The first action will be the creation of the working group responsible for leading the project, including, at a minimum, the 3 pillars of the triple helix model: the academic sector (Universitat Politècnica de València, hereinafter UPV), the business sector (Valencian Association of Energy Service Companies, hereinafter AVAESEN) and the public sector (Provincial Council of Valencia, hereinafter DIVAL, and the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, hereinafter FVMP), in addition to the 48 municipalities of the Ribera region and the two associations grouping them together (Mancomunitat de la Ribera Alta and Mancomunitat de la Ribera Baixa). Likewise, the technical assistance necessary for the proper implementation of the project will be contracted. On the other hand, and in parallel, 1 municipality from the Ribera del Xúquer region will be selected (prioritising the participation of municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants). In this way, the innovative cluster of the project will be completed. Once the working team has been established, an action plan or strategy for the implementation of the project will be jointly defined, and initial training sessions on PPI will be carried out for the technical staff and political representatives of the selected municipality, as part of the project activities aimed at creating specialised PPI teams within a municipality. - PHASE 1. ANALYSIS AND IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS.
Phase 1 includes the actions aimed at determining the needs and challenges specific to PPI (technical, organisational, legal and/or procedural, and even social needs) to be addressed through the public contract for the promotion of intelligent and multifunctional public lighting installations in the participating municipalities. In this way, the innovation to be achieved through a PPI procedure will be identified.
Prior to this, an energy audit will have been carried out on the municipal public lighting system subject to the pilot project in order to determine the potential for energy savings and possible actions that could improve the public service it provides.
Likewise, it includes the parallel implementation of technological surveillance actions and market benchmarking of potential solutions (including innovative ones). Finally, the initial evaluation criteria for future tenders will be identified. The identification of the needs or functionalities that innovative solutions must cover is a key step to ensure that the project is realistic and to obtain the necessary credibility with potential suppliers and users.
- PHASE 2. INVOLVEMENT OF THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS.
This phase will include the preliminary market dialogue actions carried out by the municipality and the working group in general until the definition of the ‘Prior Information Notice’ (PIN). The objective of this phase will be the preparation of the information, the channels for distributing said information and the materials necessary for a fruitful subsequent dialogue with the market. All the necessary technical documentation on the pilot cases will be prepared, resulting in the project prospectus and the technical questionnaire to be completed by solution providers describing how their product or technology would solve the needs of the building. This phase will prepare the launch of the market dialogue process (through the publication of the PIN in the official procurement bulletins). - PHASE 3. MARKET DIALOGUE.
The commitment and involvement of the market in participating in a PPI procedure is the cornerstone of innovation procurement. It is essential that buyers have a good understanding of the supply chain linked to the innovative product or service they wish to procure. In addition, this phase is key to attracting potential suppliers and exchanging information with them. In general, market dialogue can take place through meetings, various types of communications, surveys and on-site visits.
The market dialogue phase will begin with the publication of the Prior Information Notice (PIN) in the EU TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) bulletin, as well as the project information prospectus and the market consultation questionnaire. Likewise, significant outreach, dissemination and information activities aimed at the business sector regarding the project will be carried out.
Subsequently, the Open Market Consultation (OMC) or market consultation session will take place. These sessions would include a visit with interested companies to the pilot projects in question, as well as bilateral meetings with interested companies to discuss the proposals submitted through the technical questionnaire. All the information collected through the market dialogue will lay the foundations regarding the type of actions to be contracted for the creation of at least one energy community within the framework of the project. At the same time, through the dialogue, the evaluation criteria for the tenders that will govern the subsequent public procurement procedure will be confirmed.
- PHASE 4. START OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
The objective of Phase 4 is to complete a PPI procedure with the contracting of the works and/or services subject to the PPI. Based on the information gathered during the market consultation session (interviews with companies and consultation questionnaires), the municipality will select the procurement procedure to be followed according to Law 9/2017 (open procedure, competitive dialogue or negotiated procedure), and the tender specifications governing the action through the PPI procedure will be drafted.
The municipality’s procurement department will lead the drafting of the tender specifications with the support of the rest of the project working group. Once the specifications have been published on the state procurement platform and prior to the deadline for submission of bids by tenderers, an informative session on the specifications will be organised in which, in addition to explaining the content of the tender specifications themselves, the PPI procedure will also be explained to the private sector.
- PHASE 5. MONITORING AND EVALUATION.
For the validation of the tendering results, the working group will develop:
i. a monitoring plan for the execution of the works, ensuring that the contracted product/service complies with what is described in the contract; as well as
ii. a verification or validation plan for the adopted solution to be implemented by the municipality.
A monitoring results report will be drafted.
