Tender Competition
On foot of a successful tendering process, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP), in close consultation with the Department of Education and the School Procurement Unit (SPU), has recently awarded the new contract for the supply of Natural Gas to the Education Sector, including schools, to SSE Airtricity.
- Over 1,200 Education Sector supply points were included in the Tender;
- Awarded to SSE Airtricity on the basis of lowest price tender;
- New three year contract, commencing on 1st September 2024 and terminating on 31st August 2027.
Adding your School to the new Contract
If you wish to add your school to the OGP contract, please follow the instructions below.
You are invited to complete the simple online registration form available here, and we recommend you use a school’s e-mail address as this will be used for further communication throughout the duration of the contract. Together with this registration, please include a scanned copy of both sides of a recent Natural Gas bill.
The OGP will subsequently send you an offer of a contract. Please note that final contract rates will not be fixed until the OGP’s independent Energy Advisor advises on the best time to do so. This will happen closer to the commencement of the new contract, of 1st September 2024, to ensure best value for money outcomes for the Education Sector.
If you accept the offer of this new contract, please complete the accompanying paperwork with the contract offer and return it to the email address supplied in the contract documentation as soon as possible. Once you sign up for this contract and unless you are advised otherwise, your school will be automatically included in the next contract due to commence in September 2027.
Out of Contract – Default Rates
It is important to be aware that if your school is outside of the OGP’s school contract and is not already covered under a formal fixed-term contract with one of the suppliers of Natural Gas, then it is probable that your school is being charged at a ‘default’ rate, which will be considerably higher than the rate you could be achieving within the OGP contract.
Early Exit Charges
If you wish to join the OGP contract in circumstances where your school is currently in a contract with any of the Natural Gas suppliers, you are entitled to find out from your current provider for how much longer you are tied to that contract and what, if any, early exit charge may apply if you decide to migrate to the OGP contract.
Information Updates – Opt Out
If you wish to opt out of any future information updates regarding the OGP contract and future contracts, please inform the SPU, relating your reasons why. This will enable us to maintain an accurate log of what schools are in contract elsewhere thereby ensuring that you are not sent unwanted further information and updates. Any questions or points of clarification required on anything contained above can be forwarded to the SPU team through our Contact Us Form.
Note: If your application to join the OGP contract is related to a new School build or a new extension – both supplied with new natural gas meters – please provide a copy of your Gas Network Ireland Connection Agreement with your registration.