Throughout the development, construction and operational phases, the Spiorad na Mara project will utilise a procurement process that aims to provide opportunities for local businesses, new entrants, and small and medium-sized enterprises to offer their services directly to us and our contractors of every tier. We aim to achieve this by:
- Gaining an awareness of the existing range of potential suppliers.
- Proactive involvement in developing new local sources of supply for the projects and the wider industry.
- Ensuring the supply chain is made aware of the requirements for each stage of the projects.
- Communicating the process of how to get involved either directly with the projects or through their contractors.
- Sharing information with the projects’ potential main contractors of the existing local suppliers and potential new development opportunities.
- Making it an obligation for the projects’ contractors to provide opportunities to local suppliers.
- Working with other projects, support agencies and the wider industry to leverage greater opportunities to develop the supply chain and infrastructure.
- Hosting meet-the-buyer events.
- Providing feedback and advice to suppliers that register with us.
Spiorad na Mara Procurement Schedule
Below is an indicative, high-level timeline for the development of the Spiorad na Mara project and the associated procurement activities that will take place during each phase of development.
It should be noted that, as with all large and complex infrastructure projects, timelines can change, due to the many variables that impact the schedule. As and when these changes arise, this page will be updated promptly.
Development Phase
During this phase of the project, many support services are required for surveying, environmental studies, project management, consenting, and design. Contracts are already in place for many of these activities, as they are now underway, while others will be tendered for in the coming months.
These support services include:
- Environmental Impact Assessment studies
- Marine and Ornithology surveys
- Metocean surveys
- Geophysical site surveys
- Geotechnical site surveys
- Wind farm design
A wide range of local support services are required from the earliest stages of a project’s development and continue throughout the life of the project. In the case of Spiorad na Mara, many of these services are already being sourced locally, while others will be required in the months and years ahead.
These include:
- Accommodation
- Training
- Catering
- Transportation, hire cars and taxis
- Office space and equipment
- Security
- Plant hire
- Fuel supply
- People
Construction Phase
Turbines
During construction, the Tier 1 Wind Turbine Generator contract and package (the largest contract in the development of an offshore wind farm) includes the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the wind turbine generators. The scope includes marshalling facilities during construction and the provision of operations and maintenance services for the turbines for a prescribed period.
Opportunities for local suppliers to support the Tier 1 Wind Turbine Generator contractor may include the following:
- Fabrication of turbine towers
- Production of wind turbine blades
- Production of wind turbine generator nacelles
- Transportation of blades and nacelles
- Supply, installation and commissioning of Davit Cranes
- Power Curve Testing Services
During construction, a pre-assembly area is needed, preferably near the wind farm site. This will have the following requirements:
- Lease of land for turbine pre-assembly area adjacent to port quayside
- Onshore infrastructure development and construction services
- Site offices, warehousing, canteen/ kitchen, and welfare facilities
- Heavy lift equipment, e.g. cranes, SPMTs
- Perimeter fencing and security services
- Electrical distribution systems to support construction activities
- Site lighting to applicable standards and to enable 24-hour working
- Fire-fighting equipment
- Boom lift for installation vessel
- Lifting equipment
- Portacabins
- Catering
- Labour hire
- PPE and clothing
- Cleaning and laundry
- Local training providers
- Tool suppliers (hand and power)
- Cranes
- Electrical wholesalers
- Metalwork fabrication and turning
- Forklift hire
- Hotels/accommodation
Foundations
The project will require multiple foundations and substructures contracts. There will be opportunities for potential suppliers to get involved in the long-term strategy and tender for these packages including the following:
- Design of the foundations and substructures
- Fabrication of foundation structures
- Fabrication of transition pieces and piles
- Fabrication of monopiles
- Supply of grouting / bolting materials
Transport and installation
The project will procure a number of contracts relating to the offshore installation of foundation structures and support activities, including:
- Transport of fabricated structures from fabricator to the wind farm location
- Installation of wind turbine generator substructures and foundations
- Transport and installation of offshore substation foundation and substructure
- Assembly and bolting of foundations
- Unexploded Ordinance Surveys (UXO)
- Supply of offshore survey equipment
- Provision of port and harbour services
- Provision of personnel transport to offshore locations
- Supply of lifting tools and rigging
- Contingency drilling
Offshore electrical transmission
Opportunities for local businesses to support the construction of the offshore electrical transmission system include:
Offshore substation
- Fabrication of the offshore substation and foundation
- Supply of lifting tools and rigging
- Supply of offshore survey equipment
- Provision of personnel transport to offshore locations
- Provision of cable protection systems
- Telecommunications, fire and intruder alarms and site security
- Power and UPS systems
- Fibre optic works
Inter array cables and export cables
The project will require a number of supplies and services for the manufacture, transport and installation of inter array and export cables, including:
- Engineering to design the inter array and offshore export cables
- Manufacture of array cables to the project
- Installation
- Supply or termination and testing services
- Provision of cable protection systems
- Guard vessels
- Rock installation & dredging
- Diving services
- Unexploded Ordnance Surveys (UXO)
Onshore transmission system
The wind farm’s onshore transmission system is dependent on the final design and grid connection location and will include the following elements:
- The design, supply and construction of an onshore substation
- The design, supply and installation of onshore export cable to connect the offshore cable to the substation
- The electrical system design and the manufacture and supply of components for the primary equipment, including main transformers.
Opportunities for local businesses to support the construction of the electrical transmission system include:
- Supply of survey equipment
- Provision of personnel transport to offshore locations
- Provision of materials and labour for onshore substation
- Onshore substation civil works and cable installation
- Telecommunications, fire and intruder alarms and site security
- Power and UPS systems
- Fibre optic works
- Site supervision and traffic management
- Design and installation of Horizontal Directional Drilling
- Onshore cable supply and installation
- Landfall civil works
- Steelwork (structures/buildings etc.)
- Site accommodation and welfare
- Site security
- Cleaning and welfare
- Site landscaping
- Enabling works and road works
- Hardware supplies and plant hire
- Environmental consultants
- Waste management services
- Transportation and vessels
- Logistics and port services
- Accommodation and catering
Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
Operations and Maintenance of the wind farm is expected to run for at least 30 years from a preferred O&M port location, providing long-term opportunities for both direct employers and the provision of services.
The O&M phase will require the creation of port infrastructure to support ongoing operations as well as long-term arrangements for all the necessary supplies and personnel. The requirements are likely to include:
- Operations and Maintenance building
- Onshore infrastructure development and construction services
- Site & Asset Management services
- Site technicians and third-party support
- Spare parts, tooling, and consumables
- Crew transfers vessels and logistics
- Turbine corrective and preventative maintenance
- Foundations, substructure corrective and preventative maintenance
- Offshore substation corrective and preventive maintenance
- Access systems, communications, fall arrest and PPE
- Personnel training and education
- Data acquisition & management
- Facilities management
- Marine consultancy, client representatives, vessel inspections, etc.
