Suffolk County Council is seeking market engagement for a Funding and Development Partner for Ipswich Heat Network which currently has an estimated total valueof £360 million including VAT.

The Council is seeking to appoint a Funding and Development Partner who will develop, fund, deliver and operate the Ipswich Heat Network.

The Council has been leading on the feasibility of a heat network project since 2021 and has now secured £10 million from the Government's Green Heat Network Fund to secure a private sector partner to deliver the core network.

The core network reference scheme is in Ipswich Town Centre and the intention is that the primary heat source will be the River Gipping. The network is currently expected to provide over 30 GWh of heat each year to public buildings across Ipswich. The Ipswich Low Carbon Heat Network would generate low-carbon heat using heat pumps from the River Gipping to help supply heat through buried pipes to buildings across the network.

The Council's preferred delivery vehicle is a Joint Venture with the Council anchoring and promoting the project delivery and funding provided from the private sector. The Council would hold a Golden or Special Share.

To support the preliminary market engagement exercise the Council has developed a detailed market update document setting out more detail about the project and inviting responses to a short questionnaire.

The document can be downloaded from the Suffolk Sourcing portal, accessible via the following link: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/suffolksourcing/aspx/ProjectManage/20127

Suppliers will need to register if not already registered on Suffolk Sourcing

Completed questionnaires should be submitted to the Council by 12:00 noon on 17 April 2026 through the Portal.

The Council are pointing out that as a result of the recent announcement of the outcome of the local government reorganisation for Suffolk, a decision has been taken to pause the Ipswich District Heat Network Project while the implications of the announcement are worked through.

“As the LGR outcome is likely to require substantial local reorganisation, it is right that this is given due consideration prior to engaging the market in a formal procurement process,” the Council says.

The council is therefore postponing a forthcoming Supplier Day and the procurement process for a Development Partner will not now commence until the future direction of the Project has been aligned to the newly reorganised local government landscape.

The Council said that the decision is not taken lightly but has been taken in recognition that competing for the opportunity requires a significant commitment from suppliers in terms of both time and cost.

“Given the uncertainty regarding the reorganised local context, we feel it would be unfair to ask the market to make such a commitment when there remains such a degree of uncertainty as to the establishment of Suffolk's future councils”, the Council explained.

However, the Council says it remains committed to the project and would still welcome the opportunity to sit down on a 1:1 basis with any suppliers who wish to discuss it. Intertested suppliers who would like to arrange a discussion are asked tomake contact at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 17th April 2026. The Council will then respond with a proposed time for a meeting.

The following organisations are involved in the procurement process on behalf of Suffolk County Council:

• ADDLESHAW GODDARD LLP - Legal Advisor

• AECOM LIMITED - Technical Advisor

• ASTEROS ADVISERS LTD - Financial Advisor

• BIRD & BIRD LLP - Procurement Support & Advice

• HERMETICA BLACK LTD - Commercial Advisor