Procurement category: Energy efficiency
Environmental impacts targeted: The project aims to transform 25 school buildings across Cyprus into Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings.
Relevant EU legislation/policy/guidance: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU/2024/1275)
Background
In 2020, the Cyprus Energy Agency, in collaboration with the Education Unit for the Environment and Sustainable Development of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, initiated the ‘Promoting Energy Efficiency & Developing Innovative Approaches in Schools’ (PEDIA) project with an aim to transform at least 25 public school buildings across Cyprus into Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) and contribute to the fulfilment of the European and National goals of Cyprus for energy and climate. NZEBs are buildings with high-energy performance and low-energy needs, covered largely by onsite and nearby renewable energy sources.
The PEDIA project is the only project in Cyprus that was selected for a grant for technical assistance under the Project Development Assistance (PDA) funding from the EU Horizon 2020 funds. The work’s implementation and construction are co-financed through the Cohesion Policy Programme, "THALIA 2021-2027". PEDIA introduces a procedural framework for the energy upgrade in schools to meet NZEB levels by integrating a selection ranking system into existing renovation practices, energy audits, green public procurement, and an Innovative Financing Solution.
PEDIA’s procurement process bundles 25 selected schools from across the country into groups of one, two or three buildings, considering the total estimated budget of each procurement as well as the geographic location of the buildings. Notably, these upgrades are delivering the very first NZEB schools in the country.
The first two procurements within the PEDIA project framework were launched in 2022 (Procurement A) and 2023 (Procurement B) respectively.
Procurement objectives
The explicit objective of the PEDIA procurements is to transform the selected school buildings into NZEBs. The subjects of the procurements were for (Procurement A) the energy upgrade of three existing schools and (Procurement B) the energy upgrade of two existing schools.
The energy upgrade of these schools included the following tasks:
- Thermal insulation of the building envelope (walls, structure)
- Thermal insulation and waterproofing of flat roofs
- Thermal insulation inside a false ceiling
- Replacement of existing frames (windows and doors with new double-glazed and highly efficient frames and replacement of mechanical ventilators)
- Damp repair works and painting of interior surfaces
- Planting of trees for natural shading
- Prefabricated classrooms for accommodating students during the construction phase
- Electrical and mechanical works
- Repairs of existing shading devices
- Green roofs that are accessible to students
The estimated values of the procurements were €724,500.00 (Procurement A) and €655,500.00 (Procurement B) respectively.
Procurement procedure
In order to select the schools whose buildings would undergo energy upgrades and plan the subsequent procurement(s), the Cyprus Energy Agency met with a variety of governmental stakeholders. This included the Ministry of Education, who was involved with the process from the beginning and provided contextual information, drawings of the buildings, and relevant contacts, as well as the Ministry of Economics and local authorities who were involved in financing the project. Other stakeholder meetings and focus groups were held with banking institutions, school boards, educational organisations, parent associations and students. Furthermore, sectoral experts within the public administration provided expertise and support with preparing the overall planning and engineering designs for the call for competition. Energy studies and the issuance of energy performance certificates (EPCs) were completed as the determination of selected interventions were dependent on techno-economic criteria. Following these activities, the Cyprus Energy Agency launched an open procedure for energy upgrades in the first round(s) of selected schools.
The table below highlights the most notable sustainable criteria used in the tendering process. These criteria were based on the EU/31/2010 - Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (revised in 2018) which stipulates that all new buildings from 2020 onward must be NZEB and Member States must implement policies that support and stimulate the refurbishment of existing building stocks toward NZEB levels. Other standards and regulations that must be adhered to include:
- EU 1369/2017 - Energy Labelling Regulation,
- EU 305/2011 - Construction Products Regulation (CPR),
- Declaration of Performance and CE Declaration of Conformity,
- EU 1907/2006 - European REACH Regulation,
- Cyprus Waste Laws 2011-2016,
- ISO, EN and CENELEC, CYS and IEC standards.
| Task | Sustainable criteria |
| Replacement of existing frames (windows and doors) | In cases where the existing frames are aluminium or metal, they are to be replaced with new energy-efficient aluminium frames. The ventilation equipment should carry the adapted Energy Label based on Energy Labelling Regulation EU 1369/2017 which will provide standardised information for energy efficiency, energy consumption and, where applicable, additional information about the products. Ventilators in specific rooms should be replaced with new, suitable and energy-efficient ones that meet the new needs of the space. The contractor should provide a short report of the results of the methodology (calculations, standards, etc.) followed for the selection of the equipment he offers. |
| Damp repair works and painting of interior surfaces | Ecological white paint will be used in all the interior spaces of the building, with prior written approval from the Project Engineer. The products will be submitted for approval, accompanied by Certificates from a recognized laboratory, from which it can be concluded that they are consistent with the applicable standards, as well as a detailed description of the process and method of their application. |
| Plants | At the 6th Public and Community Kindergarten of Aglantzia, the Contractor will plant trees around the perimeter of the school's inner courtyard, with the aim of creating shade in the area. Specifically, five “ornamental mulberry trees” will be placed based on the architectural plan. The mulberry is a tree that helps shade in the summer and at the same time improves the aesthetics of the school. Trees will be planted every 4 m along the perimeter of the school site. Trees should be about 2 m tall. |
| Prefabricated classrooms | The heat-insulating panels of the ceiling, walls and false ceilings of the metal structure shall be installed. The panels shall be monolithic, prefabricated and bear the CE mark and be accompanied by the declaration of performance. |
| Electrical and mechanical works | In the selection of lighting fixtures, the Contractor should take into account low energy consumption with the use of high-efficiency LED lamps. |
| Green roofs | A green roof or planted roof is defined as the surface of the roof of buildings, covered by vegetation, or any garden between which there is a covering structure. To be able to plant on a roof it is necessary to add a waterproofing layer, coating with anti-root protection film, protection and moisture retention substrate, growth substrate retention sheet and plant growth substrate. The Contractor should install an expansive green roof on the 1st floor of the Second Primary School of Idali. An expansive green roof indicates that the entire roof surface is used exclusively for vegetation. The Contractor should prepare an installation procedure, taking into account the existing roof’s parameters. In addition to the provisions of the Contract Terms, the Contractor must also ensure certifications of the system and its materials (CE marking and Declaration of Performance of the producer for the systems and all individual materials). |
As with most energy upgrade works, no further award criteria or contract performance clauses were included in the tender.
Awarding the contract
Procurement A received two bids and Procurement B received three bids. With regard to the latter, one bidder was excluded for not meeting criteria related to the necessary experience required. Procurement A was awarded to N. Gavriel & Sons LTD while Procurement B was awarded to Housemasters LTD.
Results
According to the project’s plan, one of the specific objectives (though not stipulated as a formal requirement in the tender) of the initiative will include the certification of five schools with ISO 50001 (Energy Management) and the utilisation of their results to define the long-term strategy on school buildings for the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth.
Environmental Impacts
As the PEDIA project develops the first-ever NZEB schools in the country, these tenders already mark a novel step towards increased energy efficiency and environmental sustainability for Cyprus.
Quantitative data on the selected schools from both Procurement A and Procurement B have been calculated through the EPC issuance, which can be found in the table below. The Cyprus Energy Agency plans to install sensors to measure temperature and humidity whose results can be compared to the measurements taken before the energy upgrades.
Furthermore, feedback from the principal of the 2nd Primary School of Idalion noted that prior to the energy upgrade, the academic building during the winter months required 5 hours of running heat. Following the upgrade, this was reduced to 2 hours maximum. The director also mentioned that in April / May, the buildings were able to maintain a temperature of 5 - 6 degrees lower than before the upgrade.
This project embraces a Nature-Based Solution approach by planting trees to provide natural shading, particularly during the summer months, of the buildings’ envelopes and windows as well as the schoolyards.
This is also the first time Cyprus has included the innovative approach of green roofs in a public tender. In addition to thermal insulation, the green roof offers a space for showcasing local plants, an interactive green space for students who learned how to care for the environment, an attraction for pollinators, and also extension of a building’s lifespan by protecting the exterior from external environmental conditions. While a green roof could be considered challenging in a Mediterranean climate due to water scarcity, the PEDIA project purposefully avoided developing the green roof during the summer months and among the typology of plants for the green roofs require small amounts of water, little maintenance and (especially for plants of the endemic species) are easily adaptable to the Cypriot context. Furthermore, an automated irrigation system was installed for the summer months which can be adjusted for the rainy seasons so as not to waste water.
Social Impacts
The selection criteria for the first 25 pilot school buildings focused on both potential energy savings as well as the social impact the energy renovation would provide to the area. Schools of varying educational levels and sizes from across Cyprus were selected, including those in mountainous and remote areas as well as "neglected" schools in the city centres and schools with refugees and non-native students who may not have adequate financial support.
The methodology for ranking the schools followed a holistic approach by dividing the evaluation into 13 assessment areas with weighted allocated points, depending on the element’s importance to the implementation of the project. The final result calculated the total points, with the greater number collected indicating the higher priority for energy upgrade of a school building. The maximum number of available points for a school to obtain is 650. A summary of the assessment areas can be found below:
Construction (20%), Social Aspects (11.5%), Energy (11%), School Use & Educational Aspects (10%), Electromechanical Systems (10%), Users (7.5%), Comfort (5.5%), Renewable Energy Sources (4.5%), Support (3%), Location (2.5%) Sustainable Planning (1.5%), Cultural Value (1.5%), and Added Value (11.5%).
Lessons learned
As development of procurement documents varied from school to school depending on each building’s unique qualities, the contracting authority was able to better understand the distinct needs of each location. By crafting the tenders distinct to each school, contractors were able to understand the purpose of the works and, by breaking the PEDIA procurements into smaller packages, the tenders were more attractive to bidders. Furthermore, several schools did not yet have a standardised documents or procedures for energy upgrades set in place; therefore, templates were created and provided for the contractors that would allow for future reproduction of results. Breaking down the project into distinct procurements allowed for iterative developments whereby lessons learned from a previous procurement process were able to be applied to the next school’s tender documents.
More information
PEDIA project website, Cyprus Energy Agency: https://www.cea.org.cy/en/pedia/
Video: PEDIA Project (With English Subs)
For related information, please see EU GPP criteria for Office Building Design, Construction and Maintenance and the accompanying Technical Background Report.
Tender documents are available online: Procurement A and Procurement B.