16 October 2024 
Richard Ralph, AUDE Projects and Engagement Officer
This tender in brief. Full invitation to tender (ITT) can be downloaded here.
This invitation to tender outlines the scope of work, specifications, and expectations for a climate adaptation and resilience guidance project. The project is being undertaken by AUDE, and we are inviting qualified and experienced contractors to submit tenders for the work. The challenge of how universities, and their Directors of Estates, can adapt and be more resilient to climate change impacts is directly relevant to AUDE’s strategic themes on sustainability.
The proposed deliverables include:
Timescales
ITT responses: 31 January 2025
Appointment: 14 March 2025
Project kick-off: 28 March 2025
Queries and submissions: please email Cheryl cheryl@aude.ac.uk, Strategic Project Manager
Background to this tender
The UK higher education estate as a whole, the facilities within it, and the people who work, study and support it, are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change. These impacts include shocks and stresses relating to higher temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and more extreme weather events. For example, heatwaves, floods, drought, windstorms and heavy snowfall. Different types of universities and facilities in different parts of the UK experience these impacts in different ways. And different groups of staff, students and suppliers experience these impacts in different ways too.
There is a growing sense within the UK education sector as a whole that more practical guidance and cost-effective action is urgently needed on implementing effective climate adaptation and resilience measures, and nature based solutions, for academic, residential and other university buildings (for example sports centres, GPs, commercial spaces), grounds and landscaping and supporting infrastructure such as drainage, water and energy services, data and telecoms. It’s also important to consider upstream and downstream drainage infrastructure which may be controlled by other entities
An equivalent, transferable effort is now needed within the UK higher education sector, specifically for the buildings, grounds and infrastructure of university campuses.
