Specification of
requirement
The experience of Highland off-gas grid
consumers and their advice & support needs
December 2015
For more information contact: Fraser Stewart on 0131 550 1077
or email fraser.stewart@cas.org.uk
Twitter: @CitAdviceScot
www.cas.org.uk
Copyright: Citizens Advice Scotland
If you require this publication in an alternative format please
contact us.
Specification of requirement
1.
Introduction
About Citizens Advice Scotland
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), our 61 member Citizen Advice Bureaux (CAB), the
Citizen Advice Consumer Service, and the Extra Help Unit, form Scotland’s largest
independent advice network. Advice provided by our service is free, independent,
confidential, impartial and available to everyone. Our self-help website provides
information on rights and helps people solve their problems.
In 2014-15 the Citizens Advice Service network helped over 323,000 clients in
Scotland alone and dealt with over one million advice issues. With support from the
network clients had financial gains of over £124 million and the Scottish zone of our
self-help website received approximately 5.4 million unique page views.
The Scottish CAB network, which includes the telephone helpline Citizens Advice
Direct, deliver frontline advice services through more than 200 service points across
the country, from city centres to rural communities. This network of bureaux is
staffed by a team of paid staff and nearly 2,500 volunteers.
In addition, the Citizens Advice Consumer Service provides a telephone helpline for
those needing advice and information on consumer rights and helps to solve
problems with consumer goods and services. CAS delivers part of this Great Britain
wide service from a call centre in Stornoway, helping people in Scotland and across
other parts of Great Britain.
The Extra Help Unit, through a team of telephone caseworkers based in
Glasgow, also helps people throughout Great Britain who have complex energy
or postal complaints or are at risk of having their gas or electricity cut off, who
are referred though our consumer helpline, Ofgem, the Energy Ombudsman, or
their local elected representative.
CAS’ simple but robust vision is paramount to all our goals:
“A fairer Scotland where people as citizens and consumers are
empowered and their rights respected.”
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Specification of requirement
To achieve our goals, all of CAS’ work is guided by our twin aims:
•
To ensure that individuals do not suffer through ignorance of
their rights and responsibilities or of the services available; or
through an inability to express their needs.
•
To exercise a responsible influence on the development of
social policies and services, both locally and nationally.
Together with Citizens Advice, our sister organisation in England and Wales, CAS
has a statutory role to represent consumers across the essential regulated markets
of energy, post and, for consumers living in Scotland, water.
We use compelling evidence, expert analysis and strong argument to put consumer
interests at the heart of policy making and market behaviour.
2.
Background
CAS has a long standing commitment to campaign for an end to fuel poverty in
Scotland. Section 95 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 defines fuel poverty as
being a household living in a home which cannot be kept warm "at reasonable
cost".1 For the purpose of tracking progress in tackling fuel poverty in Scotland, the
Scottish Fuel Poverty Statement (2002) adopted the following definition:
“A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain a
satisfactory heating regime, it would be required to spend more
than 10% of its income (including Housing Benefit or Income
Support for Mortgage Interest) on all household fuel use”.
If a household is required to spend more than 20 per cent of its income to
adequately heat their home, they are described as being in ‘extreme’ fuel poverty.
Current estimates of fuel poverty place the official rate at 39 per cent of all Scottish
households, and the rate of extreme fuel poverty at 11 per cent. While these figures
are themselves unacceptably high, they tend to under-estimate the scale of the
problem in many rural and remote and island locations, where the rates of fuel
poverty and extreme fuel poverty are estimated to be far higher2.
1
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2002/08/15258/9955
2
The Energy Advisory Service for Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar (2014) “Fuel Poverty Report 2013/14”
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Specification of requirement
In the north of Scotland fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty have been identified
as particularly significant issue for many households. Reasons for this vary, but they
include:
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The nature of the housing stock.
The climate and exposure of dwellings.
Higher costs of energy.
Relatively lower incomes.
A lack of connections to the mains gas grid.
While all of these issues are of interest to CAS, this particular project is concerned
mostly with understanding the full range of issues faced by off-gas grid consumers
living in the Highland council area.
It is generally the case that mains gas is the lowest cost fuel for domestic space
heating3. Off-grid households are those without access to mains gas heating. They
often rely on a variety of different fuels for heating, principally heating oil, liquid
petroleum gas (LPG), mains electricity or solid fuels (such as logs, wood pellets,
wood chippings, coal and coke). Therefore, consumers without mains gas generally
have to pay higher heating costs, often without the same levels of consumer
protections.
Off-gas consumers are much more likely to use a combination of different fuels to
heat their homes than those with mains gas heating. They are also more likely to
live in homes that are older, with solid walls and have poorer energy efficiency
standards. While many off-gas grid consumers live in urban areas, particularly in
high rise flats, most live in rural areas.
The aim of this project is to help the Citizens Advice Service in Scotland better
understand the full range of issues faced by off-gas consumers living in the Highland
council area with a view to improving the advice and support services for people
living there.
3.
Definition of the problem
Fuel poverty in the Highland council area
Evidence that fuel poverty is a significant problem in the Highland council area
comes from the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS), which provides the most
3
http://www.uswitch.com/energy-saving/guides/heating-fuel/#step4
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Specification of requirement
robust data available on the scale of fuel poverty in Scotland. The SHCS provides
national estimates of fuel poverty each year and local authority level estimates
provided every 3 years.
The latest results (covering the 3-year period 2011-2013) showed that for the
Highland local authority area4:
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50% of households were living in fuel poverty, compared to 36% of all
Scottish households.
18% of households were living in extreme fuel poverty, compared to 10% of
all Scottish households.
61% of households were living off the gas grid, compared to 15% of all
Scottish households.
Annex 1 at the end of this document contains tables summarising the nature of fuel
poverty and extreme fuel poverty in the Highland council area. This analysis reveals
that in relation to dwelling characteristics, fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty
affect all property types. However, both issues appear more of a problem for larger
and older houses, i.e. those built before 1945 and those with 3 or more bedrooms.
When it comes to household attributes, the analysis presented in Annex 1 also
shows that across all tenure types around half of households in the Highland council
area are living in fuel poverty. There is very little difference between tenure types,
though social housing tenants are marginally more likely to be living in fuel poverty
than those who own their home or who are renting privately. More striking are
differences between household types, with more than two thirds (69%) of
pensioners living in fuel poverty, which far exceeds the rates of fuel poverty for the
other household types.
A variety of reasons help explain why rates of fuel poverty and extreme fuel poverty
are greater in the Highland council area than many other parts of the country. Of
particular note is the greater proportion of homes in the Scottish Highlands that are
not on the mains gas grid (circa. 61% in Highland council area). This means that
there are more households than the national average there reliant on electricity and
other heating types (such as coal, oil, LPG and wood) to heat their homes.
As already mentioned, these alternatives to mains gas are often more expensive to
run and the prices more volatile, which can push more people into fuel poverty. CAS
is of the view, therefore, that it is essential to better understand the experience of
off-gas grid consumers if they are to be provided with appropriate advice and
support services.
4
Data from 2011, 2012 & 2013 combined together.
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Specification of requirement
Advice provided by the Highland CAB network
The Citizens Advice Service in Scotland has a long tradition of providing advice and
assistance to clients living in, or at risk of falling into, fuel poverty. Advisers in the
CAB network are integral to this effort.
Our most recent statistics on energy advice provided by the 8 bureaux located in the
Highland council area reveal that enquiries related to regulated fuel (e.g. mains gas,
electricity) far exceed those for non-regulated fuel (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil, etc.). In
2014/15, only 2 per cent of Utilities & Communications issues reported by the 8
Highland region bureaux were associated with non-regulated fuel, compared to 67
per cent being about regulated fuel. Though we suspect that under-reporting of nonregulated fuel issues exists.
Our bureaux statistics also reveal that the number of non-regulated fuel enquiries
reported by Highland CAB reduced by 19 percentage points from 2013/14 to
2014/15. These figures contrast directly with the pattern for Scotland as a whole,
where non-regulated fuel cases increased by 10 percentage points over the same
period. Conversely regulated fuel cases in the Highlands council area increased by
44 percentage points from 2013/14 to 2014/15; which was somewhat higher than
the 34 percentage point increases observed for Scotland as a whole over the same
period.
The top three energy issues for regulated fuel types advised on by the 8 Highland
CAB in 2014/15 was:
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Warm Home Discount (n=459)
Billing or Meter Reading (n=384)
Charges (n=330)
The top three energy issues for non-regulated fuel types advised on by the 8
Highland CAB in 2014/15 was:
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Charges (n=14)
Methods of Payment (n=8)
Complaints & Redress (n=6)
It is important to acknowledge, however, that the issues people come to CAB for
assistance with are not necessarily representative of issues we might find in the
population as a whole. In particular, the lower instances of non-regulated fuel cases
being reported by Highland bureaux may be due, in part, to public awareness that
the fuels they use at home are not regulated and so they do not seek advice,
support or redress; or it may be because they live rurally, with their nearest CAB
situated further away or in towns.
Certainly the associated case notes submitted to CAS by CAB advisers about the
energy issues consumers in Scotland have been struggling with reveal to us the
very real impact on people’s lives energy issues can have. These can be
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Specification of requirement
considerable regardless of fuel type, increasing levels of stress, worry and anguish
for those individuals affected.
Given all of this, CAS suspects that there are a range of issues faced by off-gas grid
consumers living in the Highland council area who may not be fully served by
current advice and support provision. In addition to identifying the particular issues
faced by this group of consumers, this project will also make recommendations for
improving the provision of advice and support in the Highland local authority region.
The ultimate aim is to empower consumers to take the action required for them to
fully engage in energy markets, secure the best possible deals, and access
government grants; where these are available.
4.
Why this project is necessary
Eradicating fuel poverty in Scotland has been identified as a strategic priority for
CAS. Nevertheless, we believe that it is unlikely that the statutory target of
eradicating fuel poverty, as far as is reasonably practicable, by November 2016 will
be met. This project is part of a wide ranging effort by us and others to help the
thousands of Scottish households struggling to adequately heat their homes.
As we have seen already, fuel poverty is a significant problem in the Scottish
Highlands. Official statistics5 reveal that half of households (50%) living in the
Highland council area are living in fuel poverty, and 18 per cent are living in extreme
fuel poverty. These rates are far higher than the current rate of fuel poverty for
Scotland as a whole, where, in 2013, 39 per cent of households were living in fuel
poverty and 11 per cent were living in extreme fuel poverty.
We know that there are a number of issues specific to the Highlands that exacerbate
the fuel poverty problem. These include a lack of connections to the mains gas
network, relatively lower incomes, higher cost of living, larger and older properties
and an ageing population. While a lot has been done to improve the energy
efficiency performance of social housing, the privately owned/rented sector
continues to present particular challenges.
In relation to heating regimes, the advice provided by CAB advisers falls into two
main types – regulated (e.g. mains gas and electricity) and unregulated (e.g. coal,
natural gas, wood, oil, etc.). The Scottish CAB network has a long and well
established record of advising clients on regulated fuel issues; however as the
statistics provided above indicated, we know much less about consumers’
experience of non-regulated fuel types, particularly the experience of consumers
living off the mains gas grid.
5
For local authority level analysis, data from 2011, 2012 and 2013 were combined together.
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Specification of requirement
This project aims to fill this gap by exploring in greater detail the issues faced by offgas grid consumers living in the Highland council area, with a view to improving the
advice and support services available to them.
5.
Project objectives
This project will provide the Citizens Advice Service in Scotland with a detailed
understanding of the full range of issues faced by off-gas grid consumers living in
the Highland council region. In addition, the Highland CAB network will be able to
collaborate not just with each other, but also other stakeholders in the region, so that
dedicated advice and support services for off-gas grid consumers can be developed
and rolled out. It is anticipated that this will lead to consumers living off the gas grid
in the Highland council area being better informed of their rights and empowered to
take action that can help them lower the costs of their energy so that they can
affordably heating their homes.
There are three primary objectives for this project:
1. Gain a greater understanding of the issues facing off-gas consumers in the
Highland council area.
2. Plot current advice and support provision, with a view to identifying where
gaps exist.
3. Make recommendations for the development of dedicated advice and support
services for off-gas consumers living in the Highland council areas.
We would also like the project to explore a fourth objective:
4. Assessing the feasibility of supporting the expansion or development of a
range of activities specifically for off-gas grid consumers living in the Highland
council area. These might include: promoting competition in local markets for
non-regulated fuels; supporting the establishment of LPG or oil clubs across
the region; and trialling remote oil tank monitoring and replenishment when
fuels are available at the lowest cost.
6.
Uses of information
The main output from this project will be a standalone report for the Scottish Citizens
Advice Service that will provide us with a detailed understanding of the range of
issues faced by off-gas grid consumers living in the Highland council area.
In addition, this project will provide us with detailed Scottish case studies that will
complement other ongoing GB-wide Consumer Futures work for the Citizens Advice
Service that is exploring the experiences of off-grid consumers across England,
Scotland and Wales. This related work has been tendered for separately.
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Specification of requirement
This project will also provide more clarity on the advice role for bureaux in
supporting off-gas grid consumers in reducing their energy costs so that they can
affordably heat their homes to an adequate standard. This will help us to develop a
pan-Highland strategy for improving the advice and support services for off-gas grid
consumers.
CAS will also use the research findings in our wider policy and advocacy work. This
will include submitting the final report and recommendations to a number of groups
we contribute. These include: the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum; Existing Homes
Alliance Scotland; Rural Fuel Poverty Taskforce; and the Fuel Poverty Strategic
Working Group.
7.
Target population
As outlined above, when compared to regulated fuel issues, we know that bureaux
evidence on the issues facing users of non-regulated fuel types is limited. This is not
to suggest they do not exist. In fact the lower instances of non-regulated fuel cases
being reported by bureaux may be due, in part at least, to greater public awareness
that the fuels they use at home are not regulated and so they do not seek advice,
support or redress; or it may be because they live rurally, with their nearest CAB
situated further away or in towns.
Either way, the relatively small number of non-regulated fuel issues reported each
year reveal to us that when problems arise they can be significant. In addition, the
overall low volume of cases reported to us by Scottish CAB is not sufficient for us to
be able to claim with certainty that we understand the full range of issues being
experienced by off-gas grid consumers. This has made it difficult for the Citizens
Advice Service to tailor advice and support services to meet the needs of this
particular group of consumers.
By surveying off gas grid consumers on the issues they experience this project will
go a long way to filling these gaps. In addition, by also talking to CAB advisers and
other key stakeholders, the project will be able make robust recommendations on
what will be required to improve advice and support provision for this group of
consumers.
As a result we feel that this project will need to include the following stakeholders
and partners:
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Off-gas grid consumers in the Highland council area.
All 8 CAB located in the Highland council area.
Highland Council officials.
Scottish Government officials.
Home Energy Scotland (EST and their agents).
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Specification of requirement
8.
Anticipated approach
Bidding suppliers will need to demonstrate to us their understanding of the
requirement and provide a full-costed and detailed plan of their anticipated
approach. Tenderers should outline in their bids the particular skills and experience
they have that will be required to fulfil this project successfully in the time frame we
have set.
At this stage we anticipate that this project will need to be approached in a number
of stages:
1. Scoping the latest literature to identify the key issues and assess the
evidence-base.
2. Surveying off-gas grid consumers living in the Highland council area about
their experiences and their advice and support needs.
3. Interviewing key stakeholders and intermediaries about the policy context,
funding regime and sources of support for advisers.
Suppliers should outline in their tender document how they will identify, assess and
present the information and data gathered from a wide range of sources that will
enable CAS to understand the current situation, the direction of travel to date; and
where it will likely be going next.
To enable a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the key issues we expect
it will be necessary to interview key intermediaries in government, their agents or
civil society organisations. CAS will work with the successful contractor to identify
appropriate individuals and help set up interviews or focus groups with them.
Please note that where in-depth interviews or focus groups are conducted, the data
will need to be fully transcribed prior to analysis and the transcripts supplied to CAS.
The costs for this should be included in your quote.
9.
Analysis required
To enable the Scottish Citizens Advice Service to develop a detailed and
comprehensive understanding of the issues, CAS requires research that will review
the literature and evidence base about the issues faced by off-gas grid consumers.
This should include surveying consumers living in the Highland council area about
their experiences and needs, as well as CAB advisers about the advice and support
services and other key stakeholders about the policy context.
Tenderers for this contract will need to detail their understanding of the requirement
and provide a full-costed and detailed plan of their anticipated approach.
At this stage we anticipate the research will need to cover the following aspects:
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Specification of requirement
1. Scoping of the issues, literature and evidence, e.g.:
 Reviewing the latest legal, regulatory, academic and ‘grey’ literature.
 Analysing existing CAB evidence, which CAS will arrange access to.
 Assessing what support and advice services has been tried successfully
and unsuccessfully elsewhere.
2. Gathering the views of off gas grid consumers & CAB advisers in the
Highland council area, e.g.:
 Conducting a survey with off gas clients about their experiences and the
issues they face, including the advice and support they require. This
could, for instance, involve in-depth interviews to develop insightful and
detailed case studies.
 Conduct a survey with Highland CAB managers and/or advisers about the
issues they face in adequately supporting and advising off-gas grid
consumers. This should include focus groups to explore the issues in
more detail.
3. Supporting stakeholder interviews and/or focus groups:
 Undertake interviews with key stakeholders and intermediaries about the
policy context, including the funding regime and support available to
advisers so that they can adequately advise and support off-gas grid
clients.
10. Deliverables
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A full written report, including a standalone Executive Summary.
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Where appropriate, policy recommendations based on the research findings.
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A presentation on the main findings for CAS and CAB staff and volunteers, plus
other interested stakeholders in Inverness.
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All original data files, including tables, transcripts and diagrams, where these
have been used for the research.
The successful tenderer will be required to follow best practice in research report
writing, as specified in the Citizen Advice Research Report Guidelines.
12. Performance and quality requirements
CAS will require regular updates on the progress of the research, including a project
initiation meeting, to be held between the supplier and ourselves to ensure progress
is on track and any difficulties are resolved promptly.
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Specification of requirement
Any anticipated shortfall in quality or similar failing shall be brought to the attention
of CAS immediately.
Where appropriate, CAS would like to be consulted and involved in identifying
suitable participants for any interviews, focus groups, workshops, seminars, etc.
We advise contractors to show how they adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct or
where appropriate any other professional code of conduct, or quality systems that
they have in place.
Ownership of all project outcomes, including the final report and all data produced
as a result of the project, lies with CAS.
Suppliers should not discuss study findings in public before a final report has been
cleared by us, although with prior agreement aspects of the study may be
discussed. Following publication, suppliers are free to discuss the study in public;
however, we should be given the opportunity to comment on any proposed
presentation or publication using data or findings from this study.
The supplier should consider the wide range of equalities issues, including public
duties, and ensure that these are all given due consideration at all stages of the
research process.
13. Evaluation criteria
CAS will make its selection on the basis of that proposal which represents the best
value for money. The following criteria will apply:
Evaluation criterion
Description
Weighting
Technical experience
Evidence of providing
similar services to other
organisations and particular
skills/experience relevant to
the problem
15%
Also includes your
performance on previous
projects for Consumer
Futures and its predecessor
bodies and for Citizens
Advice or Citizens Advice
Scotland
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Specification of requirement
Methodology / Approach
Details and suitability of
suggested approach,
sampling strategy and data
collection method
10%
Plans for dealing with any
risks and contingencies
Understanding our
business needs
Indication of a clear
understanding of the
problem and the research
objectives
20%
Staffing / Resources
Details of any proposed
staff or sub-contractors to
be used for the provision of
the services
10%
Implementation plan
Details of your
implementation plan to
meet the timescales
10%
Quality
Details of how you ensure
that a high quality service is
maintained throughout the
contract period
5%
Price
A full breakdown of all costs
should be given
30%
Total
100%
Tenders are evaluated by scoring against each of the above criteria using a 0-10
scale, where 0=Clearly fails to meet the requirement and 10=Excellent standard with
no reservation at all about acceptability. The supplier with the highest overall score
will be awarded the contract.
Please note that on completion of all contracts, suppliers are evaluated against
these same criteria based on their performance. This post-project feedback will be
considered in future tendering processes.
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Specification of requirement
14. Form of proposal
All clarification questions must be made in writing and sent by email to Fraser
Stewart (fraser.stewart@cas.org.uk) no later than 5pm on 15th December 2015. A
response to all clarification questions shall be issued to suppliers by 17th December
2015.
All tenders must be sent to Susan McPhee (susan.mcphee@cas.org.uk) by 5pm on
15th January 2016.
Bidders should complete tenders in the format indicated below. All questions must
be answered in full.
Company overview and previous experience
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Please provide a brief overview of your organisation. This must include
a brief history and include detail of your capability and capacity.
Please provide detail of your understanding of the requirement and
evidence your skills and experience for carrying out the services.
Please detail two case studies that evidence your ability to deliver the
services required. This must include details of the brief, how you
delivered the project, and the objectives that were achieved.
Please provide the names, addresses, and contact details of two
referees that could be contacted to provide a reference of your ability
to deliver the services.
Key personnel
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
Please provide a copy of your organisation chart.
Please provide details of the personnel who shall be responsible for
the delivery of the services. This must include a CV for these
individuals that highlight their relevant skills and experience.
Methodology and delivery of the services


Please provide a detailed methodology of how you propose to deliver
the services and objectives detailed in the Invitation To Tender (ITT).
This methodology must describe the project from end-to-end; from
finalising the conception to delivery of the final report.
Please provide a detailed project plan for the delivery of the proposed
methodology. This must clearly define who shall carry out the tasks in
the plan and the number of days for completion.
Commercial offer

Prices shall be quoted in pounds sterling unless otherwise stated and
presented separately from the rest of the tender in the downloadable
pricing schedule. VAT, where applicable, should be shown separately
as a strictly net extra charge. Please detail any other costs associated
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Specification of requirement

with the provision of the services under this agreement. Any costs not
detailed will be deemed to have been waived.
Citizens Advice Scotland’s Terms & Conditions of contract are
available as a separate download. Please confirm you acceptance to
the terms. Bidders should note that failure to accept the Citizens
Advice Scotland’s Terms & Conditions of contract will result in their
elimination from the tender process following initial evaluation.
15. Procurement timetable
Citizens Advice Scotland will be working towards the following procurement
timetable:
Activity
Date
Issue Invitation to tender
9th December 2015
Closing date for clarification questions
15th December 2015
Date for responses to clarification questions
By 17th December 2015
Tender quotes received
15th January 2016
Evaluation of tenders/quotes
21st-22nd January 2016
Contract awarded
25th January 2016
Contract commences
Week beginning 25th January 2016
Draft report due
18th March 2016
Final report due
30th March 2016
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Specification of requirement
Draft reports
Please note that timetable includes milestones for both draft and final reports to be
submitted. The ‘draft report’ should not be a rough version of the report, but the full
report (proof-read, spell-checked and sense-checked) for review by CAS’ project
team. Potential suppliers should assume that CAS will have queries and comments
on the draft report. The final report is intended to have resolved all queries and
comments.
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Specification of requirement
Annex 1: Fuel Poverty & Extreme Fuel Poverty6 in the
Highland Council Area
Table 1 Highland Council Fuel Poverty & Extreme Fuel Poverty Rates by
Dwelling Characteristics
Age of Dwelling
Fuel
Poverty
Extreme
FP
House or Flat
Number of Bedrooms
Pre-1945
Post1945
House
Flat
1 or 2
3+
63%
45%
52%
32%
43%
54%
26%
16%
20%
6%
12%
22%
Table 2 Highland Council Fuel Poverty & Extreme Fuel Poverty Rates by
Household Attributes
Tenure
Fuel
Poverty
Extreme
FP
6
Household Type
Owneroccupied
Social
Housing
Private
Rented
Families
Pensioners
Adult Only
49%
50%
48%
39%
69%
35%
17%
20%
14%
10%
28%
13%
Scottish House Condition Survey – Combined data from 2011, 2012, 2013.
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