Background
Valencia is participating in the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities and the Adaptation Missions, seeking to leverage the synergies between these two Missions. Valencia promotes energy transition with a citizen-centred approach, providing guidance and support to deploy renewable energy, fight energy poverty, carry out energy-efficient building renovations (retrofitting), and more. Public schools, many of which are aging and energy inefficient, offer a significant opportunity to improve energy performance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance resilience to climate change. Additionally, schoolyards are often heavily paved and exposed to high solar radiation, exacerbating the urban heat island effect and negatively impacting student well-being.
During 2024, Valencia developed the Green Schools Plan, re-naturalizing various schoolyards in the city. Some Valencia municipal schools conducted participatory diagnosis processes and drafted strategic proposals for re-naturalizing their schoolyards via the Green Schools Plan and “Redibuixem l’espai”.
Valencia requested follow-up support from the NetZeroCities Consortium for three (3) of these schools, to further the NbS/re-naturalization of the schoolyards and expand to energy-efficiency and renewable energy generation retrofitting of the school buildings. The NetZeroCities’ support encompasses:
- Using NetZeroCities expertise for the co-creation and citizen participation process, complementing a participatory diagnosis already started. (This will be lead and facilitated by Democratic Society (Demsoc))
- Engaging a Consultancy Company to undertake a Pre-feasibility Study for: i) the further development of the NbS/schoolyard re-naturalization proposals for building permitting, ii) carrying out school building energy audits, and developing energy-efficiency and (where appropriate) energy generation building retrofit project concepts (Subject of these RFP Terms of Reference).
- Leveraging the NetZeroCities’ Climate City Capital Hub (CCCH) support, to perform project preparation, financial modelling, financial structuring and mapping external financing for the projects proposed in the Pre-feasibility Study.
About the request
The assignment will take the form of a framework agreement, consisting of separate statements of work respectively covering the services under Phase 1 and Phase 2. The Statement of Work relating to Phase 1 will cover the services necessary to assess and confirm the feasibility of the project within the predefined scope described in this document The continuation of the project by means of the Phase 2, to be awarded through a separate Statement of Work, shall be strictly conditional upon the findings of Phase 1 confirming the feasibility of the project and the execution of the services already defined for Phase 2 in these Terms of Reference (Tor). Climate-KIC is seeking to award the framework agreement to the prospective supplier to carry out the services listed in this document on its behalf for a period of 20 weeks starting in April 2026.
Any assignment of work under this proposed framework agreement shall be at the sole discretion of Climate-KIC.
It is Climate-KIC’s preference to award the framework agreement to a single provider who can deliver the entire breadth of the services, including here a consortium of different participating entities jointly bidding for this contract. In the event of the latter, Climate-KIC acknowledges there may be specific terms and conditions to be entered into in between all consortium members to ensure contract execution and performance.
For Phase 1 of the assignment, the Pre-feasibility Study for a total of three (3) schools in the City of Valencia, Spain, will encompass:
- The evaluation (Task 2.1) (including architectural review) of the existing NbS/ re-naturalisation of schoolyards proposals from the Green Schools plans and Redibuixem l’espai, and preparation (including architectural sign-off) of the proposed NbS /re-naturalisation of schoolyards interventions for building permitting; (Task 2.2). (Note that this is a high priority for the schools and should be scheduled first), and
- The evaluation of the energy performance of the school building with ASHRAE Level 2 energy audits (Task 3.1) followed by identifying cost-effective energy-saving measures, and appropriate forms of on-site renewable energy generation for school building retrofits (Task 3.2)
- incorporating all interventions into a viable, financeable, realistic, implementable project per school (while actively engaging local stakeholders). (Task 6)
For Phase 2 of the assignment, and subject to the findings of Phase 1 confirming the feasibility of the project within the predefined scope of these Terms of Reference, the selected supplier will perform the following services:
- The work will include a stakeholder workshop for the presentation of the findings and solutions for each of the three (3) schools (Task 5).
- the consolidation, finalisation and presentation of the Draft and Final Pre-Feasibility Study Reports (Tasks 7 and 8), bringing together the outputs produced under Phase 1 and Phase 2 into a single comprehensive Pre-Feasibility Study.
The Pre-Feasibility Study shall support the City of Valencia in making informed decisions on the potential implementation of NbS / re-naturalisation of schoolyard projects, energy-efficiency building retrofits and renewable energy generation projects. For the execution of the scope of work described in these ToRs, the successful bidder will be required to collaborate with:
- the Municipality, Valencia Clima i Energia Foundation, and the school staff to obtain data and documents and coordinate site visits.
- the NetZeroCities Consortium, specifically the City Advisor, the Democratic Society (“Demsoc”) who will help the successful bidder’s involvement in presenting their initial diagnostic findings, Schoolyard building permitting plans and preliminary energy efficiency and renewable energy Measures and to the energy teams (school stakeholders),
- the Climate City Capital Hub (CCCH) deal team and Climate Finance Specialist (CFS) for “quality control” feedback on inception report, interim reports, Sub-deliverables and Deliverables (with a maximum of two (2) rounds of feedback).
Timeline and additional information
Interested parties are invited to submit their proposals by 17 April 2026 – 23:59:59 CEST to Luisa Carretti [CESF@netzerocities.eu]. Proposals should include and address all specific requirements related to the request which can be found below.
