2025-061 Technical Auditing for Engineering

Description

Auditors to be employed to carry out Engineering asset assurance surveys and inspections at gas and electricity sites. The scope of work, for a period would be typically as follows for electricity assets:
* Primary assets (transformers, circuit breakers > 25 years old)  at ~ 20 substations supplying strategically important demand (possibly generation), including those designated Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). Estimated Time – 3 months assumed reasonable. Sites to be agreed with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET). DESNZ want input to this too.  
The auditor would provide their expert view on whether NGET’s asset management policies and procedures are fit for purpose and consistent with international best practice. Whether they are following these policies and procedures correctly, in terms of the monitoring, maintenance and repair/replacement of these assets. Whether they are accurately recording these activities and making appropriate/timely interventions where issues are identified. And whether they are reporting accurately to Ofgem through Network Asset Resilience Measures (NARMs).  
2. Expanding 1 to cover 30 substations (>10% of all NGET substations as a representative sample), 4-5 months. 
3. Expanding 1 to cover a wider set of substation assets (Protection & Control, Connections / Busbars, Civil Structures, Cables, Auxiliary Systems, disconnectors/earth switches etc), ~ 6 months. 
4. Expanding 3 to cover 30 substations, say 9 months.  
5. Expanding 3 to include 10% of Overhead Lines and Cables (~800km) on heavily loaded strategic transmission boundaries. 1-2 years at a guess. 
A similar programme would likely be developed for Gas.