Protasis-Sagemcom victorious in smart meters extra tender

A joint bid by Greek company Protasis and France’s Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS appears to have emerged victorious in a supplementary tender staged by Greek electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO for the installation of an initial lot of 360,000 low-voltage smart meters around the country, as an addition to 7.3 million smart meters planned through the project’s main tender.

The main tender still has a long way to go as technical and financial details included in bids submitted December 7 amount to hundreds of pages and represent a humongous task for officials. But the progress made with the supplementary tender comes as an encouraging sign.

The major tender’s anticipated delay prompted DEDDIE/HEDNO to announce its supplementary tender so that some progress can be made during the major tender’s appraisal period.

The same four bidders have submitted offers to both tenders. Besides the joint bid submitted by Protasis and Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS, US corporation Itron’s Spanish subsidiary, fellow US firm Elster Rometrics’ Romanian subsidiary, and Slovenia’s Iskraemeco submitted bids to both procedures.

This initial lot of 360,000 smart meters has been marked out for large-scale consumers as well as public-sector agencies and enterprises all over the country.

 

Second round bids for smart meters tender due November

Final-round qualifiers, four in total, in a tender being staged by Greek electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO to offer a lucrative contract for the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters throughout the country have received all relevant information, including notification on their technical and financial offers, which will need to be submitted in the second week of November.

Greek company Protasis, partnering with France’s Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS; US corporation Itron’s Spanish subsidiary; fellow US firm Elster Rometrics’ Romanian subsidiary; and Slovenia’s Iskraemeco have qualified for the tender’s final round.

The four qualifiers have been provided all details concerning the technical requirements of the project, budgeted at 1.2 billion euros, up from an initial estimate of 800 million euros.

Meanwhile, the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, has, according to sources, rejected a case filed by Swiss-headquartered group Landis+Gyr, challenging DEDDIE/HEDNO for its disqualification from the tender in the first round.

The court, sources informed, ruled that the distribution network operator was right to disqualify Landis+Gyr from the procedure as the company declared, as a sub-contractor, a production facility other than its Corinth plant, west of Athens, which serves as an international hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

 

Landis+Gyr Supreme Court action for smart meters exit

Swiss-headquartered group Landis+Gyr has scheduled a news conference for today to inform of the reasons behind its decision to legally challenge, at the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, its disqualification from the final round of a tender staged by Greek electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO for a lucrative one billion-euro contract concerning the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters throughout the country.

At today’s session, Landis+Gyr also plans to offer an update on the next steps it intends to take concerning the smart-meters tender and also inform on its overall strategy for the Greek market.

Landis+Gyr’s chief executive officer Werner Lieberherr and the head official of the group’s Greek subsidiary, Aristidis Pappas, have already suggested a Supreme Court setback for the Swiss group would jeopardize a multi-million-euro investment plan at its production plant in Corinth, west of Athens.

Landis+Gyr was disqualified from the tender by DEDDIE/HEDNO as it declared, as a sub-contractor, a production facility other than its Corinth plant, serving as an international hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Landis+Gyr took its case to the Council of State after a preliminary appeal was rejected by the Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority.

Greek company Protasis, partnering with France’s Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS; US corporation Itron’s Spanish subsidiary; fellow US firm Elster Rometrics’ Romanian subsidiary; and Slovenia’s Iskraemeco have qualified for the tender’s final round.

Over the past decade or so, DEDDIE/HEDNO and parent company PPC, the power utility, have announced a series of tenders for the procurement and installation of smart meters, ultimately to no avail. They have either not taken place or not been completed.

Four entrants make 2nd round of HEDNO smart meters tender

Electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO has shortlisted four of seven first-round participants in a tender offering a lucrative contract for the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart throughout the country, to replace the existing analog meters.

An additional contestant could be added to the list of second-round qualifiers if Swiss company Landis+Gyr is vindicated in a legal case it filed following its failure to reach the second round. A verdict is expected within the next three to four months.

The four bidder through to the tender’s second round are: Itron Spain SLU, the Spanish subsidiary of leading American meters producer Itron, joined by Spain’s ZIV Aplicaciones y Tecnologia SL, a maker of modems and related equipment; the Romanian subsidiary of American meters producer Elster Rometrics SRL, a member of the Honeywell group, along with Intracom SA Telecoms Solutions and Elster Gmbh; Slovenia’s Iskraemeco, with France’s Oracle France SAS; and Greece’s Protasis SA, joined by French company Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS, the main supplier of France’s Enedis.

Besides Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr, a multinational with facilities including a factory in Corinth, west of Athens, the two other participants not through to the second round are: Italy’s Gridspertise Srl, which was joined by Bitron Poland Sp Z.oo for the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender; and Denmark’s Netcompany Intarsoft SA – it took over Intrasoft in 2021 – which bid along with Sweden’s Ningbo Sanxing Electric, Poland’s Foxytech Sp Z.o.o, and Vodafone Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company SA.

DEDDIE/HEDNO plans to have the upgrade’s 7.5 million or so smart meters installed over a ten-year period. The project is budgeted at 830 million euros.

The new smart meters will provide consumers with real-time information on the kilowatt-hours they use; consumption records, via home devices or web applications; as well as varying supplier tariff levels, all of which will help consumers become more energy-efficient for lower energy costs.

In addition, smart meters will help DEDDIE/HEDNO identify technical problems in the grid, enabling swifter repair of damages.  

Operator decides on 2nd round qualifiers for smart meters

Electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO has shortlisted the second-round qualifiers in a tender awarding a contract for the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart throughout the country, to replace the existing analog meters, energypress sources have informed.

The DEDDIE/HEDNO board yesterday approved the shortlist of second-round qualifiers, roughly one-third of the original field of seven candidates.

The companies disqualified failed to meet procedural requirements or quality standards, the sources noted.

Interested parties faced a mid-June deadline to submit applications to the tender. The operator’s appraisal of first-round applications required considerable time as participants were called upon to clarify various details.

The tender’s first-round participants were: US-based Itron; Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr; Elster, now a member of international group Honeywell; Protasis, a Greek firm operating in Greece as a representative of French company Sagemcom; Slovenia-based Iskraemeco; Gridspertise, founded in 2021 by Italian group Enel to market the group’s smart network technology; and Intrasoft International, which became a member of Danish-headquartered IT group Netcompany last year.

DEDDIE/HEDNO plans to complete the project by 2030. Its cost is budgeted at 829 million euros. The upgrade will offer immediate benefits, which have been evaluated at 223 million euros in the first year alone, in 2031.

 

Seven international players meet smart meters tender deadline

A total of seven major international players have expressed non-binding, first-round interest in a new tender staged by distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO for procurement and installation of digital power meters around the country.

The operator launched this new tender after its previous procedure, launched eight years ago, ended up being brought to a standstill by legal battles fought between rival bidders.

The seven companies that met the new procedure’s first-round deadline, which expired last Friday following five extensions granted to interested parties, are: US-based Itron; Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr; Elster, now a member of international group Honeywell; Protasis, a Greek firm operating in Greece as a representative of French company Sagemcom; Slovenia-based Iskraemeco; Gridspertise, founded in 2021 by Italian group Enel to market the group’s smart network technology; and Intrasoft International, which became a member of Danish-headquartered IT group Netcompany last year.

First-round offers are planned to be opened at midday today, setting in motion their appraisal.

The project, entailing the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters in Greece, is expected to be completed in 2030 and its budget is estimated at 830 million euros.

 

Smart meter first-round tender deadline extended until Friday

Distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO has extended, until this Friday, the first-round deadline of its new tender concerning procurement and installation of digital power meters around the country.

The operator decided on the extension, the fifth to be offered to interested parties since the tender’s launch earlier this year, following requests made by major players, believed to be interested in the project.

The project, entailing the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters, is expected to be completed in 2030 and its budget is estimated at 830 million euros.

American, European and Asian firms are said to be interested. At least seven major international players are reportedly considering DEDDIE/HEDNO’s tender for smart meters in Greece. These are: US company Honeywell, Germany’s Siemens, France’s Schneider Electric, the UK’s Sagemcom, Italy’s Itron, Slovenia’s Iscra Emeco and Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr, which has transferred its production lines to the factory of its Greek subsidiary in Corinth, west of Athens.

A number of these candidates are expected to establish partnerships with Greek companies for the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender.

DEDDIE/HEDNO launched this new tender after its previous procedure, launched several years ago, was eventually brought to a standstill as a result of legal battles between rival bidders.