For public administrations

Building services control for local councils and public administrations

Energy efficiency in local councils starts with knowing what the building services in each municipal building are doing. At ACIPro we install and maintain remote monitoring for schools, swimming pools, sports halls, cultural centres and offices, help prepare open specifications and are registered on ROLECE (Spain's official register of public sector tenderers) to contract with the public sector.

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Reply within 24 working hours · Across Extremadura and neighbouring provinces in Spain

Typical problems in municipal buildings

Any council technician will recognise this list. Buildings from different eras, each with its own boiler, chiller and timer, and nobody with an overall view:

Heating left on during public holidays, school holidays or weekends with no activity.
Thermostats tampered with by users and setpoints that nobody checks.
Faults discovered only when the school rings because it is cold.
Old control systems with no spare parts and nobody who knows how to programme them.
High bills with no way of knowing which building or which piece of equipment is causing them.
Maintenance contracts that change hands and documentation that gets lost.

None of these problems is solved simply by replacing plant. They are solved with controls, remote monitoring and data. That is why our work usually begins with an audit of the control system: an inventory of buildings and equipment, the condition of controllers and communications, actual operating hours compared with hours of use, and the consumption data available. With that diagnosis, the council can prioritise the highest-consuming buildings and budget in phases.

The audit does not require any service to be shut down. On site we check panels, controllers, sensors, valves and timers and, where necessary, take measurements with our own equipment: power quality analyser, thermal imaging, insulation and earth testing. The report sets out what can be reused, what should be replaced and which works fit a minor contract, a lot in a tender or a funding call.

Remote monitoring of municipal buildings from a single workstation

Remote monitoring of municipal buildings brings every property together in a single supervisory system, usually based on Niagara 4 with Honeywell equipment, or by integrating whatever already exists if the council has EcoStruxure Building Operation or Siemens Desigo:

List or map of buildings with their status and active alarms.
Schedules for each building, aligned with the school calendar, local holidays and events.
Comparison of consumption between similar buildings, for example between schools.
Access profiles: the caretaker, the council technician and the maintenance contractor each see what they need.
Alerts sent to the person responsible, not to an inbox nobody reads.

Every point is named using our naming database and tagged with Project Haystack, so the supervisory system remains understandable even if the maintenance contractor changes. We go into this in HVAC control in public buildings.

We will reply within 24 working hours with an initial assessment.

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How we work with public procurement

ACIPro is registered on ROLECE (Registro Oficial de Licitadores y Empresas Clasificadas del Sector Público, Spain's Official Register of Tenderers and Classified Companies in the Public Sector). Under Ley 9/2017 de Contratos del Sector Público (Spanish Public Sector Contracts Act), this registration certifies to contracting authorities the details of legal personality, capacity, financial and technical standing and absence of grounds for exclusion recorded in the register, and in the simplified open procedure Article 159.4.a) generally requires bidders to be registered by the closing date for submission of bids, provided this does not restrict competition. We are also members of ASEMIET as an installation contractor.

In practice we work in three common formats:

Minor contracts, for well-defined works. Article 118 of the LCSP limits them to an estimated value, excluding VAT, of less than €40,000 for works and €15,000 for supplies and services.
Tenders divided into lots. As a general rule, Article 99.3 requires contracts to be divided into lots where their subject matter allows, with a justification in the file when this is not done. A separate controls and remote monitoring lot, distinct from the mechanical works, usually gives better results.
Subcontracting of the controls package within works or maintenance contracts awarded to other companies.

The law prohibits splitting a contract to avoid thresholds (Article 99.2): if a project exceeds the minor contract limit, we help you define it so it can be tendered properly.

Open specifications for a BMS tender without lock-in

The most expensive mistake in a BMS tender is being tied to a single manufacturer or a single company. When we work with council technical services or their engineering consultants, we recommend specifying functions rather than brands, in line with the LCSP, which only allows a brand to be named exceptionally and accompanied by the words "or equivalent":

Open protocols (BACnet, Modbus, KNX) in controllers and integrations.
Handover to the council of programs, licences, passwords and the points list.
As-built documentation and training for council staff.
Minimum BACS class under UNE-EN ISO 52120-1 and energy metering for each building.

If the authority has an external engineering consultant, we work with them; we explain how in services for engineering firms.

Tell us about your building and what concerns you. We'll tell you where to start.

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BACS obligation and HVAC maintenance in public buildings

The RITE (Spanish Regulation on Thermal Installations in Buildings, IT 1.2.4.3.5, introduced by Real Decreto 178/2021) requires, where technically and economically feasible, building automation and control systems in non-residential buildings whose heating, cooling or combined heating/cooling and ventilation systems exceed 290 kW of effective rated output. Many sports centres, indoor swimming pools, cultural centres and administrative buildings fall into this category. We explain this in the BACS obligation for buildings.

Beyond the legal obligation, controls are what make HVAC maintenance in public buildings effective. With remote monitoring, the maintenance contractor checks remotely, receives alarms in good time and arrives on site knowing what is wrong. We offer automated fault detection with technical review, monthly reports and training for maintenance staff and users. Optimising HVAC controls typically delivers savings of between 15% and 40%, with paybacks of 2 to 4 years, depending on the starting point.

Funding: CAE and energy efficiency grants for local authorities

A controls upgrade that brings the building up to class B under UNE-EN ISO 52120-1 can generate Energy Savings Certificates (CAE) through the TER050 measure sheet. We process them with a partner that is a CAE delegated entity; the details are in Energy Savings Certificates.

Local authorities have also had access to national programmes such as PREE and PREE 5000, and to regional calls co-funded by the ERDF (FEDER). In 2026, for example, the Junta de Extremadura (regional government) launched grants, now closed, for energy efficiency and HVAC works in schools run by councils and smaller local entities. Calls open and close every year with different requirements, so it pays to have the project defined before they are published. We help with the technical report for the controls element, always based on the call currently open.

Call us or message us on WhatsApp on +34 634 456 471 and we'll go through it with you.

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Secure remote access and ENS support on the OT side

Connecting municipal buildings to a supervisory system must not open a door into the council's network. We apply encrypted remote access, individual users and a control network separated from the corporate network, following the principles of the ISA/IEC 62443 series. If the authority has a security officer for the Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (ENS, Spain's National Security Framework), we support them on the operational technology side: equipment inventory, network architecture, accounts and access logs. For networking and communications we also install networks, WiFi and fibre.

Case study

Gran Teatro de Cáceres: air handling unit supervision in a public building

The Gran Teatro de Cáceres, a public building used for cultural events, needed to supervise its air handling units and chiller from a single platform that maintenance staff could easily understand.

What we did

Integration of air handling units CL1 and CL2, with heat recovery, and the chiller into the Niagara supervisory system.
3D graphics modelled by ACIPro for each item of equipment.
Screens showing statuses, temperatures, setpoints and alarms.
Point names and Project Haystack tagging according to the ACIPro database.

I want results like this

Frequently asked questions

Is ACIPro registered on ROLECE?

Yes. ACIPro is registered on the Registro Oficial de Licitadores y Empresas Clasificadas del Sector Público (Spain's Official Register of Tenderers and Classified Companies in the Public Sector). This registration certifies to contracting authorities the details recorded in the register and is, as a general rule, a requirement for bidding in simplified open procedures (Article 159.4.a of Ley 9/2017). We are also members of ASEMIET as an installation contractor.

What is the limit for a minor contract?

Article 118 of Ley 9/2017 de Contratos del Sector Público (Spanish Public Sector Contracts Act) sets the threshold for minor contracts at an estimated value, excluding VAT, of less than €40,000 for works and €15,000 for supplies and services. Above those amounts a tender is required, and Article 99.2 prohibits splitting a contract to stay below them.

Can an old municipal building be remotely monitored?

Yes, in most cases. We integrate the controllers that can already communicate and add controllers where there is no communication, reusing sensors, actuators and wiring that are in good condition. Before quoting, we survey what is there to tell you what can be reused and what is worth replacing.

How do we avoid being tied to one company or brand?

With a specification that asks for functions and open protocols, not brands, and that requires programs, licences, passwords, the points list and as-built documentation to be handed over to the council. That way any qualified company can maintain or extend the system in the future, whoever the original contractor was.

What grants are available for energy efficiency in local authorities?

There have been national programmes such as PREE and PREE 5000 and regional calls co-funded by the ERDF (FEDER), such as the 2026 Junta de Extremadura call for schools, now closed. Calls change every year, so it is worth checking the one currently open. In addition, controls upgrades can generate CAE under the TER050 measure sheet.

Do you hold ENS certification?

We are not certified under the Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (Spain's National Security Framework). What we do is apply encrypted remote access, individual users and separation of the control network, and support the authority's security officer on the operational technology side with the information they need: inventory, architecture and access logs.

Is a municipal building required to have a BACS?

The RITE requires one, where technically and economically feasible, in non-residential buildings with heating, cooling or combined heating/cooling and ventilation systems of more than 290 kW of effective rated output, which includes many swimming pools, sports centres and administrative buildings. Even where it is not mandatory, controls with remote monitoring are usually the upgrade with the best return in public buildings.

Do you work with small councils?

Yes. We work with authorities of every size across Extremadura and neighbouring provinces. In small municipalities it is usually enough to start with the highest-consuming buildings, such as schools or swimming pools, and extend remote monitoring later using the same supervisory system.

Call us or message us on WhatsApp on +34 634 456 471 and we'll go through it with you.

Talk to a technician WhatsApp +34 634 456 471

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References and manufacturers

Do you have a control system that nobody knows how to maintain?

We review your installation and tell you what can be reused, what should be replaced and how much you could save.

Request a site visit WhatsApp +34 634 456 471