Sustainability and Climate Data Services

Description

Description Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Limited ("Border to Coast") is an FCA-regulated investment manager headquartered in Leeds, managing assets on behalf of 18 Local Government Pension Scheme ("LGPS") pension funds. Border to Coast is one of the UK's largest pension pools, responsible for the management and oversight of approximately £120 billion of assets. The LGPS is one of the world's largest funded pension schemes, with around £425 billion of assets and nearly seven million members. Requirement Border to Coast wishes to procure sustainability and climate data services to support implementation of its Responsible Investment and Engagement Strategies, including portfolio risk management, investment decision-making, stewardship activities, external reporting and Partner Fund support. The required information and analytics will support the identification, assessment and management of sustainability-related risks and opportunities relevant to long-term investment performance. The scope of information required is expected to include sustainability metrics and assessments; controversy and conduct-related indicators; human rights and international norms data (including UN Global Compact-related information); information supporting the monitoring of exclusions; climate and net zero analytics; and data to support portfolio monitoring, stewardship activities, risk management and reporting requirements. The tender is currently expected to be structured across three Lots. Border to Coast reserves the right to refine the Lot structure following further development of the requirements and market engagement prior to publication of the tender documents. • Lot 1: Sustainability data (including): o Sustainability metrics and assessments; o Corporate accountability and governance data; o Human rights and international norms data; o Nature and biodiversity data; o Controversy and conduct-related data; and o Responsible Investment policy monitoring (including controversial weapons). • Lot 2: Climate and transition data and analytics (including): o Emissions metrics; o Transition and net zero analytics; o Climate risk and scenario analysis; and o Climate resilience-related data. • Lot 3: Sustainable bond and impact data (including): o Use of proceeds data; o Sustainable bond analytics; o Labelled bond data; o Impact measurement and reporting data; and o Data aligned to recognised impact frameworks. Border to Coast recognises that no single provider may be able to meet all requirements and therefore reserves the right to appoint multiple providers, both across Lots and within individual Lots, where this delivers the most effective solution. Border to Coast may choose not to procure data in certain areas where relevant information is already available through existing provider relationships outside the scope of this contract. The solution should be provided under an enterprise-wide license, enabling access across multiple teams, including Responsible Investment, Research, Investment and Portfolio Risk. The required coverage spans a broad range of asset classes, including listed equities, corporate credit, sovereign credit, private markets and real estate. The contract is expected to support reporting and disclosure requirements across Border to Coast and its Partner Funds, including climate-related, stewardship and wider sustainability-related reporting. Certain headline sustainability and climate metrics will also need to be made available to Partner Funds through reporting processes. Partner Funds must be permitted to use relevant outputs and data for their own reporting, disclosure, stewardship and regulatory requirements. Appropriate redistribution rights within the Border to Coast partnership will therefore be required. The provider's operating model must be capable of integrating with Border to Coast's Investment Research and Data Platform, including BlackRock Aladdin, to support efficient data management, investment analysis, risk oversight and reporting activities. Providers should demonstrate an ability to support changing sustainability-related reporting requirements, market standards and regulatory frameworks over the life of the contract. Total value (estimated) The total value across the three Lots as detailed below is indicative only and based on current assumptions regarding scope and requirements. Actual value may vary between Lots as data requirements are refined and the final Lot structure is confirmed. Border to Coast therefore reserves the right to reallocate value between Lots. Lot Approximate Value Lot 1 £0.8m - £1.4m (+VAT) Lot 2 £0.8m - £1.4m (+VAT) Lot 3 £0.3m - £0.8m (+VAT) Total £2.8m (+VAT)