Support for Energy Education in Communities (SEEC) Round 6

Objectives

Support households in energy hardship through delivery of in-home energy advice interventions and support services.

Eligibility

Service providers who have a track record in providing targeted, specialised services and education to households in energy hardship.
Service providers who have existing staff who have Home Performance Advisor Certification (HPA) which is a standardised, nationally recognised framework.
Service providers who have established pathways to receive referrals for households and experience in providing referrals to the Warmer Kiwi Homes and Healthy Homes Initiative.
There is a preference for providers based in Northland, Waikato, HawkesBay, Gisborne, Taranaki, Whanganui/Central Plateau and south of Marlborough/Tasman - areas that weren't covered in SEEC round 5.

About round 6

SEEC supports providers that offer targeted, specialised advice and education to households in energy hardship in Aotearoa New Zealand.

These providers use the funding to support households achieve warmer, more energy-efficient homes and lower their power bills.

This RFP is looking for providers who can each deliver a minimum of 300 in-home energy advice and support visits, depending on geographical areas, over a contract period of up to two years.

Who should apply

We seek established providers who are experienced in providing targeted, specialised advice and education to households in energy hardship.

You must:

have been working with the community(ies) you wish to provide in-home services to for at least 2 years
have existing staff employed by your organisation who have Home Performance Advisor Certification
be able to train staff to Home Performance Adviser Certification
have established pathways to receive referrals for households in energy hardship
have existing referral pathways to Warmer Kiwi Homes, Healthy Homes Initiative and other support services
be experienced in conducting and reporting post-intervention surveys.

What applicants need to provide

In-home energy advice interventions to assess household energy use and provide tailored advice on reducing energy costs. 
Household-specific recommendations, including changes in energy usage habits. 
Follow-up with households to track progress and reinforce energy-saving behaviours.

Providers also need to be able to provide these support services (though not for every household):

Low-cost energy efficient equipment and devices e.g. LED light bulbs, draught stoppers, thermal or double-layered curtains, energy-efficient power strips, and hot water cylinder wraps to households.
Compliance checks with Healthy Home Standards and support/advocacy for tenant’s home to become Healthy Homes Standard-complaint with the landlord.
Inspections to identify inefficiencies, such as poor insulation, draughty windows, and inefficient heating sources.
Minor home upgrades like sealing draughts, installing window insulation kits, and fixing ventilation issues.
Referrals to Warmer Kiwi Homes, Healthy Homes Initiative and other support programmes.
Personalised energy advocacy and power bill support
Assistance for eligible families in applying for financial support schemes or hardship grants
Completed follow-up surveys with at least 10% of households.

Providers are required to provide quarterly reporting to EECA and attend regular meetings with EECA’s SEEC relationship lead to discuss project progress.

How to submit your proposal

We welcome applicants to apply through the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS). 

For full RFP details and to apply visit the GETS website(external link)

GETS ID: 33542301

You can find a guide to applying through GETS below.

Key documents:	Request for proposals [PDF 284 KB]
	Response form [DOCX 120 KB]
Key dates:
RFP opens	Thursday, 5 March 2026
First applicant hui	Week of 9 March 2026
Second applicant hui	Week of 16 March 2026
Deadline for questions to EECA	Friday, 20 March 2026
RFP closes	Thursday, 9 April 2026
Successful applicants announced	June 2026

For any queries contact us through the Government Electronic Tenders System (GETS) or via email at applications@eeca.govt.nz.

Register for applicant hui via the links below:

Hui 1: Register now(external link)

Hui 2: Register now(external link)

What is GETS?

GETS is the New Zealand Government’s official website where public sector organisations advertise contracts (called tenders or opportunities) and receive supplier responses online.

Create a GETS account – registration is free
- Go to the GETS website: https://www.gets.govt.nz
- Select Register
- Enter your organisation details (or yourself if you’re a sole trader)
- Create a username and password
- Confirm your email address when prompted.
Apply
- Once logged in, enter the GETS ID XXXXX into the search bar
- Read the tender carefully. It includes a description of what we are looking for, our Request for Proposal (RFP), evaluation criteria (how your response will be scored), and submission instructions.
Ask questions
- Use the GETS Q&A function (inside the tender page) to ask clear, specific questions
- Answers are shared with all suppliers (anonymously)
- Our deadline for questions is 20/03/26Friday, 20 March 2026.
Prepare your response

In your applications, include:
- Your approach – how you will do the work
- Your experience – examples of similar work
- Your team – who will be involved
- Pricing – completed pricing schedule
- Declarations – conflict of interest, legal statements.
Upload your response to GETS
- Return to the tender page
- Click Respond to Opportunity
- Upload all required files.
Check that:
- Files open correctly
- You have uploaded the final versions
- Submit before the closing time.
After submitting:
- GETS will show a submission confirmation
- You may also receive an email
- Save this for your records.
Helpful tips for first-timers
- Start early — government tenders take time
- Follow instructions exactly
- Don’t assume the buyer knows you
- Ask for feedback if unsuccessful
- Keep your GETS profile up to date.

Past SEEC funding round details

A total of $1.7 million was allocated to 17 projects around the country in the third funding round, announced in November 2022.

The funding focus for Round 3 was on pilot projects that:
- filled gaps in the projects funded to date in terms of the type of project, location, and the people and communities they target, and/or
- built on the success of SEEC-funded projects to date, and
- had the potential to scale.
Download list of Round 3 SEEC funding recipients [PDF 39 KB]

Government supports more energy-saving projects to help more Kiwis save money(external link)
In April 2022, MBIE brought forward $350,000 of SEEC funding to be made available to existing SEEC-funded projects that could be restarted or extended to deliver further energy education and support through autumn and winter 2022.

This was in response to the growing cost of living, which was likely to be exacerbated as winter increased households’ energy needs.

It drew on the opportunity to provide more immediate support to households in need by enabling existing SEEC providers to maintain momentum, using existing staff and delivery capability.

Earlier recipients of SEEC Programme funding were invited to apply for a funding boost to restart or extend their SEEC-funded pilot.

In May 2022, 5 existing SEEC projects were selected to receive a funding boost.

Download a list of SEEC funding boost recipients [PDF 31 KB]
A total of $1.65 million was allocated to 15 projects in the second funding round, announced in November 2021.

Funding for Round 2 focused on pilots that have potential to scale and can be substantially delivered within 12 months.

Priority was given to initiatives that filled gaps in terms of location, type and who the initiative targets, to build on the projects funded in the first round.

Download a list of Round 2 SEEC funding recipients [PDF 39 KB]

More energy saving advice to hit home thanks to government funding(external link)
A total of $1.26 million was allocated to 9 projects in the first funding round, announced in May 2021.

Funding for Round 1 focused on pilots that could be implemented to deliver results by winter 2021, and that had the potential to scale.

Download a list of Round 1 SEEC funding recipients [PDF 34 KB]

Government gives households extra help to reduce their power bills(external link)

In mid-2024 MBIE, commissioned consultants MartinJenkins to conduct an external evaluation of the SEEC fund. The purpose of the evaluation was to:
- help officials gain a greater understanding of SEEC's benefits and costs by preparing a cost-benefit-analysis
- generate insights that will ensure improved delivery of future SEEC funding rounds.
The evaluation found that SEEC delivers a positive return on investment. Societal returns, including co-funding leveraged by providers, shows a $1.70 benefit for $1 invested. The returns on the Government investment only are higher at $2.21. These are conservative estimates to account for poor-quality historical data.

The evaluation found that SEEC activities:
- deliver unique value in their own right
- generate additional referrals that would not have otherwise happened (for example to the Healthy Homes Initiative and Warmer Kiwi Homes).
The evaluation provides valuable insights and direction that helps:
- target future SEEC funding to better support households in energy hardship
- achieve a significantly higher return of investment.
EECA officials are now considering the evaluation and its key recommendations:
- Develop a strategic long-term plan for delivering SEEC funding.
- Optimise the return on investment by targeting funding to a smaller number of proven providers, who demonstrate that their delivery model is aligned with the success factors described in the evaluation report.
- Improve monitoring and reporting.
Read the full evaluation report [PDF 1.5 MB]