Planning

Developing an Approach to Groundwater DQRA for PFAS

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

28 May 2025 at 08:08

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

19 May 2025 at 13:40

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

19 May 2025 at 13:34

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Environment Agency, a public authority under the UK's central government, is initiating a procurement process titled "Developing an Approach to Groundwater DQRA for PFAS". Situated in London, the Agency is focusing on services related to groundwater pollution monitoring and control across the UK. Currently in the planning stage, this project entails a comprehensive assessment and strategy development concerning PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances). Key planning milestones include engagement with stakeholders, with questionnaire responses due by 6 June 2025. The planning phase outlines the project's detailed analyses to be conducted between 6 August 2025 and 31 March 2026. This endeavour addresses the critical need for consistent regulatory approaches to emerging contaminants, supported by a market engagement notice published on 28 May 2025.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in environmental consultancy, particularly those with expertise in PFAS and groundwater risk assessment. Companies with a solid track record in handling similar projects could leverage this to expand their portfolio within the public sector. The engagement phase encourages input from potential suppliers, allowing them to shape the eventual tender specifications according to their capabilities, fostering an environment conducive to innovation and solution-oriented approaches. Organisations capable of offering comprehensive risk assessments and mitigation strategies, particularly those familiar with environmental regulatory frameworks, will be well-suited to compete and potentially form lasting partnerships with the Environment Agency.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Start Free Trial Book a Demo
All Features Pricing

Notice Information

Notice Title

Developing an Approach to Groundwater DQRA for PFAS

Notice Description

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad group of synthetic fluorinated chemicals which are persistent in the environment. Some are bio-accumulative and toxic, and/or highly mobile. PFAS are used in a wide variety of consumer products and industrial applications because of their unique chemical and physical properties, including oil, water and stain repellence, temperature and chemical resistance, and surfactant properties. PFAS are widespread within the water environment because of the direct and indirect pathways into groundwater and surface water from various applications and activities. The need for a consistent approach to assessing the risk of PFAS compounds to groundwater receptors is growing substantially due to increasing year on year attention to PFAS as an emerging contaminant, from the public, media, regulators, and industry. It is becoming more vital that we, as regulators, and industry, are able to understand the risks associated with PFAS and can provide robust and consistent regulation in this emerging field. Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessments (DQRAs) are an important tool used to assist our understanding of the potential risks posed to receptors from PFAS. The National Groundwater Team at the Environment Agency has identified that as DQRAs with a PFAS focus are being undertaken more frequently by industry, there is a need to provide a consistent approach to our review process. This project will be completed in two parts as follows: 1. Undertake a literature review of UK and international resources to identify evidence-backed robust physio-chemical data sources for the 16 PFAS identified as hazardous substances in the JAGDAG 2025 list of hazardous substances and non-hazardous pollutants (Table 1 - shown below) that could be used as inputs into a DQRA. 2. Produce a summary table of appropriate physio-chemical data and data sources for the 16 PFAS. Table 1 Substance: CAS Number Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Dimer Acid (HFPO-DA or GEN-X) : 13252-13-6 Perfluorobutane Sulfonate (PFBS): 375-73-5 Perfluorodecane Sulfonic Acid (PFDS): 335-77-3 Perfluorodecanoic Acid (PFDA): 335-76-2 Perfluorododecanoic Acid (PFdoDA): 307-55-1 Perfluoroheptane Sulfonic Acid (PFHpS): 357-92-8 Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS): 108427-53-8 Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA): 307-24-4 Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS): 1763-23-1 Perfluorononane Sulfonic Acid (PFNS): 68259-12-1 Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA): 357-95-1 Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA): 335-67-1 Perfluoropentane Sulfonic Acid (PFPeS): 2706-91-4 Perfluorotetradecanoic Acid (PFTetraDA): 72629-94-8 Perfluorotridecanoic Acid (PFTriDA): 376-06-7 Perfluoroundecanoic Acid (PFUnDA):2058-94-8 List taken from the 2025 updated JAGTAG table of confirmed hazardous substances: https://www.wfduk.org/sites/default/files/2025 04 14 Confirmed hazardous substances list.pdf The literature review and summary table will be completed over a four-month timeline, using the Environment Agency's Literature Review Guidance document, which provides guidance as to how literature reviews should be completed to align with Environment Agency requirements.

Planning Information

Questionnaire responses will be used to inform our assessment of carrying out this requirement and how it might potentially be delivered, including the route to market. Responses will not, under any circumstances, be used as an evaluation tool. If you'd like to request a copy of the PFAS list in tabular form please contact emma.mcanaw@environment-agency.gov.uk. Please provide any feedback by 6 June 2025 by emailing emma.mcanaw@environment-agency.gov.uk and annalise.hackett@environment-agency.gov.uk All responses and details of respondents will be held in the strictest commercial confidence and will not be shared wider. Please provide examples in your responses to projects, programmes of work and international standards where necessary. Questions 1. Contractor Name 2. Please provide two brief examples that demonstrate how your organisation's experience and expertise in PFAS and/or detailed quantitative groundwater risk assessment? 3. Are there any factors that may prevent you from submitting a bid for this project, such as capacity and/or expertise? 4. Given your understanding of the scope, are you able to provide the outputs for all of the requirements, including both deliverables? 5. Please set out what you foresee as key risks or challenges associated with delivery of the outlined services (including mitigations where relevant). 6. Given your understanding of the technical specification provided: a. Do you believe the project tasks are adequately described with relevant information? b. Is there any further information you would need about the specification? c. Do you have any suggestions on how the specification could be modified to improve the project outcome? 7. What key information does the Environment Agency need to provide in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents to ensure that you can prepare a quality bid and price the work accurately? 8. Do you wish to express an interest in this project? If your reply is no, please provide a brief reason why you have opted out for monitoring purposes. 9. Any other comments of feedback?

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-051715
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027924-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

90733700 - Groundwater pollution monitoring or control services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
6 Jun 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
5 Aug 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
emma.mcanaw@environment-agency.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-051715-2025-05-28T09:08:09+01:00",
    "date": "2025-05-28T09:08:09+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-051715",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PNWW-1475-NYLN",
            "name": "Environment Agency",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PNWW-1475-NYLN"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1P 4DF",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "emma.mcanaw@environment-agency.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PNWW-1475-NYLN",
        "name": "Environment Agency"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "Questionnaire responses will be used to inform our assessment of carrying out this requirement and how it might potentially be delivered, including the route to market. Responses will not, under any circumstances, be used as an evaluation tool. If you'd like to request a copy of the PFAS list in tabular form please contact emma.mcanaw@environment-agency.gov.uk. Please provide any feedback by 6 June 2025 by emailing emma.mcanaw@environment-agency.gov.uk and annalise.hackett@environment-agency.gov.uk All responses and details of respondents will be held in the strictest commercial confidence and will not be shared wider. Please provide examples in your responses to projects, programmes of work and international standards where necessary. Questions 1. Contractor Name 2. Please provide two brief examples that demonstrate how your organisation's experience and expertise in PFAS and/or detailed quantitative groundwater risk assessment? 3. Are there any factors that may prevent you from submitting a bid for this project, such as capacity and/or expertise? 4. Given your understanding of the scope, are you able to provide the outputs for all of the requirements, including both deliverables? 5. Please set out what you foresee as key risks or challenges associated with delivery of the outlined services (including mitigations where relevant). 6. Given your understanding of the technical specification provided: a. Do you believe the project tasks are adequately described with relevant information? b. Is there any further information you would need about the specification? c. Do you have any suggestions on how the specification could be modified to improve the project outcome? 7. What key information does the Environment Agency need to provide in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents to ensure that you can prepare a quality bid and price the work accurately? 8. Do you wish to express an interest in this project? If your reply is no, please provide a brief reason why you have opted out for monitoring purposes. 9. Any other comments of feedback?",
                "dueDate": "2025-06-06T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "022689-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022689-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-05-19T14:34:11+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "022697-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022697-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-05-19T14:40:33+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            },
            {
                "id": "027924-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027924-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-05-28T09:08:09+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-051715",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Developing an Approach to Groundwater DQRA for PFAS",
        "description": "Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad group of synthetic fluorinated chemicals which are persistent in the environment. Some are bio-accumulative and toxic, and/or highly mobile. PFAS are used in a wide variety of consumer products and industrial applications because of their unique chemical and physical properties, including oil, water and stain repellence, temperature and chemical resistance, and surfactant properties. PFAS are widespread within the water environment because of the direct and indirect pathways into groundwater and surface water from various applications and activities. The need for a consistent approach to assessing the risk of PFAS compounds to groundwater receptors is growing substantially due to increasing year on year attention to PFAS as an emerging contaminant, from the public, media, regulators, and industry. It is becoming more vital that we, as regulators, and industry, are able to understand the risks associated with PFAS and can provide robust and consistent regulation in this emerging field. Detailed Quantitative Risk Assessments (DQRAs) are an important tool used to assist our understanding of the potential risks posed to receptors from PFAS. The National Groundwater Team at the Environment Agency has identified that as DQRAs with a PFAS focus are being undertaken more frequently by industry, there is a need to provide a consistent approach to our review process. This project will be completed in two parts as follows: 1. Undertake a literature review of UK and international resources to identify evidence-backed robust physio-chemical data sources for the 16 PFAS identified as hazardous substances in the JAGDAG 2025 list of hazardous substances and non-hazardous pollutants (Table 1 - shown below) that could be used as inputs into a DQRA. 2. Produce a summary table of appropriate physio-chemical data and data sources for the 16 PFAS. Table 1 Substance: CAS Number Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Dimer Acid (HFPO-DA or GEN-X) : 13252-13-6 Perfluorobutane Sulfonate (PFBS): 375-73-5 Perfluorodecane Sulfonic Acid (PFDS): 335-77-3 Perfluorodecanoic Acid (PFDA): 335-76-2 Perfluorododecanoic Acid (PFdoDA): 307-55-1 Perfluoroheptane Sulfonic Acid (PFHpS): 357-92-8 Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS): 108427-53-8 Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA): 307-24-4 Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS): 1763-23-1 Perfluorononane Sulfonic Acid (PFNS): 68259-12-1 Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA): 357-95-1 Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA): 335-67-1 Perfluoropentane Sulfonic Acid (PFPeS): 2706-91-4 Perfluorotetradecanoic Acid (PFTetraDA): 72629-94-8 Perfluorotridecanoic Acid (PFTriDA): 376-06-7 Perfluoroundecanoic Acid (PFUnDA):2058-94-8 List taken from the 2025 updated JAGTAG table of confirmed hazardous substances: https://www.wfduk.org/sites/default/files/2025 04 14 Confirmed hazardous substances list.pdf The literature review and summary table will be completed over a four-month timeline, using the Environment Agency's Literature Review Guidance document, which provides guidance as to how literature reviews should be completed to align with Environment Agency requirements.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "90733700",
                        "description": "Groundwater pollution monitoring or control services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": false,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2025-08-06T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2026-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "status": "planning",
        "amendments": [
            {
                "id": "022697-2025",
                "description": "Amended information relating to the location of Table 1"
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en"
}