Notice Information
Notice Title
Drone Technology for Environmental Monitoring and Disaster Response
Notice Description
Somerset Council is inviting suppliers to participate in a pre-market engagement exercise to explore innovative drone-based-and potentially other-technological solutions that can enhance environmental monitoring and disaster response across the region. This engagement will inform the procurement. The Council anticipates a multi-stage procurement approach, beginning with a pilot delivered by selected supplier(s), followed by further testing and potential scaling of the solution(s) that demonstrate cost-effective impact and alignment with the challenge requirements.
Planning Information
Purpose of Engagement Somerset Council is inviting suppliers to participate in a pre-market engagement exercise to explore innovative drone-based-and potentially other-technological solutions that can enhance environmental monitoring and disaster response across the region. This engagement will inform the procurement. The Council anticipates a multi-stage procurement approach, beginning with a pilot delivered by selected supplier(s), followed by further testing and potential scaling of the solution(s) that demonstrate cost-effective impact and alignment with the challenge requirements. Challenge Statement "Somerset Council is seeking innovative solutions that harness drone technology to enhance environmental monitoring, asset management, and disaster response across the county. While drones offer powerful capabilities for collecting high-resolution, real-time data in remote and sensitive locations, their full potential is currently limited by a range of technical, operational, analytical, and ethical challenges. We invite proposals that address these barriers and unlock the transformative potential of drones or other methods to support climate resilience, ecological stewardship, and evidence-based decision-making. Solutions should be scalable, adaptable to diverse environments, and capable of integrating with existing data systems to deliver actionable insights." Background As part of our commitment to sustainable land management and climate resilience, Somerset Council is investigating the use of drone technology to: • Monitor coastal erosion and river dynamics • Map habitats and assess biodiversity • Detect pollution in terrestrial and aquatic environments • Support rapid response to environmental hazards (e.g. flooding, landslides) Focus areas include River Parrett, Minehead Harbour, Watchet Harbour, and Doniford Beach. Challenges to Address We are particularly interested in solutions that overcome: • Technical barriers: battery life, payload limits, weather sensitivity, data processing • Operational constraints: flight regulations, pilot skills, maintenance • Data & privacy concerns: secure data handling, ethical surveillance • Environmental impact: wildlife disturbance, e-waste • Analytical complexity: data interpretation and integration with other source Desired Outcomes • Scalable, cost-effective surveying in remote areas • Adaptability to varied environmental contexts • Integrated data management and analysis • Enhanced disaster preparedness and response • Use of AI for predictive modelling and planning Evaluation Criteria Responses will be assessed based on: • Technical feasibility and innovation • Cost-effectiveness and sustainability • Scalability and integration potential • Environmental impact Engagement deadline 16:00 on 07 November 2025 How to Participate Interested suppliers are invited to: • To register your interest, please email corinne.matthews@somerset.gov.uk including your organisation's name and main contact details. • Upon receipt of your expression of interest, the team will provide you with a pre-market engagement questionnaire for completion. • All completed questionnaires must be submitted to corinne.matthews@somerset.gov.uk by 16:00 on Friday 7th November 2025. • Responses will help shape future requirements and inform potential market solutions. **Please note that this market engagement exercise is for information-gathering purposes and does not constitute a commitment to initiate a procurement process or award any contract.**
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-05a9e6
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063017-2025
- 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
- SME
- Awardee Scale
- Not specified
Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)
- CPV Divisions
35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment
60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
-
- CPV Codes
35613000 - Unmanned aerial vehicles
60400000 - Air transport services
71351500 - Ground investigation services
71351720 - Geophysical surveys of archaeological sites
71510000 - Site-investigation services
79961200 - Aerial photography services
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- £498,000 £100K-£500K
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- Not specified
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 7 Oct 20254 months ago
- Submission Deadline
- Not specified
- Future Notice Date
- 21 Nov 2025Expired
- Award Date
- Not specified
- Contract Period
- 16 Feb 2026 - 15 Feb 2028 1-2 years
- 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
- SOMERSET COUNCIL
- Contact Name
- Not specified
- Contact Email
- commercialandprocurement@somerset.gov.uk
- Contact Phone
- 0300 123 2224
Buyer Location
- Locality
- TAUNTON
- Postcode
- TA1 4DY
- Post Town
- Taunton
- Country
- England
-
- Major Region (ITL 1)
- TLK South West (England)
- Basic Region (ITL 2)
- TLK6 North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset
- Small Region (ITL 3)
- TLK62 Somerset
- Delivery Location
- TLK23 Somerset CC
-
- Local Authority
- Somerset
- Electoral Ward
- Bishop's Hull & Taunton West
- Westminster Constituency
- Taunton and Wellington
Further Information
Notice Documents
-
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063017-2025
7th October 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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-05a9e6-2025-10-07T16:28:09+01:00",
"date": "2025-10-07T16:28:09+01:00",
"ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05a9e6",
"initiationType": "tender",
"parties": [
{
"id": "GB-PPON-PPGC-1434-MQPJ",
"name": "Somerset Council",
"identifier": {
"scheme": "GB-PPON",
"id": "PPGC-1434-MQPJ"
},
"address": {
"streetAddress": "County Hall, The Crescent",
"locality": "Taunton",
"postalCode": "TA1 4DY",
"country": "GB",
"countryName": "United Kingdom",
"region": "UKK23"
},
"contactPoint": {
"email": "commercialandprocurement@somerset.gov.uk",
"telephone": "0300 123 2224"
},
"roles": [
"buyer"
],
"details": {
"url": "https://www.somerset.gov.uk",
"classifications": [
{
"scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
"id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
"description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
}
]
}
}
],
"buyer": {
"id": "GB-PPON-PPGC-1434-MQPJ",
"name": "Somerset Council"
},
"planning": {
"milestones": [
{
"id": "engagement",
"type": "engagement",
"description": "Purpose of Engagement Somerset Council is inviting suppliers to participate in a pre-market engagement exercise to explore innovative drone-based-and potentially other-technological solutions that can enhance environmental monitoring and disaster response across the region. This engagement will inform the procurement. The Council anticipates a multi-stage procurement approach, beginning with a pilot delivered by selected supplier(s), followed by further testing and potential scaling of the solution(s) that demonstrate cost-effective impact and alignment with the challenge requirements. Challenge Statement \"Somerset Council is seeking innovative solutions that harness drone technology to enhance environmental monitoring, asset management, and disaster response across the county. While drones offer powerful capabilities for collecting high-resolution, real-time data in remote and sensitive locations, their full potential is currently limited by a range of technical, operational, analytical, and ethical challenges. We invite proposals that address these barriers and unlock the transformative potential of drones or other methods to support climate resilience, ecological stewardship, and evidence-based decision-making. Solutions should be scalable, adaptable to diverse environments, and capable of integrating with existing data systems to deliver actionable insights.\" Background As part of our commitment to sustainable land management and climate resilience, Somerset Council is investigating the use of drone technology to: * Monitor coastal erosion and river dynamics * Map habitats and assess biodiversity * Detect pollution in terrestrial and aquatic environments * Support rapid response to environmental hazards (e.g. flooding, landslides) Focus areas include River Parrett, Minehead Harbour, Watchet Harbour, and Doniford Beach. Challenges to Address We are particularly interested in solutions that overcome: * Technical barriers: battery life, payload limits, weather sensitivity, data processing * Operational constraints: flight regulations, pilot skills, maintenance * Data & privacy concerns: secure data handling, ethical surveillance * Environmental impact: wildlife disturbance, e-waste * Analytical complexity: data interpretation and integration with other source Desired Outcomes * Scalable, cost-effective surveying in remote areas * Adaptability to varied environmental contexts * Integrated data management and analysis * Enhanced disaster preparedness and response * Use of AI for predictive modelling and planning Evaluation Criteria Responses will be assessed based on: * Technical feasibility and innovation * Cost-effectiveness and sustainability * Scalability and integration potential * Environmental impact Engagement deadline 16:00 on 07 November 2025 How to Participate Interested suppliers are invited to: * To register your interest, please email corinne.matthews@somerset.gov.uk including your organisation's name and main contact details. * Upon receipt of your expression of interest, the team will provide you with a pre-market engagement questionnaire for completion. * All completed questionnaires must be submitted to corinne.matthews@somerset.gov.uk by 16:00 on Friday 7th November 2025. * Responses will help shape future requirements and inform potential market solutions. **Please note that this market engagement exercise is for information-gathering purposes and does not constitute a commitment to initiate a procurement process or award any contract.**",
"dueDate": "2025-11-07T23:59:59Z",
"status": "scheduled"
}
],
"documents": [
{
"id": "063017-2025",
"documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
"noticeType": "UK2",
"description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
"url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063017-2025",
"datePublished": "2025-10-07T16:28:09+01:00",
"format": "text/html"
}
]
},
"tender": {
"id": "ocds-h6vhtk-05a9e6",
"legalBasis": {
"id": "2023/54",
"scheme": "UKPGA",
"uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
},
"title": "Drone Technology for Environmental Monitoring and Disaster Response",
"description": "Somerset Council is inviting suppliers to participate in a pre-market engagement exercise to explore innovative drone-based-and potentially other-technological solutions that can enhance environmental monitoring and disaster response across the region. This engagement will inform the procurement. The Council anticipates a multi-stage procurement approach, beginning with a pilot delivered by selected supplier(s), followed by further testing and potential scaling of the solution(s) that demonstrate cost-effective impact and alignment with the challenge requirements.",
"items": [
{
"id": "1",
"additionalClassifications": [
{
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "35613000",
"description": "Unmanned aerial vehicles"
},
{
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "60400000",
"description": "Air transport services"
},
{
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "71351500",
"description": "Ground investigation services"
},
{
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "71351720",
"description": "Geophysical surveys of archaeological sites"
},
{
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "71510000",
"description": "Site-investigation services"
},
{
"scheme": "CPV",
"id": "79961200",
"description": "Aerial photography services"
}
],
"deliveryAddresses": [
{
"region": "UKK23",
"country": "GB",
"countryName": "United Kingdom"
}
],
"relatedLot": "1"
}
],
"value": {
"amountGross": 498000,
"currency": "GBP"
},
"mainProcurementCategory": "services",
"aboveThreshold": true,
"lots": [
{
"id": "1",
"suitability": {
"sme": true
},
"contractPeriod": {
"startDate": "2026-02-16T00:00:00Z",
"endDate": "2028-02-15T23:59:59Z",
"maxExtentDate": "2030-02-15T23:59:59Z"
},
"hasRenewal": true,
"status": "planning"
}
],
"communication": {
"futureNoticeDate": "2025-11-21T23:59:59Z"
},
"status": "planning"
},
"language": "en"
}