Planning

Biodiversity Net Gain Units Procurement

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

05 Dec 2025 at 17:54

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

05 Dec 2025 at 17:46

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is planning a procurement related to the purchase of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units. This tender process is categorised under environmental services, indicating a focus on habitat enhancement. The procurement method is open procedure, suitable for a wide range of suppliers. Located in London, Defra aims to acquire units with a focus on very high or high distinctiveness from registered gain sites across England, ensuring quality and legal security for 30 years. Key dates for this procurement include the end of the tender period on 30th January 2026 and the award announcement by 20th February 2026. The anticipated contract will start on 1st March 2026 and conclude by 31st March 2026, with award notifications on 5th January 2026.

This tender presents valuable opportunities for businesses specialising in environmental services or those managing gain sites across England. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as well as voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs), are encouraged to participate, with Defra favouring bids that offer the greatest number of BNG units for the contract value. The procurement will leverage the statutory Biodiversity Metric to ensure decision-making aligns with strategic habitat preservation and enhancement goals. Furthermore, this tender marks Defra’s initial investment of statutory BNG credit income into habitat projects, allowing suppliers to contribute to substantial environmental improvements while securing long-term partnership prospects with central government.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Biodiversity Net Gain Units Procurement

Notice Description

Defra intends to purchase Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units of an indicative total value of PS500,000. The units must be one or more of the following types of Very High (VH) or High (H) Distinctiveness units, (as defined in The Statutory Biodiversity Metric user guide*): Blanket bog (VH) Fens (upland and lowland) (VH) Grassland - Lowland meadows (VH) Grassland - Upland Hay Meadows (VH) Woodland and forest - Wood pasture and parkland (VH) Grassland - Floodplain wetland mosaic (H) Grassland - Lowland calcareous (H) Grassland - Traditional Orchard (H) Lowland heathland (H) Ponds (Priority) (H) Woodland and forest - Lowland mixed deciduous (H) Woodland and forest - Wet woodland (H) Upland heath (H) Other BNG unit types are not eligible. Units must be supplied from a single registered gain site in England as defined by government guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager The following unit types have been excluded: medium or low distinctiveness units because of their lower priority; linear units for reasons of comparability; and unit types with lower availability on the register, in order to avoid causing market scarcity for particular unit types. By requiring units to come from a registered gain site Defra will ensure that the habitat enhancement provided is high quality and legally secured for at least 30 years - meeting the same standards as those required of BNG units purchased by developers. At the tendering stage we will require: - the biodiversity gain site registration number associated with the site from which you propose to provide units - details of the number and type of units you propose to sell - the physical address of the gain site - the signatory to the legal agreement securing the gain site. The preferred bid will be that which offers the greatest number of BNG units for the contract value. Note that the BNG metric already incorporates multipliers for the distinctiveness and strategic significance of habitat (for example, sites identified in Local Nature Recovery Strategies) allowing bids to be evaluated based on a comparison of the number of units offered. In the event that bids are received offering equal numbers of units, Defra will consider the current availability of registered units of the specific habitat type offered, with a preference for purchasing those which are more widely available. The register is strictly to be used to record allocation of gain site land for the purpose of mandatory biodiversity net gain. The chosen supplier must ensure the gain site register record is amended to reflect the removal of habitat used to generate the units. Proof of application to amend must be submitted within one week of a completed sale. The habitat used to supply the units must not be removed from the securing legal agreement to manage the site for the agreed conservation purposes (s106 or Conservation Covenant) and should remain subject to the maintenance and monitoring obligations outlined in that agreement. Defra will carry out periodic checks via the Local Planning Authority / Responsible Body to ensure that these agreements remain in place and that the results of monitoring are satisfactory. This procurement forms Defra's first investment of income from the sale of statutory BNG credits into habitat enhancement. Details will be published in the next annual report on BNG statutory credits in spring 2026. This procurement does not set any precedent for how BNG credit income will be invested in future years. Future strategy will depend on the volume of credit sales and market conditions. *https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/689c5ee17b2e384441636196/The_Statutory_Biodiversity_Metric_-_User_Guide_-_July_2025.pdf

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f034
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080370-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

90700000 - Environmental services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£416,666 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£416,666 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Dec 20252 days ago
Submission Deadline
30 Jan 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
5 Jan 20264 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2026 30 days
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Contact Name
Angus Fairney-Broomfield
Contact Email
angus.fairney-broomfield@defra.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

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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. 

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