This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

25 Jun 2026 at 08:57

Award

28 May 2026 at 15:13

Award

28 May 2026 at 15:07

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), located in London, United Kingdom, has completed a direct award contract for the management of data and web services for the UK-AIR website. The contract was awarded to Ricardo-AEA Ltd, a large supplier based in Oxfordshire, under the main procurement category of services. The tender process was justified under the Procurement Act 2023 due to technical reasons allowing only this supplier. The procurement stage has reached completion with the contract starting on 17th June 2026 and ending on 31st March 2027, with a possible one-year extension. This direct procurement method was selected based on the absence of competition for technical reasons.

This contract provides significant opportunities for businesses specialising in air quality management services, particularly those capable of offering specialised technical solutions in data management and web service provision. Although this particular opportunity utilised a direct award, firms in the tech industry might explore similar partnership opportunities with governmental bodies by leveraging unique technical capabilities that set them apart from potential competitors. Larger companies with a proven track record in handling complex data and environmental projects would be well-suited to explore such collaborations, ensuring alignment with government objectives and criteria for sole-source contracts.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Data Management and UK-AIR

Notice Description

This contract provides data management and the provision of webservices for the UK-AIR website. This direct award is to allow the decommission of the UK-AIR website as we replace the web services with new GOV.UK based dissemination methods.

Procurement Information

This is a justifiable direct award under the Procurement Act 2023 Schedule 5, the justification of the relevant paragraphs of this schedule are detailed below. Schedule 5, paragraph 6 (a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06a807
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059684-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

90731100 - Air quality management

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£661,302 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£661,302 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Jun 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 May 20262 months ago
Contract Period
16 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active, Pending
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

RICARDO-AEA

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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