This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

08 Jul 2026 at 15:38

Planning

19 Jun 2026 at 08:06

Summary of the contracting process

Cambridge City Council is undertaking an open tender for the project titled "Pollution Mitigation for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common." This service-focused procurement, valued at £120,000, is aimed at providing a specialist lead role for implementing pollution mitigation designs using nature-based solutions. The procurement falls under the environmental issues consultancy services category and is located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. This process is currently in the tender stage, with the tender period ending on 29th July 2026. The contract is expected to commence on 18th August 2026 and complete by 17th March 2029. The project is essential for transitioning from concept through evidence-based design to delivery-ready technical plans, necessitating expertise in hydraulic performance and pollution removal mechanisms.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in environmental management and consultancy, particularly those experienced in nature-based pollution mitigation and water quality management. SMEs and VCSEs with expertise in hydraulic modelling, pollutant load analysis, and ecosystem restoration are particularly well-suited to participate. By engaging in this project, businesses can not only expand their portfolio in urban environmental management but also forge collaborative ties with key academic and governmental entities like Cambridge City Council, ARU, and Keele. The open competition method ensures a fair opportunity for capable and innovative businesses to contribute to solving urban ecological challenges while gaining market visibility and contributing to sustainability efforts.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Pollution Mitigation for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common

Notice Description

The purpose of this commission is to provide a specialist lead role for pollution mitigation evidence and design for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common. The commission must convert the available evidence into practical, defensible and measurable nature-based pollution mitigation designs capable of informing construction planning, consents, delivery sequencing and future performance validation. The required outputs must support Cambridge City Council in moving from evidence and concept to delivery-ready technical design. The appointed supplier must provide a clear evidence trail from monitoring data and pollutant load analysis through to treatment train sizing, design assumptions, hydraulic performance, pollutant removal expectations, risks, uncertainties and monitoring validation requirements.

Planning Information

Cambridge City Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified organisations to provide pollution mitigation evidence integration, modelling and design support for the Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common components of the Cambridge City chalk stream restoration programme. At this stage, the Council is just undertaking a preliminary market engagement exercise. Interested parties are not required to submit detailed proposals; instead, suppliers are simply invited to register their interest via this portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/Home/About. You may, however, choose to submit a brief summary of relevant previous experience or an outline of your suitability as a supplier for this project. The request for quote (RfQ) will follow shortly after and further details will be provided. The commission will support the design of nature-based urban pollution mitigation systems, including forebays, wetland cells, swales, polishing stages and associated hydraulic and pollutant removal modelling. Project Context and Evidence Base The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project has developed a substantial evidence base for urban chalk stream restoration and pollution mitigation. The Hobson's Brook Urban Chalk Stream Resilience Project identifies chronic urban runoff and diffuse pollution entering Hobson's Brook, including runoff conveyed by the North Ditch from the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The project documentation identifies nutrients, sediments, hydrocarbons and salts as pollutants of concern and proposes treatment through a sequence of wetlands, infiltration swales and polishing ponds. For Coldham's Common, the East Cambridge Main Drain and Coldham's Brook evidence base includes water quality snapshot sampling, mapping of the East Cambridge Main Drain and Coldham's Brook, and emerging nature-based solution proposals for wetlands and wider habitat restoration. Evidence includes field and laboratory measurements for dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, phosphate, ammonia, nitrate and faecal coliforms. The wider project evidence base includes weekly water quality monitoring, laboratory nutrient analysis, high-resolution continuous data loggers, targeted snapshot surveys for heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other urban pollutant signatures, WHPT macroinvertebrate results, MTR macrophyte surveys, sediment research, geomorphological interpretation and restoration delivery records. Purpose of the Commission The purpose of this commission is to provide a specialist lead role for pollution mitigation evidence and design for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common. The commission must convert the available evidence into practical, defensible and measurable nature-based pollution mitigation designs capable of informing construction planning, consents, delivery sequencing and future performance validation. The required outputs must support Cambridge City Council in moving from evidence and concept to delivery-ready technical design. The appointed supplier must provide a clear evidence trail from monitoring data and pollutant load analysis through to treatment train sizing, design assumptions, hydraulic performance, pollutant removal expectations, risks, uncertainties and monitoring validation requirements. Strategic Role • Provide specialist pollution mitigation leadership for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common. • Integrate water quality, urban runoff, sediment, biological and habitat evidence into the design process. • Develop pollutant load calculations and event-based design assumptions. • Design or support the design of nature-based treatment systems for nutrients, fine sediment, metals, hydrocarbons and mixed urban runoff pressures. • Support treatment train sizing, hydraulic performance and pollutant removal modelling. • Provide technical input into consents, approvals, construction-ready plans and design validation. • Work collaboratively with Cambridge City Council, ARU, Keele, contractors and other project partners. • Support a monitoring and validation framework so that performance can be measured after delivery.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064392-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

90713000 - Environmental issues consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£100,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£100,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
29 Jul 20262 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
6 Jul 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
17 Aug 2026 - 17 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CAMBRIDGE
Postcode
CB2 1BY
Post Town
Cambridge
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH42 Cambridgeshire CC
Delivery Location
TLH12 Cambridgeshire CC

Local Authority
Cambridge
Electoral Ward
Market
Westminster Constituency
Cambridge

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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