Tender

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

CEFAS26-85 ITT for provision of Water and Sediment Sampling Analysis for HPC

CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

22 Jul 2026 at 13:30

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

01 Jul 2026 at 12:28

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) is procuring marine survey and laboratory analysis services for the BEEMS programme supporting environmental monitoring around the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. The supplier must collect water and sediment samples and water-column profiles of conductivity, temperature, depth, salinity, dissolved oxygen and pH from a suitable vessel in Bridgwater Bay, adjacent to the Hinkley Point C construction site. The work covers six water-sampling stations near the cooling-water outfall and fish recovery and return outfall, plus 20 sediment stations. It includes field measurements, sample handling, storage and shipping, onboard total residual oxidant testing, and laboratory analysis of sediment for trace metals, particle size and total organic carbon. Cefas will analyse hydrazine samples itself. Sediment analysis must be by an MMO-certified laboratory.

The process reached tender: Cefas invited offers using an open procedure. The enquiry deadline was 20 July 2026 at 17:00, and the bid submission deadline was 4 August 2026 at 12:00. The award decision was due by 21 August 2026. The single contract is scheduled to run from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027, with up to four further 12-month extensions, potentially to 31 August 2031. Its estimated value is £125,000 excluding VAT and £150,000 including VAT. Bids are evaluated on technical quality at 70%, social value at 10% and pricing at 20%. Economic and technical selection requirements apply as set out in the Bidder Pack. Electronic submission is allowed in English.

This opportunity suits marine survey contractors, environmental consultancies and specialist laboratories able to provide an appropriately equipped vessel, experienced marine sampling crews and robust sample-management processes. Suppliers need capability in tidal-cycle water sampling, CTD and multiparameter-sonde deployment, Niskin-bottle or equivalent sampling, Day-grab sediment collection and replicate sampling across multiple stations. They must be able to perform immediate onboard colorimetric total residual oxidant testing to the required detection limit, with daily calibration and replicate measurements. Laboratory capability is required for trace metals, particle size analysis and total organic carbon, with sediment work undertaken by an MMO-certified laboratory. Strong competence in RAMS, hazardous reagent handling, refrigeration or freezing, chain of custody, quality assurance and scientific data recording will be important. The requirement is identified as suitable for SMEs and VCSEs.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

CEFAS26-85 ITT for provision of Water and Sediment Sampling Analysis for HPC

Notice Description

The BEEMS (British EDF Energy Estuarine and Marine Studies) programme is funded by NNB Generation Company (HPC) Limited. Through this programme, Cefas provide authoritative scientific information on the marine and transitional waters in the vicinity of potential new build nuclear power stations and require the Supplier to deliver the marine sampling, profiling, and laboratory analysis services described in Section 3 below. 3. Contract Duration The Contract implementation will start as soon as possible following contract award with the initial Contract period of 12 months, with the option to extend by up to 4 further periods of 12-months each. 4. Scope of Requirements Cefas require the supplier to acquire sediment and water samples along with water column profiles of conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) and other variables from a suitable vessel for the purpose of physical and chemical monitoring of the marine offshore environment adjacent to the Hinkley Point C new nuclear build power station. It is anticipated that the required sampling will involve circa 3 days of vessel operations - two days for water sampling and one day for sediment sampling. The requirement includes collection of all samples and field measurements and all laboratory sample analysis, excluding hydrazine analysis which is to be conducted by Cefas laboratory. General Survey Strategy: The marine water and sediment sampling survey will be conducted in Bridgwater Bay adjacent to the Hinkley Point C construction site, in summer 2026, with the potential for continued annual sampling for at least 4 years. Water sampling will be carried out over a full tidal cycle at two main locations detailed in the sections below, with a full day dedicated to each location, requiring a minimum of two survey days. Sediment samples will be collected as detailed below and sampling will be conducted on a separate survey day. Suppliers will propose a survey schedule to fulfil the sampling requirements. The survey schedule will be agreed prior to the survey but should be planned to maximise efficiency. At least one month prior to the first survey start date, the supplier will provide a RAMS including a description of the acquisition, storage and shipping, and laboratory analysis requirements of each of the samples. It is anticipated that this will be informed by the analysing laboratory but must be agreed by the Cefas team prior to the survey. Water sampling Water quality samples will be collected repeatedly over a full tidal cycle from a vessel at three stations in the vicinity of the cooling water outfall heads (CWO) and three stations in the vicinity of the fish recovery and return outfall (FRR). The stations are provided in Table 1 and Figure 1. Target station locations have been selected based on modelling outputs and are aligned with tidal currents. Survey logistics, safety measures or ongoing works may require the precise locations to be amended during final survey planning or during the survey. Final target stations and positioning tolerance will be agreed between the supplier and Cefas before the survey during a kick-off meeting. Surveys will be conducted annually in the summer to establish a contemporary baseline prior to the station commencing operation. It is anticipated that each survey will consist of two days of water sampling, one day at the CWO stations and a second at the FRR stations. Water sampling - survey strategy Water samples will be collected from six sampling locations: three close to the CWO, and three close to the FRR (Table 1). At each of these stations, samples will be taken at the surface and near bottom (nominally 0.5 - 1 m of the bed). A multi-parameter sonde (to continuously record salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH) will be deployed with a niskin bottle (or similar sampling bottle) at each depth and at each station. The vessel will work at one of the locations per day (FRR or CWO) and acquire multiple samples throughout the tidal cycle. So, for example, day one may look like this: FRR A - Profile + surface and near bottom samples - transit to; FRR B - Profile + surface and near bottom samples - transit to; FRR C - Profile + surface and near bottom samples - transit to FRR A and repeat. When the samples are processed, logged and stored the vessel will return to FRR A and start sampling again. This process will continue throughout the day with the aim of gathering as many samples as possible (nominally every hour) within one 12-hour period (time spent on site should be maximised by choosing an appropriate harbour to work from). Hydrazine samples will be analysed by Cefas laboratories and as such, Cefas will provide sampling equipment, including pre-spike sampling contained, and an SOP for collection ahead of the survey. Suppliers should note that hydrazine samples require fixing with hazardous chemical reagents provided (acetone and ethanol spiked with isotopically labelled hydrazine). There is a requirement for measurements of total residual oxidant (TRO) which must be conducted onboard with a colorimetric method and reagent. A CamLab CW1000 colorimeter or equivalent specification will be used, calibrated with a reference standard each day. The detection limit of the TRO test must be at least 0.02 mg/L. Three replicate measurements of TRO are required from each sample. The supplier will undertake this analysis immediately after taking water samples to avoid degradation. Sediment Sampling Sediment will be collected from a vessel at pre-determined (nearfield and control stations) (Table 3 and Figure 2) around the CWO and the FRR outfall. Surveys will be conducted annually to establish a contemporary baseline prior to the operation of the power station. It is anticipated that the sediment sampling will be completed in one day. Sediment sampling - survey strategy Sediment samples will be acquired with a Day grab and samples analysed for: * Trace metals * Particle Size Analysis (PSA) * Total Organic Carbon It is anticipated that sediment will be collected from all 20 stations (Table 3) in one day of survey. Replicate (spare) samples must be acquired at every station (but not analysed unless required). Supplier must obtain a full set of samples (A replicates) from one Day grab, with a second grab deployed at each station to provide a full set of replicate samples (B replicates). The B replicates will be processed and stored appropriately to be analysed only if there is an issue with the replicate A samples. Table 4 provides a list of all determinands which need to be analysed from sediment. Analysis must be completed by a MMO certified laboratory and meet the minimum reporting requirements for each determinand . Samples will be collected using the correct type of cleaned scoop, decanted into appropriate receptacles and frozen / refrigerated all in line with the laboratory's requirements (agreed with Cefas prior to the survey).

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Buyer may extend the Contract for a period of up to 4 further periods of 12 months by giving not less than 10 Working Days' notice in writing to the Supplier prior to the Expiry Date. The Conditions of the Contract shall apply throughout any such extended period.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c123
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069170-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender 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

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71354500 - Marine survey services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£125,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£125,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
4 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LOWESTOFT
Postcode
NR33 0HT
Postcode Area
Norwich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH63 East Suffolk
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
East Suffolk
Electoral Ward
Kirkley & Pakefield
Westminster Constituency
Lowestoft

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.

Loading OCDS record...