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CEFAS26-86 Contract for Thames Survey Vessel Charter

CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

24 Aug 2026 at 08:24

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

07 Aug 2026 at 10:32

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

07 Jul 2026 at 09:05

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science procured a full-charter inshore fishing or survey vessel service for two seasonal surveys in the northern and southern Outer Thames. The work supports North Sea sole stock assessment by collecting recruitment, abundance-at-age, catch-rate and size-distribution data, alongside information on wider fish assemblages including plaice, thornback ray, whiting, cod, shellfish and selected invertebrates. The service includes vessel management, crew, victuals, fuel, meetings, harbour and port fees, insurance for Cefas survey equipment and other operational requirements. Cefas supplies a standard 2-metre or 3-metre beam trawl. Vessels embark and disembark from suitable Outer Thames ports, such as West Mersea or Whitstable, and must provide local knowledge of the survey areas. This is a marine survey and research vessel service, including fishing-vessel services (CPV 34513100).

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a single-lot open procedure. Valkyrie Fish Company Limited was selected on 7 August 2026, with the contract signed on 19 August 2026. The awarded value is £330,000 excluding VAT and £400,000 including VAT. The contract runs from 25 August 2026 to 31 March 2027, with three further 12-month renewal periods and a maximum end date of 31 March 2030. The tender deadline was 4 August 2026 at noon; enquiries closed on 28 July 2026 at 5pm. Evaluation weighted technical quality at 60%, social value at 10% and cost at 30%. Economic and technical selection requirements were set out in the Bidder Pack. One bid was received and evaluated.

This procurement demonstrates demand from Cefas for commercial fishing vessels able to support structured marine sampling in the Outer Thames. A credible future supplier would need an inshore vessel of around 10 metres length overall, or sufficient working space for survey operations, with experienced crew and strong local knowledge of the northern and southern survey areas. The vessel and crew would need to rig and deploy Cefas’s 2-metre or 3-metre beam trawl safely and consistently, and support sampling of juvenile sole and wider fish and shellfish assemblages. Capability to undertake full-charter operations is important, including crew management, fuel, victuals, port arrangements, meetings, insurance for specialist equipment and weather-related downtime. Strong technical delivery and a clear social-value offer matter more than price alone.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

CEFAS26-86 Contract for Thames Survey Vessel Charter

Notice Description

This project aims to address important data gaps in the current North Sea sole assessment, particularly the lack of recent recruitment data from the UK sector of the southern North Sea, which is an important nursery area for the stock. To provide suitable spatial coverage, two surveys will be undertaken: one in the northern Outer Thames and one in the southern Outer Thames. Together, these surveys will collect abundance-at-age data for juvenile sole and information on the wider fish assemblage, including small demersal fish such as plaice, thornback ray and whiting, as well as shellfish and selected invertebrates. The project will conduct two seasonal surveys, each lasting up to seven days, using a standard 2 m or 3 m beam trawl supplied by Cefas at fixed sites in the Outer Thames. Data collected will include catch rates and size distributions for commercial and non-commercial species, such as cod, whiting, thornback ray and shellfish, together with biological data for sole and plaice. This Contract seeks to secure one or more inshore fishing vessels (10 m LOA, or with sufficient space to support survey operations) with local knowledge of the areas described below, to undertake one or both surveys. The surveys will take place in late August and/or early September. Each vessel must be capable of rigging and deploying Cefas survey gear (see Section 4.1.4). Embarkation and disembarkation will be from suitable Outer Thames ports, such as West Mersea for the northern survey and Whitstable for the southern survey. Bidders should state their preferred port or ports in their submission. The vessel will operate on a full-charter basis, including management, crew, victuals, fuel, meetings, harbour and port fees, any additional insurance required for Cefas survey equipment, and all other services needed to complete the sampling described below. Tenders must be submitted as an all-inclusive fixed price and include a breakdown of day rates, mobilisation and demobilisation rates, and weather downtime costs.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c4bf
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080128-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

34513100 - Fishing vessels

34513550 - Survey vessels

63726700 - Fishing-vessel services

63726800 - Research vessel services

79311000 - Survey services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£330,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£330,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£330,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£330,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
4 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
25 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

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
TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
East Suffolk
Electoral Ward
Kirkley & Pakefield
Westminster Constituency
Lowestoft

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Valkyrie Fish Company Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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