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CEFAS26-107 Support services for the Coastal Health Programme

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

26 Aug 2026 at 11:14

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) procured support services for its Coastal Health Programme, a national coastal and fisheries research and engagement requirement. The work covers reviewing, updating and testing protocols and tools with England’s ten regional Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), including preparedness, response and intelligence gathering. It also includes stakeholder mapping and contact databases for each IFCA district, representation at programme-board and related meetings, progress reporting, and engagement with fisheries and coastal communities. Activities include work on cockle and mussel mortalities in the Wash estuary, a cockle baseline study, and a pilot Changing Seas study involving surveys, interviews and local fishermen. Delivery is across the United Kingdom, including England and relevant coastal communities.

This procurement has been awarded and the tender is complete. Cefas used a direct award, justified by the Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities’ national oversight of all ten regional IFCAs and its established fisheries-sector relationships. One completed lot was awarded to THE ASSOCIATION OF INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES LTD for £130,000 excluding VAT, or £156,000 including VAT. The award date was 26 August 2026. The contract period runs from 14 September 2026 to 31 March 2027, with a maximum extension date of 31 March 2030. Renewal is permitted for three further 12-month periods. The award is classified as research services under CPV 73110000.

This procurement indicates demand for suppliers able to combine coastal and fisheries research with national stakeholder coordination. A credible future competitor would need practical experience working across multiple regional fisheries and environmental authorities, and established relationships with fishing businesses, coastal communities and industry groups. Relevant capability includes designing and testing operational protocols, scenario exercises, stakeholder maps and contact databases; facilitating workshops, quayside interviews, surveys and interviews; and producing concise progress reports for programme boards. Suppliers would also need to support incident preparedness, response and intelligence gathering, translate technical coastal-health evidence into usable guidance, and coordinate activity across dispersed districts. Experience of shellfish mortality, changing species distribution, fisheries management or related marine-environment research would be directly relevant to this buyer’s requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

CEFAS26-107 Support services for the Coastal Health Programme

Notice Description

ollowing on from the work delivered in the pilot phase of the Coastal Health programme, The Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCA) has been selected to support delivery of core requirements as follows: 1. Work with all IFCAs to review, update and test protocols and tools to improve our preparedness, response and intelligence gathering processes, and trial their implementation at a national scale. This will include advising Cefas in the development of a scenario testing exercise, and attending preparatory meetings to ensure IFCA processes are adequately captured and tested in this exercise Actions: * Continue to circulate and receive input from IFCAs on the protocols and guidance. * Set up an external shared drive with protocols, guidance and training material. * Run through a scenario testing exercise with the IFCA Technical Advisory Group, Chief Officers Group and the National Inshore Marine Enforcement Group. * Run through protocols and guidance at the IFCA Training Course in Brixham in February. * Promote the work of the Coastal Health programme at relevant national conferences attended by AIFCA (including Coastal Futures and SAGB). 2. Building on work started by the AIFCA, create stakeholder maps for each IFCA district of their key local and regional fisheries and environmental stakeholder groups, including a database of contacts. Actions: * Work with all IFCAs to pull together lists of stakeholders in each IFCA district, including contact details, and pull together into stakeholder maps. * Continue to engage with the Coastal Partnerships Network to build on stakeholder mapping across England. 3. Key representation for the AIFCA in attendance at the Coastal and Marine Health programme board every two months. Provide updates into the PgB pack. Attendance at CHEPARD and other Coastal Health meetings. Actions: * Attendance at meetings and sending over progress updates. * Production of reports every 2 months to be delivered to the PgB. 4. Facilitating engagement with local IFCA's and industry stakeholder groups. This will consist of at least three planned engagement sessions: a) To present and discuss Coastal Health work on cockles and mussel mortalities in the Wash estuary, with industry representatives and EIFCA officers. b) To present and discuss the cockle baseline study led last year to relevant industry representatives and IFCA officers, Location TBC. c) To set up a pilot 'Changing seas' study in an IFCA district (e.g. Sussex), to understand local community perspectives on changing species distribution and abundance in key fisheries. Actions: * Work with Eastern IFCA to to present on Cefas cockle work to stakeholders. This will include organisation of the meeting (or facilitation of other means of engagement), producing information to circulate, and travel time. * Similar to above for second workshop presenting cockle baseline study. * Changing Seas study o Work with Cefas to develop design of surveys and interviews for the study. o To work with an IFCA (e.g. Sussex) and local partners to reach out to local fishermen and wider community members. o Conduct an engagement session or quayside interviews. o Support write up and reviewing of final report. o Support Cefas with scoping national study for next financial year 2027-28. As needed, ad hoc meetings may be set up to engage with stakeholders' groups in the event of adverse coastal health events

Procurement Information

AIFCA serves as the operational link between the Coastal and Marine Health Programme and England's ten regional IFCAs. The AIFCA's singular role and ability to have national oversight of the IFCAs' regional activities means that it is uniquely placed to translate the programme's objectives into effective local delivery by coordinating preparedness, incident response, intelligence collection, sampling activities, and stakeholder engagement across coastal communities and the fisheries sector. With a presence across all IFCAs and long-established relationships throughout the fisheries industry, AIFCA provides a unique level of national reach and sector connectivity.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ec32
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081159-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£130,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Aug 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 Aug 2026Today
Contract Period
14 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THE ASSOCIATION OF INSHORE FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITIES LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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