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National Focal Centre (NFC) to Model and Map Air Pollution Impacts on UK habitat

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

17 Sep 2026 at 11:22

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intends to commission services to maintain and develop the UK National Focal Centre for air-pollution impacts on habitats. The work covers annual UK-wide modelling and mapping of pollutant deposition from ammonia, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide, with assessments against critical loads for acidity and nitrogen. It also includes mapping ammonia concentrations and assessing them against critical levels. Outputs will be reported for the UK as a whole, by country, and for specific habitat types, Special Areas for Conservation, Special Protection Areas, and Areas or Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The results will support annual reporting, evidence generation, biodiversity protection, environmental policy development, and domestic and international environmental reporting. The service category is environmental and air-pollution monitoring and measurement.

This procurement is at the planning stage: Defra has stated an intention to procure, but has not yet invited tenders. The expected contract period is from 1 June 2027 to 31 May 2031, including a one-month handover from 1 June to 30 June 2027, with the new supplier taking full responsibility on 1 July 2027. The estimated contract value is between £680,000 and £720,000. Defra expects to publish the next notice on 10 December 2026. A virtual supplier engagement session is planned for 7 October 2026 at 2:00pm, with attendance requests due by 5:00pm on 2 October 2026. The requirement is a single planned lot and is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The requirement is suited to suppliers with established scientific, technical and analytical expertise in environmental modelling, air-pollution assessment and habitat-impact analysis. Strong candidates are likely to be able to model pollutant deposition and concentrations at UK scale, map results geographically, assess acidity and nitrogen against critical loads, and assess ammonia against critical levels. Relevant capability includes producing reliable annual datasets and interpreting results for different countries, habitat types and designated conservation sites, including SACs, SPAs and A/SSSIs. Experience supporting environmental reporting, evidence generation, biodiversity protection and policy development would align closely with the stated purpose. Organisations with practical approaches to efficient, resilient and sustainable delivery should use the engagement phase to understand the proposed requirement and contribute views on innovative solutions.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

National Focal Centre (NFC) to Model and Map Air Pollution Impacts on UK habitat

Notice Description

Defra is seeking to contract with supplier(s) possessing the scientific, technical and analytical expertise required to maintain and develop the UK National Focal Centre (NFC). The successful supplier(s) will deliver annual UK-wide modelling and mapping of pollutant deposition (ammonia, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide) and assess against critical loads for acidity and nitrogen. They will also map ammonia concentrations and assess against critical levels. The assessments will be reported for the UK as a whole and broken down by country. In addition, the data will be reported for specific habitat types, Special Areas for Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Areas/Sites of Special Scientific Interest (A/SSSIs). The modelled outputs will support annual reporting, evidence generation, biodiversity protection, environmental policy development and the UK's domestic and international reporting obligations. We are envisaging that the new contract will start on the 01 June 27 with a one (1) month handover, from 01 June to 30 June, with full responsibility being transferred to the successful contractor on 01 July 2027. These handover periods are to allow the new Contractor time to get ready to take over the full operation of the contract requirement. We estimate the contract value to be between the range of PS680,000 - PS720,000.

Planning Information

We will be holding a Supplier Engagement Session as we prepare to commence the procurement for this requirement. This session will provide interested suppliers with an opportunity to gain insight into the requirement and the proposed procurement approach. We are also keen to engage with the market to better understand supplier capabilities and explore innovative solutions that can enhance efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. The event will provide an opportunity to learn more about the requirement and how your organisation may be able to support its delivery. The engagement session will be held virtually via MS Teams on 7 October 2026 at 2:00pm. Suppliers wishing to attend should email alison.dyson@defra.gov.uk no later than 5:00pm on 2 October 2026, providing the following details for attendees (maximum of two representatives per organisation): • Contact name • Job title • Organisation name • Email address Please use the subject line - P-38781 / C33357 Supplier Engagement Event – 07 October 2026 If you have any questions prior to the event, please email alison.dyson@defra.gov.uk using the subject line - Supplier Engagement Event – Question There will be an opportunity during the session for suppliers to ask questions and provide feedback on the proposed requirement. MS Teams invites will be sent out and should be received no later than 5pm on Monday 5 October. Suppliers who are unable to attend, or who miss the registration deadline, may request a copy of the presentation slides, which will summarise the information shared during the event.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07742c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088110-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

90711500 - Environmental monitoring other than for construction

90731400 - Air pollution monitoring or measurement services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
10 Dec 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jun 2027 - 31 May 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & 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
Postcode Area
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

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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