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Contract for the Supply of Hydroacoustic River Flow Instrumentation

Environment Agency

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Planning

30 Sep 2026 at 08:50

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

30 Sep 2026 at 08:30

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Environment Agency intends to procure hydroacoustic instruments and associated specialist services for measuring water discharge in rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater aquifers. Equipment will cover mobile acoustic profiling, waded point-velocity measurement, and fixed-deployment profiling at different depths. The instruments support routine measurements and long-term monitoring used for tracking hydrological trends, flood forecasting, climate resilience, regulatory reporting and water-resource planning. The Environment Agency’s Area Hydrometry and Telemetry teams will operate the instruments, with technical support and procurement guidance from the National Hydrometry team. The contract is intended for use by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Delivery is in the United Kingdom. The goods are instrumentation and control equipment (CPV 31682210).

This procurement is at the planning stage: the Environment Agency has stated its intention to buy, but there is no invitation to tender yet. The expected route is a competitive flexible procedure. The planned arrangement comprises four lots: mobile profiling instruments for 0–20 metres, waded multipoint velocity instruments for 0–1 metre, short-range fixed profiling instruments for 0–5 metres, and long-range fixed profiling instruments for 0–100 metres. The stated total estimated value is £4 million excluding VAT (£4.8 million including VAT), and the procurement is above threshold. The planned agreement is for two years, with an optional one-year extension; the recorded contract period runs from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029, with a possible maximum end date of 31 December 2030. The buyer expects to publish a further notice on 12 October 2026.

This is likely to suit suppliers specialising in hydroacoustic measurement equipment for hydrometry, particularly manufacturers and distributors able to support mobile profiling, waded velocity measurement or fixed profiling deployments. Suppliers should be able to demonstrate that their instruments measure water discharge accurately across the specified depth ranges and can support both routine field measurements and longer-term monitoring programmes. Technical support capability will be relevant because the Environment Agency’s hydrometry teams will operate the equipment, with national-level technical support and purchasing guidance. The four separate lots provide scope for businesses focused on particular instrument types or depth ranges; the buyer has marked the planned lot as suitable for SMEs. Suppliers who took part in an earlier procurement and those new to the requirement are both invited to register interest in the planned market-engagement exercise by emailing the buyer with their name and organisation by 6 October 2026. The engagement is not a commitment to tender.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Contract for the Supply of Hydroacoustic River Flow Instrumentation

Notice Description

The Environment Agency's Hydrometry teams monitor water quantity across rivers, streams, lakes, and groundwater aquifers. Hydroacoustic instruments are used to measure water discharge in these environments. A hydroacoustic contract is required to secure specialist services and equipment that utilise sound in water to achieve objectives not feasible with other technologies. Area Hydrometry and Telemetry teams purchase and operate these instruments, with technical support and procurement guidance provided by the National Hydrometry team. The Environment Agency has selected hydroacoustic instruments as a highly accurate, long-term, and cost-effective solution for measuring water. These instruments support both routine measurements and long-term monitoring programmes, which are critical for: Trend Analysis - Tracking changes in river flows, lake levels, and groundwater over time to understand hydrological patterns. Flood Risk Management - Providing accurate discharge data to improve flood forecasting and early warning systems. Climate Resilience - Assessing the impact of climate change on water resources and informing adaptation strategies. Regulatory Compliance - Meeting statutory obligations for water quantity reporting and supporting environmental legislation. Infrastructure Planning - Supplying data for water resource management, reservoir operations, and sustainable development. The instruments fall into three main categories: Mobile profiling instruments Waded point-velocity instruments Fixed-deployment profiling instruments To facilitate procurement and ensure continuity of long-term monitoring, the Environment Agency intends to establish commercial agreements for a fixed two-year period with an optional 1 year extension covering the following lots: Lot 1. Mobile acoustic profiling instrument 0-20m depth Lot 2. Mobile acoustic multipoint velocity waded instrument 0-1m depth Lot 3. Short range fixed velocity profiling instrument 0-5m Lot 4. Long range fixed velocity profiling instrument 0-100m The following UK public sector bodies are authorised and enabled to use the contract, The Environment Agency (EA), Natural Resource Wales (NRW) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Planning Information

The Authority welcomes expressions of interest from both suppliers that participated in the previous procurement and suppliers that have not previously engaged with this requirement. Suppliers wishing to express interest for this requirement, please register your interest by emailing DGC-LAWW-Buyer@defra.gov.uk, including your name and organisation by the 6th October 2026. It should be noted that this notice invites individuals and organisations to express an interest in this exercise only and participation in this engagement exercise does not guarantee participation in any future procurement process and does not constitute a call for competition or a commitment by the Authority to proceed with a procurement. Any subsequent procurement opportunity will be advertised separately in accordance with the Authority's procurement obligations.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077d01
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092123-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

31 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting

CPV Codes

31682210 - Instrumentation and control equipment

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Sep 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
12 Oct 20265 days to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Environment Agency
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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