Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

ES RDE 079 - Using partnership working to scope a lowcost, permanent estuarine t

Natural England

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

13 Oct 2026 at 17:33

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Natural England commissioned research and development services to assess a low-cost, permanent acoustic telemetry array for estuarine and inshore monitoring. The work builds on South Coast telemetry projects and aims to improve long-term evidence for managing protected sites, including data on the movements and habitat use of mobile species. The supplier is to test a cost-effective, semi-autonomous array run through partnership working, and develop a regional coastal group to maintain equipment and manage data. The project also explores using existing platforms to shape a model in which funding is central and delivery is regional across the UK. The buying organisation is Natural England, and the selected supplier is the University of Plymouth.

The procurement is complete and the contract is active. Natural England used a selective, non-competitive direct award under a framework, below the applicable threshold. The University of Plymouth was awarded the contract. It was signed on 20 August 2026, with a contract period from 26 August 2026 to 31 March 2027. The contract is valued at £26,207.50 excluding VAT and £31,449 including VAT. The requirement was handled as one lot. The award record classifies the work as research and development services; no separate evaluation criteria are recorded.

For suppliers considering comparable future work for Natural England, this award indicates demand for applied environmental research that turns telemetry evidence into practical monitoring approaches for protected-site management. Credible providers would need expertise in acoustic telemetry and estuarine or inshore ecology, and the ability to assess species movement and habitat use over long periods. The project also calls for practical experience designing low-cost, semi-autonomous monitoring arrays, working with regional partners, and planning for equipment maintenance and data management. Experience coordinating a coastal partnership and using existing monitoring platforms would be relevant, as would the capacity to develop a workable model linking central funding with regional delivery. The award went to a university, through a framework route; suppliers aiming to compete in similar work should be able to demonstrate strong research capability and partnership delivery.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

ES RDE 079 - Using partnership working to scope a lowcost, permanent estuarine t

Notice Description

Natural England Self-Service Direct Award. NE's collaboration on South Coast telemetry projects has rapidly delivered high-quality evidence for protected-site management and multi-species, ecosystem-based recommendations. Having demonstrated the value of acoustic telemetry, this project aims to embed it into long-term monitoring. A permanent array would cut start-up costs and provide high-quality, long-duration data on movements and habitat use of mobile species. This work package will strengthen estuarine and inshore coverage by testing a cost-effective, semi-autonomous, partnership-run array. The project will also create a coastal collective of regional partners to maintain equipment and manage data, using existing platforms and exploring a centrally funded, regionally delivered UK model.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0786f4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096741-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - award under framework
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£26,207 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
26 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
Natural England
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

University of Plymouth

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...