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Reservoir Safety Engineer Appointments

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

15 Oct 2026 at 12:29

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

14 Oct 2026 at 14:15

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) buys reservoir safety engineering services through appointments to statutory engineer panels. The Institution of Civil Engineers assesses applicants, interviews candidates and recommends to Defra which engineers should be appointed. Panel membership enables engineers to carry out specified statutory functions; Ministers must consult the Institution before making appointments. This is an ongoing appointment process, with three rounds each year and appointments lasting five years. The work concerns assessing and recommending individual reservoir engineers, rather than carrying out reservoir construction or general engineering projects. The buyer is Defra, and the supplier is based in London; the procurement does not identify a separate delivery location.

The procurement is complete and the contract is active. Defra used a direct award below the threshold, without competition, to appoint the Institution of Civil Engineers. The Institution was selected to assess applications, interview engineers and recommend appointments. The contract was signed on 15 October 2026 and runs from 20 November 2026 to 20 November 2028. Its value is £60,000 excluding VAT (£72,000 including VAT). The process is a single lot, with suitability marked for both small and medium-sized businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises. The published procurement information describes the assessment and recommendation role but does not set out separate scored award criteria.

For suppliers considering comparable work for Defra, the relevant capability is a credible, independent process for assessing reservoir safety engineers: reviewing applications, conducting interviews and making reasoned recommendations on statutory panel appointments. Familiarity with reservoir engineering and the professional standards needed for engineers performing statutory functions would be central to delivering this requirement. The work is recurring rather than a one-off engineering project, with repeated appointment rounds and multi-year panel appointments, so delivery capacity must support regular candidate assessment and recommendations over the contract term. The buyer selected the Institution of Civil Engineers by direct award, reflecting the stated statutory requirement for ministerial consultation with that professional body. A competitor would need to demonstrate how it could fulfil the assessment function and support Defra’s appointment decisions within that statutory context.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Reservoir Safety Engineer Appointments

Notice Description

Reservoir engineers are appointed by Ministers to panels. Only the engineers who are members these panels can carry out certain statutory functions. Ministers are statutorily required to consult the Institution for Civil Engineers before making engineer appointments. The Institution for Civil Engineers therefore assesses engineer applications, carries out interviews and makes recommendations to Defra on which engineers should and shouldn't be appointed to the relevant panels. This is an ongoing process. Appointments last for 5 years and there are 3 rounds of appointments each year.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0787a8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097434-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71300000 - Engineering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£60,000 Under £100K
Contracts Value
£60,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
20 Nov 2026 - 20 Nov 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active, Pending
Contracts Status
Active

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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Institution of Civil Engineers

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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