--- title: "Assessment of seagrass health in response to water quality in the Solent & Poole Harbour" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "DEFRA NETWORK ETENDERING PORTAL" published: "2021-05-12" --- # Assessment of seagrass health in response to water quality in the Solent & Poole Harbour Buyer: DEFRA NETWORK ETENDERING PORTAL Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0.json) ## Summary The Defra Network eTendering Portal is currently seeking proposals for a project titled "Assessment of seagrass health in response to water quality in the Solent & Poole Harbour." This tender falls under the environmental services category and is located in the Solent and Poole Harbour area. The procurement process is in the active tender stage, with a submission deadline set for 9th June 2021. The contract is expected to commence on 1st July 2021 and run until 20th March 2022. The procurement method employed is an open procedure, suitable for small to medium-sized enterprises. This tender presents an excellent opportunity for businesses focused on environmental consultancy, ecological research, or related services to engage in a significant marine health project. Companies that specialise in water quality assessment, ecological surveys, or seagrass habitat improvement will find this opportunity particularly relevant. By participating in this assessment, businesses can contribute to crucial environmental work while potentially securing long-term contracts with a governmental agency. ## Notice Background to Project Concerns around water quality (elevated nutrients) in our estuaries is currently leading to agencies to seek for improvements to agriculture, wastewater treatment works and nutrient neutrality in development. Environment Agency data for Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen, phytoplankton and opportunistic macroalgae covering littoral sediment, is currently used a proxy indicator to assess the water quality-nutrients attribute for intertidal and subtidal seagrass. Evidence is currently largely based on the impacts on mudflats from opportunistic macroalgae. However, there is concern that this current indicator of water quality is not taking account sufficiently the wider ecosystem effects of elevated nutrients in our estuaries. Water quality sampling can vary greatly throughout the year, assessments of these using these indicators are not always close to where the Zostera beds are present and there is literature that suggests seagrass health can be affected at lower nutrient concentrations than indicated by high densities of macroalgae over littoral sediment. Throughout the Solent and Poole Harbour there have been significant declines in the extent of seagrass and some loss at least has been linked to eutrophication through the smothering of plants by macroalgae. Moreover, wider literature highlights that the health of seagrass can be impacted directly through an increase in indicators of poor health e.g. incidence of Labyrynthula infection and excessive epiphytic growth, with indications that this effect occurs at lower nutrient loadings than that leading to dense macroalgae biomass on mudflats. Despite these effects of elevated nutrients on seagrass being highlighted as a concern in global literature little in the way of studies have been undertaken in the UK. This project proposes a study of the seagrass in estuaries in the Solent and Poole Harbour area over Summer 2021 in order to better understand the relationship between the health of seagrass and elevated nutrients in the Southern estuaries and whether a more suitable indicator can be found that represents how water quality - nutrients is affecting seagrass. With respect to the 'health' of seagrass (and depending on budget) the project may also include an assessment of carbon storage through analysis of sediment core samples for carbon. There is some evidence that in eutrophic waters the capability of seagrass to store carbon within their sediment is impaired (Lima et al, 2020) and their function as a blue carbon habitat diminished. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4bcab4cb-c44f-4810-a355-ed85392d40b7 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 12 May 2021 | | Submission deadline | 9 Jun 2021 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 30 Jun 2021 - 20 Mar 2022 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEFRA NETWORK ETENDERING PORTAL | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1P 3JR | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services ### Codes - 90700000 - Environmental services ## Release History - 12 May 2021 at 15:05 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4bcab4cb-c44f-4810-a355-ed85392d40b7 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/4bcab4cb-c44f-4810-a355-ed85392d40b7 12th May 2021 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk Link to eSourcing Portal ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7223d1e3-bd4d-4d8c-87e2-e33d89f8d7c0.json.