---
title: "T505: Aquifer Characterisation"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-73cf3e62-9271-482b-9fb2-65446fe01c18"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-73cf3e62-9271-482b-9fb2-65446fe01c18"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-73cf3e62-9271-482b-9fb2-65446fe01c18.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-73cf3e62-9271-482b-9fb2-65446fe01c18.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2026-09-02"
---

# T505: Aquifer Characterisation

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-73cf3e62-9271-482b-9fb2-65446fe01c18

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## Summary

Defra Commercial procured services under the requirement titled “T505: Aquifer Characterisation”. The work concerns characterising aquifers, supporting understanding of groundwater systems and their properties. It is a services contract, with delivery associated with the United Kingdom and also identified locations including London, Europe, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, British Overseas Territories and the rest of the world. The buying organisation is Defra Commercial, based at 17 Smith Square, London. The requirement was awarded to Leaton Hydrogeology Limited, a specialist hydrogeology company based at Leaton Hall, Leaton. The published classification is CPV 80532000, management training services, although the procurement title identifies aquifer characterisation as the subject of the work.

The procurement has been awarded and is complete. Defra Commercial used a direct procurement method described as a single tender action below threshold. The tender submission deadline was 1 September 2026 at 12:00. The contract was awarded to Leaton Hydrogeology Limited on 2 September 2026 for £51,971.95. The awarded contract period runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2031. The award is active. The opportunity was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises. The procurement record does not set out separate lots or a detailed scoring model; the available classification is management training services, while the tender title is T505: Aquifer Characterisation.

This award indicates demand from Defra Commercial for specialist aquifer characterisation delivered through a small, below-threshold procurement. Competitors would need credible hydrogeology capability and the technical expertise to investigate and describe aquifer systems for a public-sector client. The successful supplier’s profile suggests that a focused specialist business can meet this type of requirement, rather than only a large multidisciplinary contractor. SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises were identified as suitable organisation types, so relevant smaller providers may be well placed to compete when comparable work returns. Businesses should be able to demonstrate directly relevant groundwater or aquifer assessment experience, dependable technical delivery and the capacity to support a long-running requirement across the stated geographic scope.

## Notice

T505: Aquifer Characterisation

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3784cd22-d8cc-4fe3-a21f-b4c007bcc0c2 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Single tender action (below threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £51,971 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 4DF |
| 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 |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Leaton Hydrogeology Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80532000 - Management training services

## Release History

- 2 Sep 2026 at 18:34 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3784cd22-d8cc-4fe3-a21f-b4c007bcc0c2

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3784cd22-d8cc-4fe3-a21f-b4c007bcc0c2
  2nd September 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## 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-b5fd17-73cf3e62-9271-482b-9fb2-65446fe01c18. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-73cf3e62-9271-482b-9fb2-65446fe01c18.json.