---
title: "CEFAS23-97 Contract for a Mackerel Tagging Vessel"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-03df5f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-03df5f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03df5f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03df5f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE"
published: "2023-09-11"
---

# CEFAS23-97 Contract for a Mackerel Tagging Vessel

Buyer: CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-03df5f

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## Summary

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has completed the award process for the contract titled "CEFAS23-97 Contract for a Mackerel Tagging Vessel". The procurement falls under the services category, involving the hire of vessels with crew. The contract involves deploying Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags on mackerel in the North Sea to understand stock movements. The contract has been awarded to Unity Fishing Co Ltd. The contract period started on 1st September 2023, and the vessel must be available for seven consecutive days at sea between the 11th and 19th of September 2023, with potential extensions for future surveys.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses in the marine services industry. Companies experienced in providing vessels and crew for marine research projects are well-suited to compete for this contract. The contract value is £400,000 in GBP, catering to suppliers with expertise in supporting scientific surveys at sea. Businesses interested in long-term partnerships and projects aimed at sustainable fisheries management would find this tender particularly relevant and potentially lucrative.

## Notice

North East Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus), is a widely distributed stock which exhibits significant seasonal migrations. Having a solid understanding of these migrations, including occupancy of different areas, is critical to successfully managing the stock. To better understand stock movements, Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags have been deployed in mackerel on the West coast of the UK and Ireland by Norway since 2011. However, areas of the North Sea are not included in Norway's tagging survey. Our study will aim to deploy tags in the North Sea, providing additional data to the international effort to understand stock characteristics, which will facilitate sustainable management of mackerel. Cefas require a suitable vessel to support the capture of mackerel and deployment of PIT tags in the North Sea. Cefas plan to deploy up to 15,000 tags on live mackerel and will provide a minimum of 6 personnel to tag the fish, working with the vessel to deliver the scientific objectives of the survey.

The exact mobbing, transit, sea-days and demobbing dates will be agreed between Cefas and the skipper, but the days at sea will need to fall between the 11th September and 19th September 2023 due to scientific staff availability. The vessel must be available for seven consecutive days at sea within this period. The 2023 survey duration is 7 days but may be increased to cover bad weather days.

Subject to confirmation of funding, further surveys in subsequent years may be required. If confirmed, these will likely be conducted within the same time period each year. Subject to funding the duration of future surveys may be extended to approximately 14 days. The Contract could therefore be extended to undertake surveys for up to a further 3 years, however each extension period will be confirmed on an annual basis subject to confirmation of funding

### Lot Information

Lot 1

North East Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus), is a widely distributed stock which exhibits significant seasonal migrations. Having a solid understanding of these migrations, including occupancy of different areas, is critical to successfully managing the stock. To better understand stock movements, Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags have been deployed in mackerel on the West coast of the UK and Ireland by Norway since 2011. However, areas of the North Sea are not included in Norway's tagging survey. Our study will aim to deploy tags in the North Sea, providing additional data to the international effort to understand stock characteristics, which will facilitate sustainable management of mackerel. Cefas require a suitable vessel to support the capture of mackerel and deployment of PIT tags in the North Sea. Cefas plan to deploy up to 15,000 tags on live mackerel and will provide a minimum of 6 personnel to tag the fish, working with the vessel to deliver the scientific objectives of the survey.

The exact mobbing, transit, sea-days and demobbing dates will be agreed between Cefas and the skipper, but the days at sea will need to fall between the 11th September and 19th September 2023 due to scientific staff availability. The vessel must be available for seven consecutive days at sea within this period. The 2023 survey duration is 7 days but may be increased to cover bad weather days.

Subject to confirmation of funding, further surveys in subsequent years may be required. If confirmed, these will likely be conducted within the same time period each year. Subject to funding the duration of future surveys may be extended to approximately 14 days. The Contract could therefore be extended to undertake surveys for up to a further 3 years, however each extension period will be confirmed on an annual basis subject to confirmation of funding

Renewal: Subject to confirmation of funding, further surveys in subsequent years may be required. Subject to funding the duration of future surveys may be extended to approximately 14 days. The Contract could therefore be extended to undertake surveys for up to a further 3 years, however each extension period will be confirmed on an annual basis subject to confirmation of funding.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026798-2023 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 11 Sep 2023 |
| Submission deadline | 7 Aug 2023 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 31 Aug 2023 |
| Contract period | 3 Sep 2023 - 3 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £840,000 |
| Lots value | £840,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £400,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE |
| Locality | LOWESTOFT |
| Post town | Norwich |
| Postcode | NR33 0HT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH6 Suffolk |
| ITL 3 | TLH63 East Suffolk |
| Local authority | East Suffolk |
| Electoral ward | Kirkley & Pakefield |
| Westminster constituency | Lowestoft |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | UNITY FISHING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 15 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 15241500 - Mackerel
- 34513000 - Fishing, emergency and other special vessels
- 34513100 - Fishing vessels
- 60651000 - Hire of vessels with crew

## Release History

- 11 Sep 2023 at 11:14 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026798-2023
- 6 Jul 2023 at 12:38 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019291-2023

## Notice URLs

- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.cefas.co.uk/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit

## 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-h6vhtk-03df5f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03df5f.json.