---
title: "UKRI-3918 New England Shelf Hydrogeology"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-046b5f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-046b5f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-046b5f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-046b5f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION"
published: "2025-01-24"
---

# UKRI-3918 New England Shelf Hydrogeology

Buyer: UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-046b5f

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## Summary

The UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) awarded a contract for the project "UKRI-3918 New England Shelf Hydrogeology," classified under offshore drilling services (CPV 76320000). The project, managed by the British Geological Survey (BGS) on behalf of the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), involves a scientific drilling, coring, and groundwater sampling campaign off the Atlantic continental shelf of New England, USA. The procurement process was conducted using an open procedure, concluding with an award on 24th January 2025. The campaign, slated for May to August 2025, requires services over a period of 60 to 90 days with a contract value of approximately $25,578,242 USD. The winning bidder, Matrix Offshore Services, LLC, will provide the vessel and personnel required for the operation. This contract aims to extend the understanding of groundwater flow and chemical fluxes in continental shelf systems.

Businesses involved in offshore drilling, marine coring, and groundwater sampling can significantly benefit from participating in similar tenders. SMEs are particularly encouraged as the contract offers a substantial value and duration, fostering business growth and expertise in marine science projects. Suppliers skilled in providing drilling platforms, rock-drilling equipment, and subsea drilling work positioned in or capable of operating in the USA would be well-suited for the technical and quality requirements of such projects. This project presents a prime opportunity for companies looking to expand their portfolio in the scientific and hydrogeological drilling domain.

## Notice

The British Geological Survey (BGS), acting on behalf of the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), requires a marine coring capability and suitable vessel to operate offshore New England, USA, for a scientific drilling, coring and groundwater sampling campaign for a period of between 60 - 90 days (estimated) between May and August 2025. This scientific coring project seeks to extend our understanding of the current and past states of fluid composition, pressure, and temperature in continental shelf environments. In many coastal settings worldwide, the distribution of freshwater within continental shelf sediments is far out of equilibrium with modern sea level. One of the most remarkable examples is found on the Atlantic continental shelf off New England where groundwater within shallow Pliocene-Pleistocene sand aquifers over 100 km offshore has low salinity (3000 mg/l or less). This project will test several hypotheses to help constrain rates, directions, and mechanisms of groundwater flow and chemical fluxes in continental shelf systems.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The project requires a contractor to provide a suitable platform from which to deploy coring apparatus to achieve near-continuous core samples (min. diameter 60mm) from seabed to a total depth (TD) of 550 mbsf (meters below sea floor) at each of 3 pre-determined sites. Additionally, the project requires to drill (not core) 2 boreholes at 2 of the 3 pre-determined sites for groundwater testing and sampling at specific intervals selected using the results from the cored boreholes. The contractor will be responsible for supplying the vessel and personnel; and undertaking the drilling, coring and groundwater testing/sampling requirements. Please see the Specification for full details.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002542-2025 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Jan 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 11 Sep 2024 |
| Future notice date | 30 Jun 2024 |
| Award date | 22 Jan 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £26,000,000 |
| Lots value | £26,000,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £25,578,242 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION |
| Locality | SWINDON |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN2 1FL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Rodbourne Cheney |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MATRIX OFFSHORE SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 43 - Machinery for mining, quarrying, construction equipment
- 45 - Construction work
- 76 - Services related to the oil and gas industry

### Codes

- 34514000 - Floating or submersible drilling or production platforms
- 43124900 - Rock-drilling equipment
- 45262422 - Subsea drilling work
- 76320000 - Offshore drilling services
- 76340000 - Core drilling

## Release History

- 24 Jan 2025 at 14:05 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002542-2025
- 23 Sep 2024 at 15:05 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030371-2024
- 29 Aug 2024 at 11:05 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027546-2024
- 9 Aug 2024 at 15:05 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025291-2024
- 24 May 2024 at 15:05 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016513-2024
- 24 May 2024 at 13:05 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/016466-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://www.ukri.org
- https://matrix-offshore.com/
- https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=905902719
- https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/respond/88M76V55Z8
- https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/respond/BT9ZES6HV6
- https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Swindon:-Offshore-drilling-services./88M76V55Z8
- https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Swindon:-Offshore-drilling-services./BT9ZES6HV6
- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Swindon:-Offshore-drilling-services./BT9ZES6HV6
- https://www.ukri.org/about-us/procurement-contract-transparency-data

## 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-046b5f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-046b5f.json.