---
title: "Investigation into the potential risk of entanglement of marine mammals with discarded fishing gear associated with floating offshore wind farms"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-048563"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-048563"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-048563.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-048563.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT"
published: "2024-12-12"
---

# Investigation into the potential risk of entanglement of marine mammals with discarded fishing gear associated with floating offshore wind farms

Buyer: SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-048563

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## Summary

The Scottish Government's Offshore Wind Directorate has issued a tender for the investigation into the potential risk of entanglement of marine mammals with discarded fishing gear associated with floating offshore wind farms (FOW). This procurement, classified under the environmental services category (CPV 90700000), is located in Scotland and aims to support the region's renewable energy targets and net zero emissions goal for 2045. The procurement stage is active, with the award period starting on 29 August 2024. The procurement method used is an open procedure, allowing for broad participation and transparency. The contract, valued at approximately GBP 130,000, has a duration of 720 days with an optional six-month extension. Key deadlines include the tender period end date on 29 August 2024 and the bid opening on the same day.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in environmental research and marine services, as well as those with capabilities in remote monitoring and data analysis technologies. With a focus on improving the evidence base for environmental assessments related to offshore wind farms, companies can engage in cutting-edge research and contribute to the sustainability of Scotland’s energy sector. Suitable businesses are likely those that offer robust environmental impact assessment services, possess advanced monitoring tools, and have experience in handling marine-related projects. The tender also encourages the inclusion of community benefits, emphasising corporate social responsibility and contributing to the social, economic, and environmental well-being of Scotland, aligning business growth with national objectives.

## Notice

The Offshore Wind Directorate invites a tender from a suitable contractor to define the risk of entanglement with discarded fishing gear around mooring lines at floating offshore wind farm (FOW) sites. The Scottish Government has set a range of targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to generate more energy from renewable sources. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2019 commits the Scottish Government to reach net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045. Offshore wind will play a vital part in meeting these targets, and is set to expand substantially in Scotland over the next decade and beyond, as evident by the recent ScotWind seabed leasing round by the Crown Estate Scotland. In January 2021 and through its clearing process in August 2022, Crown Estate Scotland has offered Option Agreements for 20 offshore wind projects around Scotland totalling 27.6GW of potential new offshore wind developments. The related offshore wind Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) decarbonisation planning and leasing process outlined a further 5.4GW of projects. This project will assess entanglement risk by using monitoring tools such as load cells, remote operated vehicles (ROV) and other tools to identify the snag rate of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) on mooring lines of FOW developments. This will be coupled with modelling of density and distribution of ALDFG across Scottish shelf waters or estimation of snag rate at a given site based on data detailing potential sources, identified prevalence based on available data and oceanographic drift. Should substantial risk be identified, the project should also consider and suggest potential mitigation measures and any associated future research needs to deliver these. This project will contribute to the overall process of the sustainable expansion of floating offshore wind in Scottish waters by improving the evidence base for environmental assessments and build on previous work seeking to establish the risk of entanglement.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Offshore Wind Directorate invites a tender from a suitable contractor to define the risk of entanglement with discarded fishing gear around mooring lines at floating offshore wind farm (FOW) sites. The Scottish Government has set a range of targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to generate more energy from renewable sources. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2019 commits the Scottish Government to reach net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045. Offshore wind will play a vital part in meeting these targets, and is set to expand substantially in Scotland over the next decade and beyond, as evident by the recent ScotWind seabed leasing round by the Crown Estate Scotland. In January 2021 and through its clearing process in August 2022, Crown Estate Scotland has offered Option Agreements for 20 offshore wind projects around Scotland totalling 27.6GW of potential new offshore wind developments. The related offshore wind Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) decarbonisation planning and leasing process outlined a further 5.4GW of projects. It is Scottish Government policy to ensure that decisions are informed by the best available evidence and make reasonable effort to address any gaps in knowledge. There is a requirement on the marine licensing authority (Scottish Ministers) to have regard to the need to protect the environment as part of determining any marine licence. Furthermore, the evaluation of potential interactions between renewables projects, marine wildlife and other users of the sea is required and forms part of plan and project level assessments. The assessments include Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA), Habitat Regulation Appraisals (HRA), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Social and Economic Impact Assessments. The upcoming expansion of Offshore Wind in Scotland will include an increase in the scale of Floating Offshore Wind (FOW) developments due to sites being located in deeper waters. Given the relative youth of this technology, there is a paucity of empirical evidence to help inform environmental assessments of the potential impacts of these developments. This project will assess entanglement risk by using monitoring tools such as load cells, remote operated vehicles (ROV) and other tools to identify the snag rate of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) on mooring lines of FOW developments. This will be coupled with modelling of density and distribution of ALDFG across Scottish shelf waters or estimation of snag rate at a given site based on data detailing potential sources, identified prevalence based on available data and oceanographic drift. Should substantial risk be identified, the project should also consider and suggest potential mitigation measures and any associated future research needs to deliver these. This project will contribute to the overall process of the sustainable expansion of floating offshore wind in Scottish waters by improving the evidence base for environmental assessments and build on previous work seeking to establish the risk of entanglement.

Renewal: An optional 6 month extension option will be available to the purchasing authority to utilise at their discretion.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040031-2024 |
| 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 | 12 Dec 2024 |
| Submission deadline | 29 Aug 2024 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 18 Nov 2024 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £130,000 |
| Lots value | £130,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £129,543 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH6 6QQ |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh |
| Local authority | City of Edinburgh |
| Electoral ward | Leith |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh North and Leith |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SAMS APPLIED MARINE SCIENCE ENTERPRISE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 45 - Construction work
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 45262640 - Environmental improvement works
- 71313400 - Environmental impact assessment for construction
- 71313420 - Environmental standards for construction
- 71313430 - Environmental indicators analysis for construction
- 71313440 - Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) services for construction
- 71313450 - Environmental monitoring for construction
- 73110000 - Research services
- 73112000 - Marine research services
- 90700000 - Environmental services

## Release History

- 12 Dec 2024 at 09:49 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040031-2024
- 29 Jul 2024 at 11:03 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023562-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
- http://www.scotland.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000773723
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10482

## 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-048563. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-048563.json.