---
title: "Open Access LandIS Portal"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2025-10-17"
---

# Open Access LandIS Portal

Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b.json)

## Summary

The procurement process for the "Open Access LandIS Portal" involves the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in collaboration with Cranfield University. This contract, valued at £14,184,518, was signed on 29th September 2025 and has reached the Award stage. The project centres on environmental information systems, aiming to modify licencing conditions for various datasets such as the National Soil Map and National Soil Inventory, enabling wider access. The procurement method was limited, without prior publication, due to the intellectual property rights held by both Defra and Cranfield University. The contracting authority and supplier are located in the UK, and the covered services primarily pertain to environmental and data services with a potential extension option totaling several years.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specializing in environmental services and data management, particularly those with expertise in information technology software maintenance. Entities such as private firms, public sector bodies, and consultants can benefit from the collaboration, especially if they face restrictions in accessing key datasets. The adaptation of licensing arrangements opens new markets and avenues for partnerships, making it advantageous for enterprises aiming to support environmental initiatives like the ELMS, Nature Recovery Network, and Agriculture Land Classification, subsequently contributing to policy objectives like the Net Zero initiative.

## Notice

The existing LandIS agreement between Cranfield University (CU) and Defra sets out the conditions under which Defra can access:

* The platform which is owned and hosted by Cranfield for the provision of National Soil Map (NATMAP)
* National Soil Inventory (NSI) and soil attribute data (SOILSERIES & HORIZON), and its supplementary data bases (broadly: the LandIS platform data).

All Crown bodies currently enjoy full royalty-free access to LandIS, and this available to charities and research institutions. Non-crown bodies such as the Environment Agency or Natural England, and other public sector bodies, private individuals, consultants, and businesses do not have royalty-free access to this data.
Defra and Cranfield University are working towards reducing or removing some of the licencing restrictions pertaining to the afore mentioned datasets.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The existing LandIS agreement between Cranfield University (CU) and Defra sets out the conditions under which Defra can access:

* The platform which is owned and hosted by Cranfield for the provision of National Soil Map (NATMAP)
* National Soil Inventory (NSI) and soil attribute data (SOILSERIES & HORIZON), and its supplementary data bases (broadly: the LandIS platform data).

All Crown bodies currently enjoy full royalty-free access to LandIS, and this available to charities and research institutions. Non-crown bodies such as the Environment Agency or Natural England, and other public sector bodies, private individuals, consultants, and businesses do not have royalty-free access to this data.
Defra and Cranfield University are working towards reducing or removing some of the licencing restrictions pertaining to the afore mentioned datasets.

Options: 4 years 5 months + 1 year + 1 year + 1 year

### Procurement Information

Cranfield University and Defra own separate and joint Intellectual Property in the NATMAP, NSI and other associated supplementary Databases. This project will allow for the majority of the databases to be accessed via the Open or Restricted License by removing the current licencing requirements, whilst allowing the IP rights to be retained. This is a compliant Single Tender Action under Regulation 32 Public Contracts Regulations 2015, as we are protecting the exclusive rights held by both Defra and Cranfield University.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066137-2025 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 19 Feb 2025 |
| Contract period | 1 Jul 2025 - 30 Jun 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £6,500,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £20,684,518 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Additional buyers | DEFRA GROUP COMMERCIAL; DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (DEFRA NETWORK ETENDERING PORTAL) |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | 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 | CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 72267100 - Maintenance of information technology software
- 72300000 - Data services
- 90714100 - Environmental information systems

## Release History

- 17 Oct 2025 at 08:49 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066137-2025
- 28 Feb 2025 at 12:02 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007511-2025
- 19 Feb 2025 at 11:31 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005783-2025
- 18 Feb 2025 at 09:01 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005506-2025

## Notice URLs

- http://www.cranfield.ac.uk
- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs
- 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-04e30b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e30b.json.