---
title: "CEFAS25-97 Contract for the provision of Hydrographic Expertise"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05dcd8"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05dcd8"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05dcd8.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05dcd8.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE"
published: "2026-02-16"
---

# CEFAS25-97 Contract for the provision of Hydrographic Expertise

Buyer: CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05dcd8

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## Summary

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), located in Lowestoft, UK, is undertaking a procurement process to award contracts for hydrographic expertise as part of the British Energy Estuarine and Marine Studies (BEEMS) programme. The contracts aim to provide technical review and quality assurance for hydrographic survey data, which is crucial for regulatory marine environmental monitoring at potential nuclear new build sites, including Sizewell C and Hinkley Point C power stations. The key procurement stage is completion, with the award date being 16 February 2026. The contract period will commence on 14 January 2026 and extend potentially until 2030, contingent upon renewals. The process was conducted under an open competition below threshold, with surveys anticipated quarterly for Sizewell C throughout 2026, while the survey schedule for Hinkley Point C is dynamically responsive to construction and regulatory schedules.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in hydrographic services and technical consultancy to expand their market reach by contributing to critical environmental monitoring programmes. With a contract value up to £100,000, the call-off basis offers flexibility and scalability for suppliers to engage according to demand. The awarded supplier, Metoc Ltd, trading as Intertek Metoc, alongside Hydenlyne Limited and HR Wallingford Limited, exemplifies the type of SMEs encouraged to participate, benefiting from the competitive procurement method that prioritises quality and technical proficiency. The engagement offers not only financial growth but the opportunity to forge lasting relationships with a prominent public authority in marine environmental science.

## Notice

The BEEMS (British Energy Estuarine and Marine Studies) programme is funded by NNB Generation Company (HPC) Limited and Sizewell C Limited. Through this programme, Cefas provide authoritative scientific information on the marine and transitional waters in the vicinity of potential nuclear new build (NNB) power stations and require a competent Supplier to deliver the element described below. Within the BEEMS programme, Cefas routinely manage, review, analyse and report on hydrographic surveys conducted by third parties to meet regulatory marine environmental monitoring requirements. Surveys serve a range of purposes within the marine environmental monitoring programmes for Sizewell C (SZC) and Hinkley Point C (HPC) power stations. This includes bathymetric multibeam echosounder (MBES) surveys to examine: * Geomorphological change of nearshore bars and sandbanks (including validation of remote x-band radar measurements of these features). * Seabed change in dredging areas and dredge disposal sites. * Scour around seabed infrastructure. Requirement: The Supplier will provide hydrographic services; covering specialist technical review and quality assurance of nearshore hydrographic survey data. Surveys are conducted by third parties as part of the marine environmental monitoring programmes for HPC and SZC NNB power stations. The work will be ongoing in nature, with an expected increase in survey activity in 2026. The projects are in varying stages of planning and as such, the Supplier could be required to take on work at any point in the project lifecycle. A kick off meeting will be held to discuss and agree the anticipated work requirement for each project. The survey schedule is subject to change in accordance with weather, construction schedules and regulatory requirements. For SZC, surveys are expected to be at least quarterly throughout 2026 and likely to be similar in future years. For HPC there is no defined survey plan, but it is important that the Supplier can provide the required support as and when required. Full details of the requirement can be found in the Bidder Pack. Contract Details Due to the nature of the work and the tight regulatory deadlines required to be met, Cefas is awarding the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) a Core Contract and is awarding 2 (two) additional Call-Off Contracts. The Supplier awarded the Core Contract is contracted with the intention to deliver all Contract requirements for the duration of the Contract and any possible extensions. The Buyer has also awarded 2 (two) additional Call-Off Contracts to the Suppliers ranked in the next 2 (two) positions (2nd and 3rd) below the Most Advantageous Tender. A Call-Off Contract will be used only in circumstances where the Core Contracted Supplier cannot provide the services. The Call-Off Contracted Suppliers will be approached in order of their ranked position (2nd, 3rd) from the evaluation process, to request provision of the required services. The Core Contract is awarded on a call-off basis, up to a maximum value of PS100,000 including VAT. Actual value is dependent on the work required. The additional Call-Off Contracts are awarded based on no committed value or volume of work. Suppliers should understand that the Buyer may not award any work under the Call-Off Contract.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Up to 2 x further periods of 12 months each

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013743-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 1 Dec 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 14 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 17 Feb 2026 - 31 Dec 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £100,000 |
| Lots value | £100,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £100,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| 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 | 3 |
| Supplier names | HR WALLINGFORD; HYDENLYNE; METOC LTD, TRADING AS INTERTEK METOC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services

## Release History

- 16 Feb 2026 at 11:03 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013743-2026
- 7 Nov 2025 at 13:47 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072059-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013743-2026
  16th February 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072059-2025
  7th November 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://atamis-9529.my.site.com/s/Welcome
- https://atamis-9529.my.site.com/s/WelcomeAllbidstobesubmittedviatheaboveeProcurementsystem.
- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-05dcd8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05dcd8.json.