---
title: "CEFAS25-91 ITT for provision of mudflat monitoring surveys at Hinkley Point C"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05e78e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05e78e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05e78e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05e78e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE"
published: "2026-02-17"
---

# CEFAS25-91 ITT for provision of mudflat monitoring surveys at Hinkley Point C

Buyer: CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05e78e

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## Summary

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) has completed a public procurement process for marine survey services under the BEEMS programme for monitoring mudflats at Hinkley Point C. The procurement was conducted using an open procedure with the involvement of the NNB Generation Company (HPC) Limited. The focus of the contract is to conduct intertidal mudflat monitoring surveys to assess the impact of seawater temperature changes due to cooling water discharges from the nuclear power station. The surveys include biological sampling around Bridgwater Bay and Wick St. Lawrence, and physical measurements such as temperature and pressure. The contract went through the tender stage, with implementation expected to start in February 2026, concluding in December 2028, with options for extension until December 2030.

This tender opens up business growth opportunities for organisations specialising in marine environmental studies, particularly those that excel in conducting detailed biological and sediment analyses as required by the contract. With Marine Science Support Ltd awarded the contract, the opportunity is especially fitting for SMEs with expertise in marine survey services under the CPV classification '79311000'. Businesses in this niche can leverage their capabilities to contribute to regulatory environmental monitoring, supporting large infrastructure projects like Hinkley Point C. By aligning with such projects, businesses can bolster their reputation and expand their market presence in the United Kingdom's marine sciences sector.

## Notice

The BEEMS (British EDF Estuarine and Marine Studies) programme is funded by NNB Generation Company (HPC) Limited. Through this programme, Cefas provide authoritative scientific information on the marine and transitional waters in the vicinity of potential new build nuclear power stations and require a competent Supplier to deliver the element described below. Cefas require services to conduct intertidal mudflat monitoring surveys for the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Nuclear New Build project to meet regulatory environmental monitoring requirements. The ongoing mudflat monitoring programme focuses on a bivalve species, the Baltic tellin, Macoma balthica. This species is a key component of the Hinkley Point mudflat community and was identified, during the HPC environmental impact assessment process, as potentially sensitive to localised seawater temperature increases brought about by the cooling water discharges from HPC. As such, biological samples and physical measurements are collected every year. The monitoring programme is focussed on mudflat intertidal areas around Bridgwater Bay and at a reference site in Wick St. Lawrence, located to the north of the bay. Scope of Requirements: Biological samples are collected at all the sampling stations in high shore and low shore and require the following: a) Six replicate macrofauna samples are collected using a 0.01 m2 corer to a depth of 15 cm. Each sample is placed in a sealed plastic bag and transported via private courier to a third-party laboratory for macrofauna analysis. The courier service, arranged by the Supplier, ensures delivery to the Cefas appointed UK based laboratory within 24 hours of collection. Alternative approaches to this analysis method are welcomed and should be outlined within your proposal. (Figure 2) b) Some mud is then shovelled into a 1 mm mesh sieve and sieved on site to collect up to 75 Macoma balthica individuals by hand using tweezers for population dynamic analysis. Samples are stored in a plastic ziplock bags (Figure 3). If only small individuals are found, an additional 10 - 15 larger individual (>1 cm width) must be collected for the condition index measurements and placed in a separate ziplock bag for a condition assessment. Samples are stored in a fridge or in cool box to keep individuals alive for processing at the end of the sampling day. These are then sent to the Lowestoft Cefas Laboratory. c) Sediment samples are collected using a 50 ml plastic syringe with a truncated tip to sample the first 2 cm of sediment as a core (five replicate). Four of the five samples (for pigment and nutrient analysis) are pooled together in a plastic ziplock bag to account for small scale variability and one sample is stored in a pot for Particle Size Analysis. Samples are stored in dry ice for the duration of the survey. These are then sent to the Lowestoft Cefas Laboratory. Physical measurements are carried out at the low shore stations only and require the following: a) Temperature and pressure sensors (Star-Oddi's Data Storage Tag DST centi-TD) are deployed on metal stakes (Figure 4) at the five low shore stations on stakes (see Figure 1). The sensors, which remain in situ, record temperature continuously and data need to be uploaded on a quarterly basis. Biological samples must be collected twice a year during spring tide windows in February and in August. Physical measurement surveys must be carried out four times a year, in February, May, August and November. Note that the biological and physical measurements in February and August are completed during the same survey.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014327-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Feb 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 7 Jan 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 20 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 18 Feb 2026 - 31 Dec 2028 |
| Recurrence | 2029-09-01 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £170,000 |
| Lots value | £170,000 |
| Awards value | £250,000 |
| Contracts value | £300,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active, Pending |
| 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 | MARINE SCIENCE SUPPORT |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 71354500 - Marine survey services
- 79311000 - Survey services

## Release History

- 17 Feb 2026 at 13:46 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014327-2026
- 20 Jan 2026 at 12:45 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004799-2026
- 24 Nov 2025 at 14:51 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076538-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014327-2026
  17th February 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004799-2026
  20th January 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076538-2025
  24th 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-05e78e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05e78e.json.