---
title: "NCF: LAP Water Infrastructure Grant - Enabling ADA Contract"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2026-03-16"
---

# NCF: LAP Water Infrastructure Grant - Enabling ADA Contract

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac.json)

## Summary

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), located at Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF, has contracted the Association of Drainage Authorities for services related to the evaluation of the LAPSIP grant scheme and engagement with the lowland peat water sector. This procurement falls under the category of market research services and is part of DEFRA's continuous preparation for a new programme, supported by funding through SR25. The procurement stage involved a direct award due to the Association's unique technical expertise in water level management, commencing on 26 January 2026 and running until 31 March 2026. The contract, signed on 29 January 2026, includes provisions for periodic extensions until 2030, indicating a significant ongoing commitment. The procurement method utilised was a direct award, justified under the single supplier rationale as per the 2023 Procurement Act.

This contract represents strategic growth opportunities for businesses specialising in water infrastructure and environmental consultancy. While the direct award limits competition, the nature of the deal signals a sustained demand for subject matter expertise in water management, particularly concerning lowland peat water sectors. Any organisation with the requisite expertise in water level management could engage in upcoming tenders as DEFRA continues to develop its programme, providing avenues for new entries to influence evolving environmental policy frameworks. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with innovative solutions in managing water resources and environmental conservation may benefit substantially from this long-term engagement, potentially informing future grant schemes similar to LAPSIP.

## Notice

This contract will be for the procurement of 'Services' of subject matter expertise from ADA, required for the evaluation of the LAPSIP grant scheme, continued engagement with the lowland peat water sector (particularly IDBs), and to support the preparation ahead of a new programme, which received funding through SR25.

### Procurement Information

ADA has subject matter expertise in water level management not identified elsewhere that is required to support successful delivery of outcomes, particularly to apply lessons learnt, inform a new application process and support development of the new programme. As per Chapter 3 (Section 41), Schedule 5 of the 2023 Procurement Act, this contract meets the Direct Award justification of 'Single Supplier' with the following conditions met for a public contract: (a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023330-2026 |
| Notice type | UK10 - Contract Change Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 19 Nov 2025 |
| Contract period | 2 Feb 2026 - 31 Mar 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £1,140,000 |
| Contracts value | £1,140,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active, Pending |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Additional buyers | DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS |
| 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 | ASSOCIATION OF DRAINAGE AUTHORITIES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79310000 - Market research services

## Release History

- 16 Mar 2026 at 09:56 - ContractAmendment - UK10 - Contract Change Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023330-2026
- 5 Feb 2026 at 09:59 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010287-2026
- 12 Jan 2026 at 16:29 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002412-2026
- 12 Jan 2026 at 13:07 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002263-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023330-2026
  16th March 2026 - Contract change notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010287-2026
  5th February 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002412-2026
  12th January 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002263-2026
  12th January 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-0603ac. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0603ac.json.