---
title: "DAC 03/26 Purchase of FlowCam Cyano"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-064a9f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-064a9f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064a9f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064a9f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2026-02-20"
---

# DAC 03/26 Purchase of FlowCam Cyano

Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-064a9f

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## Summary

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has successfully completed a direct award procurement process, marked by the contract "DAC 03/26 Purchase of FlowCam Cyano". This process, concluded on 19 February 2026, pertains to the acquisition of equipment necessary for monitoring cyanobacteria in bathing waters. Situated in Belfast, the buyer operates under the regulations applicable to Northern Ireland and falls within the public authority sector of central government. The procurement, categorised under laboratory, optical, and precision instruments, involves a direct award to Planet Ocean Limited, citing exclusive intellectual property rights as the rationale. The contract, valued at £170,000, covers a period until 19 February 2029.

This procurement offers significant business growth opportunities for companies specialising in laboratory and environmental monitoring equipment. The use of direct award underscores the importance of possessing exclusive rights and specialised equipment, pinpointing opportunities for firms with unique intellectual property in these areas. Businesses akin to Planet Ocean Limited, particularly those in precision equipment manufacturing, are well-positioned to leverage such tenders for expansion within the public sector. Entrepreneurs should identify similar niches with exclusive offerings to increase competitiveness in direct award contracts. Furthermore, SMEs focusing on innovative solutions within the scientific instrumentation domain can find lucrative possibilities through public procurement avenues.

## Notice

The equipment, and associated installation, training and servicing, is required to improve monitoring of cyanobacteria (blue green algae) in bathing waters and other recreational sites.

### Procurement Information

All public procurements should comply with Public Procurement Policy and Managing Public Money NI. The value of this Direct Award Contract (DAC) at PS170,000 is above the UK threshold and therefore the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024 apply. There are direct award justifications provided for under Section 41 and Schedule 5 of the PA23 which permit a Contracting Authority to award a public contract to a single supplier where the supplies or services can only be supplied by a particular supplier, and the following conditions are met: (a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that 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/015491-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 20 Feb 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 20 Feb 2026 - 19 Feb 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £170,000 |
| Contracts value | £170,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Additional buyers | CPD - SUPPLIES & SERVICES DIVISION |
| Locality | BELFAST |
| Post town | Northern Ireland |
| Postcode | BT3 9ED |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| ITL 1 | TLN Northern Ireland |
| ITL 2 | TLN0 Northern Ireland |
| ITL 3 | TLN06 Belfast |
| Local authority | Belfast |
| Electoral ward | Sydenham |
| Westminster constituency | Belfast East |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | PLANET OCEAN |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

### Codes

- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 38200000 - Geological and geophysical instruments
- 38400000 - Instruments for checking physical characteristics
- 38500000 - Checking and testing apparatus

## Release History

- 20 Feb 2026 at 09:10 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015491-2026
- 9 Feb 2026 at 08:43 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011211-2026
- 6 Feb 2026 at 16:59 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011161-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015491-2026
  20th February 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011211-2026
  9th February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/011161-2026
  6th February 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/
- https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/topics/procurement
- 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-064a9f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064a9f.json.