---
title: "Water Roadmap Delivery Partner - Rivers Ecology"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ae71"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ae71"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ae71.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ae71.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "WASTE & RESOURCES ACTION PROGRAMME"
published: "2026-06-05"
---

# Water Roadmap Delivery Partner - Rivers Ecology

Buyer: WASTE & RESOURCES ACTION PROGRAMME  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ae71

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## Summary

The procurement process initiated by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) focuses on the "Water Roadmap Delivery Partner - Rivers Ecology" project based in South East England. The industry category for this contract is environmental engineering consultancy services, specifically targeting water stewardship in a critical food sourcing area under high water pressure. The procurement is at the 'Award' stage, with Norfolk Rivers Trust selected as the supplier through a direct award method. The contract, valued at £180,000, will commence on 16th June 2026 and conclude on 31st May 2027. The direct award was justified as crucial to maintain the continuity and efficacy of regional water stewardship efforts without the disruptions associated with changing suppliers at this juncture.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses engaged in environmental engineering consultancy, particularly those with expertise in water management and resource sustainability. The contract is ideal for small and medium enterprises as evidenced by the selection of Norfolk Rivers Trust, an SME and a VCSE. Businesses with well-established local partnerships and experience in managing complex water stewardship projects will find this tender particularly advantageous for growth. The project under the Water Roadmap aims at long-term improvements in regional water ecology, providing scope for businesses to engage in future competitive re-procurements anticipated post-2027.

## Notice

We would like to provide South East Rivers Trust a 12 month direct award contract to continue as WRAP's delivery partner for the Water Roadmap collective action project in South East England. This is a strategically important food sourcing area for the UK supply chain, specifically for fresh soft, top and stone fruit. The catchments in this area are under significant water pressure with the area facing water shortages and drought regularly. Consequently, the catchments are a high priority for WRAP and our stakeholders to improve water stewardship under the Water Roadmap. Improving water stewardship is a long-term endeavour recognised by WRAP and our business funders who make a 3-year financial commitment to each of the collective action projects. The stability this provides enables WRAP's delivery partners to build relationships, develop and implement solutions and maintain the expertise required to tackle significant challenges requiring the collaboration of hundreds, if not thousands of stakeholders.

### Procurement Information

From a commercial / procurement perspective, a time-limited direct award for a period of up to 12 months is considered justified & proportionate under the principles of the PA23, on the basis that it secures continuity of a highly specialised, place-based service where competition in the short term would be unlikely to deliver equivalent value or outcomes. Commercial have been advised that the Supplier holds a uniquely embedded position within the region's water stewardship landscape, with established delivery infrastructure, trusted local partnerships, and alignment with parallel programmes that collectively underpin the success of the Collective Action Project; these characteristics are not readily transferable or replicable without significant time, cost, and risk to delivery. Introducing a new supplier at this stage would likely result in material disruption, duplication of mobilisation costs, and potential loss of co-funding and stakeholder confidence, thereby undermining value for money and programme impact. A 12-month direct award therefore represents a pragmatic interim measure that maintains delivery momentum while allowing WRAP to plan and undertake a compliant, competitive re-procurement for the longer-term solution (currently anticipated for 2027), ensuring alignment with transparency, proportionality, and responsible stewardship of funds.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053213-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 5 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 15 Jun 2026 - 31 May 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £180,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | WASTE & RESOURCES ACTION PROGRAMME |
| Locality | BANBURY |
| Post town | Oxford |
| Postcode | OX16 5BH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC |
| Local authority | Cherwell |
| Electoral ward | Banbury Cross and Neithrop |
| Westminster constituency | Banbury |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | NORFOLK RIVERS TRUST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71313000 - Environmental engineering consultancy services

## Release History

- 5 Jun 2026 at 10:05 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053213-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053213-2026
  5th June 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-06ae71. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ae71.json.