---
title: "Pollution Mitigation of Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-06-19"
---

# Pollution Mitigation of Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common

Buyer: CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c.json)

## Summary

Cambridge City Council is actively engaging in a preliminary market engagement exercise for a project titled "Pollution Mitigation of Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common", focusing on environmental management within the Cambridge area (UKH12). The procurement process is currently in the planning stage, with the aim of sourcing qualified organisations for evidence integration, modelling, and design support related to pollution mitigation for the Cambridge City chalk stream restoration programme. Interested parties should express their interest by 3rd July 2026. The procurement process is intended for services and has an estimated value of £100,000. The contract is expected to start on 3rd August 2026 and conclude by 2nd April 2029.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses in the environmental management industry, particularly those specialising in urban pollution control and nature-based solutions. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are encouraged to participate, enhancing their potential for business growth through collaboration with Cambridge City Council and other partners. Experienced suppliers with a background in design and implementation of pollution mitigation systems will be well-suited to compete, leveraging their expertise to contribute to a high-profile environmental restoration initiative in Greater Cambridge.

## Notice

Cambridge City Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified organisations to provide pollution mitigation evidence integration, modelling and design support for the Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common components of the Cambridge City chalk stream restoration programme. At this stage, the Council is just undertaking a preliminary market engagement exercise. Interested parties are not required to submit detailed proposals; instead, suppliers are simply invited to register their interest via this portal. You may, however, choose to submit a brief summary of relevant previous experience or an outline of your suitability as a supplier for this project. The request for quote (RfQ) will follow shortly after and further details will be provided. The commission will support the design of nature-based urban pollution mitigation systems, including forebays, wetland cells, swales, polishing stages and associated hydraulic and pollutant removal modelling. Project Context and Evidence Base The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project has developed a substantial evidence base for urban chalk stream restoration and pollution mitigation. The Hobson's Brook Urban Chalk Stream Resilience Project identifies chronic urban runoff and diffuse pollution entering Hobson's Brook, including runoff conveyed by the North Ditch from the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The project documentation identifies nutrients, sediments, hydrocarbons and salts as pollutants of concern and proposes treatment through a sequence of wetlands, infiltration swales and polishing ponds. For Coldham's Common, the East Cambridge Main Drain and Coldham's Brook evidence base includes water quality snapshot sampling, mapping of the East Cambridge Main Drain and Coldham's Brook, and emerging nature-based solution proposals for wetlands and wider habitat restoration. Evidence includes field and laboratory measurements for dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, phosphate, ammonia, nitrate and faecal coliforms. The wider project evidence base includes weekly water quality monitoring, laboratory nutrient analysis, high-resolution continuous data loggers, targeted snapshot surveys for heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other urban pollutant signatures, WHPT macroinvertebrate results, MTR macrophyte surveys, sediment research, geomorphological interpretation and restoration delivery records. Purpose of the Commission The purpose of this commission is to provide a specialist lead role for pollution mitigation evidence and design for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common. The commission must convert the available evidence into practical, defensible and measurable nature-based pollution mitigation designs capable of informing construction planning, consents, delivery sequencing and future performance validation. The required outputs must support Cambridge City Council in moving from evidence and concept to delivery-ready technical design. The appointed supplier must provide a clear evidence trail from monitoring data and pollutant load analysis through to treatment train sizing, design assumptions, hydraulic performance, pollutant removal expectations, risks, uncertainties and monitoring validation requirements. Strategic Role * Provide specialist pollution mitigation leadership for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common. * Integrate water quality, urban runoff, sediment, biological and habitat evidence into the design process. * Develop pollutant load calculations and event-based design assumptions. * Design or support the design of nature-based treatment systems for nutrients, fine sediment, metals, hydrocarbons and mixed urban runoff pressures. * Support treatment train sizing, hydraulic performance and pollutant removal modelling. * Provide technical input into consents, approvals, construction-ready plans and design validation. * Work collaboratively with Cambridge City Council, ARU, Keele, contractors and other project partners. * Support a monitoring and validation framework so that performance can be measured after delivery.

### Planning Information

Cambridge City Council invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified organisations to provide pollution mitigation evidence integration, modelling and design support for the Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common components of the Cambridge City chalk stream restoration programme.
At this stage, the Council is just undertaking a preliminary market engagement exercise. Interested parties are not required to submit detailed proposals; instead, suppliers are simply invited to register their interest via this portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/Home/About. You may, however, choose to submit a brief summary of relevant previous experience or an outline of your suitability as a supplier for this project. The request for quote (RfQ) will follow shortly after and further details will be provided.
The commission will support the design of nature-based urban pollution mitigation systems, including forebays, wetland cells, swales, polishing stages and associated hydraulic and pollutant removal modelling.
Project Context and Evidence Base
The Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project has developed a substantial evidence base for urban chalk stream restoration and pollution mitigation. The Hobson's Brook Urban Chalk Stream Resilience Project identifies chronic urban runoff and diffuse pollution entering Hobson's Brook, including runoff conveyed by the North Ditch from the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. The project documentation identifies nutrients, sediments, hydrocarbons and salts as pollutants of concern and proposes treatment through a sequence of wetlands, infiltration swales and polishing ponds.
For Coldham's Common, the East Cambridge Main Drain and Coldham's Brook evidence base includes water quality snapshot sampling, mapping of the East Cambridge Main Drain and Coldham's Brook, and emerging nature-based solution proposals for wetlands and wider habitat restoration. Evidence includes field and laboratory measurements for dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, phosphate, ammonia, nitrate and faecal coliforms.
The wider project evidence base includes weekly water quality monitoring, laboratory nutrient analysis, high-resolution continuous data loggers, targeted snapshot surveys for heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other urban pollutant signatures, WHPT macroinvertebrate results, MTR macrophyte surveys, sediment research, geomorphological interpretation and restoration delivery records.
Purpose of the Commission
The purpose of this commission is to provide a specialist lead role for pollution mitigation evidence and design for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common. The commission must convert the available evidence into practical, defensible and measurable nature-based pollution mitigation designs capable of informing construction planning, consents, delivery sequencing and future performance validation.
The required outputs must support Cambridge City Council in moving from evidence and concept to delivery-ready technical design. The appointed supplier must provide a clear evidence trail from monitoring data and pollutant load analysis through to treatment train sizing, design assumptions, hydraulic performance, pollutant removal expectations, risks, uncertainties and monitoring validation requirements.
Strategic Role
• Provide specialist pollution mitigation leadership for Hobson's Brook and Coldham's Common.
• Integrate water quality, urban runoff, sediment, biological and habitat evidence into the design process.
• Develop pollutant load calculations and event-based design assumptions.
• Design or support the design of nature-based treatment systems for nutrients, fine sediment, metals, hydrocarbons and mixed urban runoff pressures.
• Support treatment train sizing, hydraulic performance and pollutant removal modelling.
• Provide technical input into consents, approvals, construction-ready plans and design validation.
• Work collaboratively with Cambridge City Council, ARU, Keele, contractors and other project partners.
• Support a monitoring and validation framework so that performance can be measured after delivery.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057833-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 19 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 6 Jul 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 2 Aug 2026 - 2 Apr 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

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

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | CAMBRIDGE |
| Post town | Cambridge |
| Postcode | CB2 1BY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough |
| ITL 3 | TLH42 Cambridgeshire CC |
| Local authority | Cambridge |
| Electoral ward | Market |
| Westminster constituency | Cambridge |
| Delivery location | TLH12 Cambridgeshire CC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 90710000 - Environmental management

## Release History

- 19 Jun 2026 at 08:06 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057833-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057833-2026
  19th June 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://procontract.due-north.com/Home/About
- 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-06b89c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b89c.json.