---
title: "CEFAS26-86 ITT for Thames Survey Vessel Charter"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06c4bf"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c4bf"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c4bf.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c4bf.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE"
published: "2026-07-07"
---

# CEFAS26-86 ITT for Thames Survey Vessel Charter

Buyer: CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06c4bf

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## Summary

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) is inviting tenders for the charter of a survey vessel to operate in the Outer Thames area. The procurement process, identified as CEFAS26-86, aims to address data gaps in the North Sea sole assessment, specifically in the UK sector of the southern North Sea. Classified under the public authority central government and located in Lowestoft, UK, the tender falls within the fishing vessels, survey vessels, and survey services industry categories. The procurement is at the tender stage and follows an open procedure. Interested parties should submit their bids by 4 August 2026, with enquiries closing on 28 July 2026. The successful tender is expected to commence the contract on 25 August 2026, concluding by 31 March 2027.

This tender offers a substantial growth opportunity for businesses in the maritime and fisheries sectors, particularly those operating inshore fishing vessels capable of supporting survey operations. Companies with local knowledge of the Thames area and experience in deploying beam trawls with the necessary infrastructure and resources for full-charter operations will be well-suited to compete. With a procurement value capped at £400,000, this contract includes management, crew, and operational expenses, promising significant revenue opportunities. The tender's open nature encourages participation from SMEs and VCSEs, fostering competitive entry and business expansion. Interested bidders should prepare a comprehensive financial and technical proposal, as detailed in the bidder pack available upon request.

## Notice

This project aims to address important data gaps in the current North Sea sole assessment, particularly the lack of recent recruitment data from the UK sector of the southern North Sea, which is an important nursery area for the stock. To provide suitable spatial coverage, two surveys will be undertaken: one in the northern Outer Thames and one in the southern Outer Thames. Together, these surveys will collect abundance-at-age data for juvenile sole and information on the wider fish assemblage, including small demersal fish such as plaice, thornback ray and whiting, as well as shellfish and selected invertebrates. The project will conduct two seasonal surveys, each lasting up to seven days, using a standard 2 m or 3 m beam trawl supplied by Cefas at fixed sites in the Outer Thames. Data collected will include catch rates and size distributions for commercial and non-commercial species, such as cod, whiting, thornback ray and shellfish, together with biological data for sole and plaice. This tender seeks to secure one or more inshore fishing vessels (10 m LOA, or with sufficient space to support survey operations) with local knowledge of the areas described below, to undertake one or both surveys. The surveys will take place in late August and/or early September. Each vessel must be capable of rigging and deploying Cefas survey gear (see Section 4.1.4). Embarkation and disembarkation will be from suitable Outer Thames ports, such as West Mersea for the northern survey and Whitstable for the southern survey. Bidders should state their preferred port or ports in their submission. The vessel will operate on a full-charter basis, including management, crew, victuals, fuel, meetings, harbour and port fees, any additional insurance required for Cefas survey equipment, and all other services needed to complete the sampling described below. Tenders must be submitted as an all-inclusive fixed price and include a breakdown of day rates, mobilisation and demobilisation rates, and weather downtime costs. The procurement process is being managed via email and not on the authorities eProcurement system, to better support the market. The Bidder Pack can be requested by contacting procure@cefas.gov.uk. Please use email subject title: CEFAS26-86 ITT for Thames Survey Vessel Charter - bidder pack request

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063418-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 4 Aug 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 24 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £330,000 |
| Lots value | £330,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## 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 | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 34513100 - Fishing vessels
- 34513550 - Survey vessels
- 79311000 - Survey services

## Release History

- 7 Jul 2026 at 08:05 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063418-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063418-2026
  7th July 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.cefas.co.uk
- 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-06c4bf. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c4bf.json.