---
title: "Sampling and filtration of water samples from PondNet survey for DNA to be used for pond metric development"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e258"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e258"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e258.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e258.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Natural England"
published: "2026-08-12"
---

# Sampling and filtration of water samples from PondNet survey for DNA to be used for pond metric development

Buyer: Natural England  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e258

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## Summary

Natural England commissioned services to support its PondNet survey and pond condition metric project. The requirement covers sampling pond water and filtering the collected samples so that their DNA can be analysed and used in developing a pond condition metric. This is environmental research and development consultancy work, rather than construction, equipment supply or routine water testing alone. Delivery covers the United Kingdom. Natural England, a central government public authority, is the buyer and the work concerns evidence gathering for the assessment and development of pond condition. The requirement was organised as a single service package, covering the sampling and filtration activity associated with the survey.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Freshwater Habitats Trust. It used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition. The contract was signed on 17 July 2026 and runs from 17 July 2026 to 30 November 2026. Its value is £42,754.80 excluding VAT, or £51,305.76 including VAT. The contract is active. The requirement was evaluated and awarded as a research and development consultancy service for the pond water sampling and DNA filtration work. The award covers the single package for the PondNet survey and pond metric development project. The selected supplier is an Oxford-based small and medium-sized enterprise.

This procurement indicates demand from Natural England for specialist freshwater ecology and environmental research capability. A credible future supplier for the same requirement would need to design or carry out pond water sampling, handle field samples consistently, and filter them appropriately for DNA analysis. Experience connecting environmental DNA evidence with ecological assessment, monitoring surveys or metric development would be directly relevant. The work also favours organisations able to provide research and development consultancy rather than a stand-alone laboratory service, because the samples support development of a pond condition metric. Suppliers should be able to manage UK-wide field activity, maintain reliable sample handling and documentation, and translate survey outputs into evidence suitable for a central government environmental programme.

## Notice

Sampling of pond water and filtration of samples for DNA analysis to add to the pond condition metric project.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076642-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 17 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 17 Jul 2026 - 30 Nov 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £42,754 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Natural England |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | 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 | FRESHWATER HABITATS TRUST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

## Release History

- 12 Aug 2026 at 11:32 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076642-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076642-2026
  12th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.freshwaterhabitats.org.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-06e258. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e258.json.