---
title: "ES RDE 066 - Plug Plants and Sphagnum Supply: Market Barriers, Impacts on Peatla"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e876"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e876"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e876.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e876.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2026-08-20"
---

# ES RDE 066 - Plug Plants and Sphagnum Supply: Market Barriers, Impacts on Peatla

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e876

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## Summary

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs commissioned research and consultancy services on the market for peatland restoration planting material, particularly plug plants and Sphagnum material. The work examines the structure and dynamics of the market and builds a clear picture of where, when and how much material is needed to meet restoration objectives in England. It also assesses whether supply can meet current and expected demand, and investigates the causes of costs, delays and procurement risks. These risks include limited nursery capacity and concentration among suppliers. The requirement is therefore suited to organisations able to analyse specialist environmental supply chains and the market supporting peatland restoration.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 18 August 2026 to Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd. It used a non-competitive selective procedure: a below-threshold award under a framework. The single lot is complete, while the award and contract are active. The contract runs from 1 September 2026 to 12 March 2027. Its value is £69,850 excluding VAT, or £83,820 including VAT. The service was evaluated as research and development and related consultancy services. The award was made as a direct framework award rather than through a competitive process. The work is being delivered for Defra and concerns peatland restoration planting-material supply in England.

This award demonstrates demand from Defra for evidence-led analysis of a specialised environmental market, rather than for the direct production or supply of planting material. Competitors would need credible capability in market research, supply-chain analysis and consultancy, with the ability to investigate market structure, supplier capacity, concentration, pricing pressures, delays and procurement risk. Relevant experience should include understanding how specialist nurseries and material producers support environmental restoration, particularly peatland projects involving plug plants and Sphagnum. A strong future competitor would also need to turn fragmented market evidence into a practical assessment of supply against restoration demand in England, identifying barriers and implications for public procurement and delivery planning.

## Notice

Defra self-service direct award. This project is designed to be an information gathering exercise around the market structure and dynamics of the peatland restoration planting material market. This project will build a clear picture of where, when and to what extent peatland restoration planting material, primarily plug plants and Sphagnum material, is required to meet restoration objectives, whether there is enough supply to meet current and expected demand in England, and what is driving costs, delays and procurement risk (e.g. limited nursery capacity and market concentration).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079395-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - award under framework |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 20 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 18 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Sep 2026 - 12 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £69,850 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS |
| 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 | Eunomia Research & Consulting Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 20 Aug 2026 at 12:00 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079395-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079395-2026
  20th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-04ef64
- 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-06e876. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e876.json.