---
title: "CEFAS26-110 Research on European Seabass spawn time and connectivity"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077d21"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077d21"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077d21.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077d21.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE"
published: "2026-09-30"
---

# CEFAS26-110 Research on European Seabass spawn time and connectivity

Buyer: CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077d21

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## Summary

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) commissioned research into European seabass spawning times and the connection between nursery areas and adult fish stocks. The work is intended to provide evidence for fisheries management decisions, including whether to change the timing of the closed season and how much different estuaries contribute to the adult fishery. This is fisheries ecology research and research consultancy, rather than a supply of goods or construction work. Cefas is based in Lowestoft. The research concerns seabass fisheries and nursery areas, but the procurement information does not identify a specific delivery location.

The procurement is complete and a supplier has been selected: the University of Essex. Cefas awarded the work by direct award below the relevant threshold, without competition. The contract was signed on 24 September 2026 and runs from 25 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. Its value is £65,000 excluding VAT (£73,000 including VAT). The requirement was handled as a single lot. The stated purpose is to generate evidence on spawning timing and the contribution of nursery areas to adult seabass stocks, supporting fisheries policy objectives. No separate scored evaluation criteria are set out in the published procurement information.

For a future requirement of this kind, a credible supplier would need to combine research expertise in European seabass ecology with the ability to investigate spawning timing and connections between nursery areas and adult fish stocks. Relevant capability would include analysing how estuaries contribute to the fishery and producing evidence that can inform fisheries management decisions, particularly closed-season policy. The award demonstrates demand for focused, applied fisheries research commissioned by Cefas, on a relatively contained scale and through a direct, non-competitive route. The selected supplier was a university, indicating that academic research capability was suited to this work. Suppliers with relevant fisheries science experience and the capacity to deliver a defined research project would be best placed to compete if Cefas procures a similar requirement again.

## Notice

The bass Fisheries Management Plan highlighted several key policy objectives that included policy actions around review of the timing of the closed season and understanding the contribution of nursery areas to the adult stock. These actions have been prioritised by the Bass Management Group (BMG) implementing the FMP, but more evidence is needed to underpin any policy decisions. The research focuses on two key areas of seabass ecology that relate to management: (1) timing of the closed season; and (2) connectivity between nursery areas and the adult stock (i.e. the contribution rates of different estuaries to the fishery).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092178-2026 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 30 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 25 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £65,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE |
| Locality | LOWESTOFT |
| Postcode area | 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | University of Essex |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

## Release History

- 30 Sep 2026 at 10:02 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092178-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092178-2026
  30th September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- 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-077d21. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077d21.json.