---
title: "Identifying and Mapping Priority Freshwater Habitats"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0781b5"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0781b5"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0781b5.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0781b5.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Natural England"
published: "2026-10-06"
---

# Identifying and Mapping Priority Freshwater Habitats

Buyer: Natural England  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0781b5

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## Summary

Natural England commissioned a programme to identify, map and verify priority freshwater habitats across England, especially ponds and headwater streams that are underrepresented in existing habitat inventories. The work combines habitat modelling, remote sensing, field surveys, citizen science and specialist ecological expertise to improve the quality, coverage and accessibility of freshwater habitat data. The resulting evidence is intended to inform conservation priorities and support the protection and restoration of these habitats. Natural England is the buyer; the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs managed the procurement.

The procurement is complete and Freshwater Habitats Trust was selected through a direct award for the single lot. The award is recorded as pending. The award date was 6 October 2026, with a contract period from 16 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 and an option to extend by agreement, subject to funding, approvals, business need and satisfactory performance, up to 31 March 2029. The award value is £331,500 excluding VAT (£397,800 including VAT). The direct award rationale was that technical reasons meant only this supplier could provide the services and there were no reasonable alternatives. The contract was evaluated and awarded on that basis.

For suppliers competing when this requirement returns, credibility will depend on combining freshwater ecology expertise with practical habitat mapping and verification capability. Relevant strengths include modelling, remote sensing, field survey delivery, citizen-science methods and access to suitable specialist datasets. The work focuses on ponds and headwater streams, so experience improving habitat inventories for these less represented habitats would be particularly pertinent. Suppliers would also need to demonstrate that their methods and data can support Natural England’s conservation evidence and are compatible with existing approaches. Delivery planning must account for seasonal survey windows, as delays can affect the survey programme and outcomes. The direct award rationale highlights the value placed on specialist methodologies, datasets and expertise, alongside reliable delivery and control of additional costs and compatibility risks.

## Notice

Natural England is commissioning the Freshwater Habitats Trust (FHT) to deliver a programme of work to identify, map and verify priority freshwater habitats, with a particular focus on ponds and headwater streams that are currently underrepresented within existing habitat inventories. The project will utilise a combination of habitat modelling, remote sensing, field survey techniques, citizen science and specialist ecological expertise to improve the quality, coverage and accessibility of freshwater habitat data. The outputs will support Natural England's evidence base, inform conservation priorities, and contribute to the protection and restoration of priority freshwater habitats across England.

### Procurement Information

Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of PA2023 - Absence of competition dueto technical reason, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required and there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094309-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 Oct 2026 |
| Contract period | 16 Oct 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £331,500 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## 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

- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 90712400 - Natural resources management or conservation strategy planning services

## Release History

- 6 Oct 2026 at 14:20 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094309-2026
- 6 Oct 2026 at 13:54 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094281-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094309-2026
  6th October 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094281-2026
  6th October 2026 - Transparency 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-0781b5. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0781b5.json.