---
title: "River Dee Freshwater Pearl Mussel Surveys for population recovery work"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000810692"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000810692"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000810692.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000810692.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY"
published: "2025-12-05"
---

# River Dee Freshwater Pearl Mussel Surveys for population recovery work

Buyer: CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000810692

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## Summary

The Cairngorms National Park Authority, in collaboration with the Scottish Government, has initiated a tender under an open procedure for the "River Dee Freshwater Pearl Mussel Surveys for Population Recovery Work". The procurement falls within the environmental protection and general public services categories, with a focus on services within the Cairngorms National Park region, UKM62. The tender seeks to re-survey 17 sites for pearl mussel population recovery, assess site conditions, and identify threats and restoration potential. The deadline for electronic submissions is 13th October 2025 by 12:00 PM, following which the award period begins. The total contract value is set at £30,000, with the possibility of renewal for a summer survey in 2026.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in environmental surveys, conservation, and habitat assessment. Companies with expertise in conducting flora and fauna surveys, particularly in freshwater ecosystems, would find this project well-suited to their capabilities. The project not only requires detailed assessments and reporting but also involves identifying potential ark sites that could safeguard mussel populations. This opens up possibilities for firms to contribute to vital environmental conservation efforts, thereby enhancing their portfolio in government projects and gaining recognition within the field of ecological sustainability.

## Notice

Re-survey of 2023 Site Condition Monitoring Sites containing pearl mussels (17 sites). Produce report on all sites to include condition, restoration potential and threats. Identify potential ARK sites within tributaries.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

This contract is to continue two of the activities based on recommendations arising from the report (Cooksley et al., 2025). 1. Assessment of selected pearl mussel sites - The 2022 SCM survey established the broad distribution of pearl mussels along the mainstem of the Dee. This involved spot-checks (5 x 1 m transects) made every 100m followed by a 50m transect at 27 sites to gather more detailed information about the population. - In 2024 ten sites were chosen for further analysis being those with the highest numbers of mussels and most suitable habitat. Range of age class, habitat and ongoing recruitment was recorded (Cooksley et al., 2025). - We would like to find out more detailed information on the remaining 17 SCM sites and two further identified sites including population structure at that site, juvenile recruitment/ habitat stability/suitability, host fish habitat presence and pressures. 2. Identification of Ark/refuge sites - The pearl mussels remaining in the main stem are vulnerable to future flood events and also drought as they are located in the very edges of the riverbed, twenty years ago mussels could be found across the width of the main stem in many places and now they are largely confined to the edges as much of the centre of the river now has unstable unsuitable habitat. - We would like to identify ark or refuge sites within the tributaries which would be suitable locations to transfer mussels from captive breeding or translocation, this will help provide a safeguard against losing the whole population if another large flood event were to further impact on the main stem population. - Selected tributaries will be assessed using a desk-based methodology based on available LiDAR survey data (10cm resolution and including photo grammatic images) to identify suitable stable habitat without obvious pressures or pressures which can be remedied which could serve as future potential refuge or ark sites. - Killeen & Moorkens (2016) have identified that suitable receptor sites may have been formerly occupied by mussels and now have now been restored or pressures removed, have a suitable flow regime providing hydrological and hydraulic conditions that encourage stable habitats, and the geomorphological conditions must be suitable or have the ability to be made suitable. - Concurrently a study is being undertaken by NatureScot to identify the best methods to undertake population recovery these are to include analysis of conservation breeding and translocation, the information provided from this survey will feed into the study and provide a baseline for future work.

Renewal: Potential extension for summer survey 2026.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC545000 |
| Notice type | PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 13 Oct 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 12 Nov 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £30,000 |
| Lots value | £30,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £58,201 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY |
| Additional buyers | SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT |
| Locality | GRANTOWN-ON-SPEY |
| Post town | Perth |
| Postcode | PH26 3HG |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM3 West Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM32 Glasgow City |
| Local authority | Glasgow City |
| Electoral ward | Anderston/City/Yorkhill |
| Westminster constituency | Glasgow North |
| Delivery location | TLM62 Inverness and Nairn, Moray, and Badenoch and Strathspey |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | JAMES HUTTON |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 71355000 - Surveying services
- 79311000 - Survey services
- 79311200 - Survey conduction services
- 90720000 - Environmental protection
- 90721700 - Endangered species protection services
- 90721800 - Natural risks or hazards protection services

## Release History

- 5 Dec 2025 at 00:00 - Award - PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC545000
- 19 Sep 2025 at 00:00 - Tender - PCS Notice - Website Contract Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP539561

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=SEP539561&idx=1
  19th September 2025 - ITT Brief - Surveys for Dee FWPM Recovery Work
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=SEP539561&idx=2
  19th September 2025 - CNPA Terms & Conditions
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP539561
  River Dee Freshwater Pearl Mussel Surveys for population recovery work - Re-survey of 2023 Site Condition Monitoring Sites containing pearl mussels (17 sites). Produce report on all sites to include condition, restoration potential and threats. Identify potential ARK sites within tributaries.
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC545000
  River Dee Freshwater Pearl Mussel Surveys for population recovery work - Re-survey of 2023 Site Condition Monitoring Sites containing pearl mussels (17 sites). Produce report on all sites to include condition, restoration potential and threats. Identify potential ARK sites within tributaries.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.cairngorms.co.uk
- http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/Procurement/Selling/supplier-enquiries
- http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
- http://www.scotland.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000810692

## 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-r6ebe6-0000810692. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000810692.json.