Published date: 6 December 2024

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 25 October 2024, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Research and development consultancy services - 73200000

Location of contract

Any region

Value of contract

£35,862.50

Procurement reference

CF-0420800D8d000003VQwdEAG

Published date

6 December 2024

Closing date

25 October 2024

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

2 November 2024

Contract end date

28 March 2025

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Call-off from a framework agreement

A mini-competition or direct purchase from a pre-established framework agreement.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

No

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

The EIA regulations for uncultivated and seminatural grassland were enacted in England in the early 2000s with the aim of preventing cultivation of large areas of species rich, seminatural grasslands, or grasslands with important historic environment features, and they apply to any land management that increases the productivity of the land. Because cultivation typically leads to the rapid degradation of organic matter in the soil, and release of its nutrients, this is likely to temporarily increase productivity in almost all cases of old grassland being cultivated, but many grasslands were screened out due to their composition being more representative of more improved grassland.
Recently the regulations have been updated to include consideration of the impacts of cultivation on grassland soil carbon and soil biodiversity. Once established following cultivation, grassland soils accumulate carbon relatively rapidly and evenly over time, until they begin to reach an equilibrium point, estimated to occur around 80-100 years after establishment. When such soils are cultivated, they rapidly lose much of the accumulated soil carbon, returning them to a state more similar to an arable field. During grassland establishment, the soil communities will undergo a succession, changing from early communities that are similar to those found in arable soils (usually very species poor, low in biomass and dominated by ruderal species) to a more diverse range of more stress tolerant species.

Award information

Awarded date

27 November 2024

Contract start date

2 November 2024

Contract end date

28 March 2025

Total value of contract

£35,862.50

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

RSK ADAS Limited

Address

Spring Lodge, 172 Chester Road, Helsby WA6 0AR

Reference

None

Supplier is SME?

No

About the buyer

Contact name

Adrian Ajibade

Address

17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
UK

Email

adrian.ajibade@defra.gov.uk