Published date: 30 November 2022

Last edited date: 23 December 2022

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 30 December 2022, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Energy and related services - 71314000

Location of contract

SE1 2BE

Value of contract

£0

Procurement reference

CF-0016100D8d000003VQwdEAG

Published date

30 November 2022

Closing date

30 December 2022

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

16 January 2023

Contract end date

16 June 2023

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (below threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

The Authority's priorities are to secure a healthy natural environment; a sustainable, low-carbon economy; a thriving farming sector and a sustainable, healthy, and secure food supply.

OWES will take the form of a set of standardised measures that can be applied to the design, construction, operation, monitoring and decommissioning of an offshore wind farm which seek to minimise harmful impacts on the marine environment and/or deliver environmental benefits. Their primary aim is to create a clear, consistent approach to avoiding and mitigating the negative environmental impacts of offshore wind projects and, where possible, avoid the need for compensation.
OWES will not remove the need for bespoke mitigation measures or the need to follow the mitigation hierarchy. Rather they will be a suite of pre-approved, standardised mitigation options which easily demonstrate to the examining authority a developer's consideration of the harmful environmental impacts of their proposed project. This should reduce the scope of a project's Rochdale Envelope, as a project's potential impacts will be smaller from the outset and smoothen the overall consenting process. For example, one OWES which could be used is a pre-agreed decibel limit for developers when pile-driving. This would provide a developer with a clear option for noise to minimise the project's impact on marine mammals.

While OWES will initially focus on protecting the marine environment - by ensuring developers avoid and/or mitigate their environmental damage - they have the potential to enhance the biodiversity of their surroundings (both inside and outside MPAs). For example, OWES could standardise the incorporation of seabird monitoring technology into a turbine's design. This would improve overall understanding of the impacts of offshore wind development and help evidence further mitigation techniques. Projects could be fitted with oyster reefs to encourage biodiversity and limit the negative effects wind turbine installation has on the surrounding environment. Through The Rich North Sea programme1, sites across Germany, Demark and the Netherlands are starting to trial this approach.

OWES will be introduced for offshore wind only.

We are seeking a project proposal to co-design a suite of suitable Offshore Wind Environmental Standards.

To deliver a set of co-designed OWES with Defra Group, industry representatives and other identified stakeholders by July 2023.

Please note that you need to register on Atamis to submit a tender for this opportunity: https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome

Key Dates
Deadline for clarifications: 22/12/2022
Deadline for receipt of Quotation: 30/12/2022

Please see ITT here: https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome

This procurement by Defra sits within the PCR exemptions as a research and development project for the exclusive use of Defra.

More information

Previous notice about this procurement

Offshore Wind Environmental Standards

  • Opportunity
  • Published 30 November 2022, last edited 6 December 2022

About the buyer

Contact name

Defra

Address

3 Whitehall Place
London
SE1 2BE
GB

Email

DGCEnquiries@defra.gov.uk