Published date: 12 December 2023

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


Closing: 7 November 2023, 3pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Research and development services and related consultancy services - 73000000

Location of contract

Any region

Value of contract

£114,081.16

Procurement reference

CF-0201200D8d000003VQwdEAG

Published date

12 December 2023

Closing date

7 November 2023

Closing time

3pm

Contract start date

1 December 2023

Contract end date

31 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?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

The Environment Agency regulates large, complex industrial processes, and local authorities regulate other sources such as transport and smaller industrial processes. In our role, we must be able to assess industrial emissions to determine and issue permits, monitor compliance, and investigate pollution incidents. Hence, we need to be able to quantify pollutant emissions and concentrations for industrial sites, and for this we use a range of conventional/terrestrial techniques including emission factors, flue-gas monitors, and ambient monitors - which may be static or mobile.
Earth observation satellites have previously been suggested as potential sources of data, that could deliver additional advantages over the conventional/terrestrial techniques because of their spatial coverage, regular timing, and utility for attributing pollutant plumes to sources.

Historically earth observation was seen as an emergent / low quality / unproven technology; so we've not used satellite data to augment our other air quality monitoring methods. But recent advances in the sensitivity of satellite sensors and increases in the spatial and temporal resolution of satellite sampling, mean that we now need to assess the suitability of satellite data for regulatory purposes and the Environment Agency has awarded this contract to provide the following services:
• Carry out a desktop review of regulatory requirements for air-quality evidence from industrial processes and evaluate where currently-available satellite data would be most likely to provide the evidence required.

• Develop and demonstrate a preliminary protocol that would pilot a robust standard for the selection and use of satellite data for regulatory purposes - including the identification of additional information that would be required to underpin this use.
• Undertake case studies using current earth observation and underpinning data to evaluate:

(a) the difference in levels of confidence between this and conventional/terrestrial data.
(b) whether the quality of the data currently available from satellites provides the levels of confidence needed to enable its use for regulatory purposes.

More information

Attachments

Award information

Awarded date

28 November 2023

Contract start date

1 December 2023

Contract end date

31 March 2025

Total value of contract

£114,081.16

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Ricardo-AEA Ltd

Address

The Gemini Building, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0QR

Reference

None

About the buyer

Contact name

Carol Caddick

Address

17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
UK

Email

DGCEnquiries@defra.gov.uk