Published date: 23 August 2022

This notice was replaced on 13 April 2023

This notice does not contain the most up-to-date information about this procurement. The most recent notice is:

Awarded contract (published 13 April 2023)

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.


Contract summary

Industry

  • Research and development consultancy services - 73200000

Location of contract

South West

Value of contract

£10,000 to £24,999

Procurement reference

Somerset Wetlands BNG

Published date

23 August 2022

Closing date

9 September 2022

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

3 October 2022

Contract end date

31 March 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?

No

Description

Natural England is working with the Local Planning Authorities in Somerset (District Councils and County Council) to help them gain a greater understanding of what is required to deliver biodiversity net gain (BNG). This piece of work will make an important contribution to advancing the understanding of the scale of BNG needed in Somerset, and how it can be delivered.

This piece of work is funded through the Somerset Wetlands Nature Recovery Project (NRP). This is a landscape scale project, focusing on recovering nature across 60,000 hectares of wetland on the Somerset Levels and Moors. A portion of Natural England's BNG funding has been allocated to Nature Recovery Projects, to allow them to be a vehicle for developing BNG within a local area.

This piece of work aims to develop the understanding of BNG in Somerset through the completion of the following work items:

1. Carrying out a market analysis of the number of BNG units required to deliver the known and forecast development needs for the whole of the Somerset County area.

2. Producing a case study selected from a smaller area within the Nature Recovery Project that demonstrates how BNG units can be delivered within the Nature Recovery Project, how these units would integrate with other finance initiatives such as carbon credits and nutrient credits, and the role played by the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

3. Delivering a workshop for developers in Somerset to share the results of this work and start early stage discussions on the implementation of BNG in Somerset.

These work items will achieve the following aims:

1. The scale of BNG required within Somerset will be better understood.

2. The way in which BNG can be used to deliver the Nature Recovery Projects outcomes will be better understood, including how these integrate with other tools such as carbon credits, nutrient and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

3. Key developers will have improved connections and a better understanding of BNG and the NRP.

More information

Attachments

About the buyer

Contact name

Simon Phelps

Address

Natural England
Rivers House, Easy Quay
Bridgwater
TA6 4YS
England

Email

simon.phelps@naturalengland.org.uk