Published date: 3 July 2023

Last edited date: 1 August 2023

This notice was replaced on 20 November 2023

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

Awarded contract (published 20 November 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 services and related consultancy services - 73000000

  • Recreational, cultural and sporting services - 92000000

Location of contract

England

Value of contract

£10,000 to £50,000

Procurement reference

IDRC23

Published date

3 July 2023

Closing date

3 August 2023

Closing time

6pm

Contract start date

1 September 2023

Contract end date

31 March 2024

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

Following a statutory process of consultation and appeal, the Countryside Agency (CA) issued in 2004 and 2005 eight conclusive maps of open country (land consisting wholly or predominantly of mountain, moor, heath or down) and registered common land (RCL) in England, which became the basis of the open access rights that the public now enjoys over the mapped areas, subject to the limitations set out by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW).  
 
Natural England (NE) has a duty under CROW section 10 to review these maps and ensure they correctly reflect the land types in question today. While the parts of the CROW maps relating to RCL and to areas of mountain, moor and heath have in general been regarded as reasonably accurate and fit for purpose, there have been repeated criticisms from some stakeholders that the maps failed to capture most of the downland landform, and that as a result in the areas in question they are fragmented, inconsistent and of little use for public access purposes. NE now wishes to take a fresh and evidence-based look at what down-like land should rightly appear on the maps, and whether any particular types of down-like land should be excluded from them, and if so why.

NE has therefore concluded that some new fact-based investigation is required to provide it with a firmer footing for agreeing a working definition of "down" to guide NE's review of the existing conclusive maps in relation to their downland component. Accordingly, NE now wishes to commission a new piece of objective research to: 
 
A. take a fresh, independent, evidence-based look at the concept of downland and its relevance to different parts of England;
B. propose in the light of that evaluation exercise how NE should define downland for the purposes of its review of the statutory maps;  
C. propose how existing evidence or datasets could be used to support the efficient and cost-effective capture of qualifying land on the reviewed maps, in line with the proposed definition; and 
D. identify any related practical issues or difficulties that may arise in mapping such land, and make workable recommendations for addressing these.

More information

Attachments

Additional text

To apply for this opportunity you must submit your quotation meeting the requirements detailed in the Request for Quotation (RFQ) attached.
Your response must be sent to ben.nichols@naturalengland.org.uk by 6pm on Wednesday 03 August 2023

If you have any clarification questions linked to this opportunity or the procurement process please submit these via email to ben.nichols@naturalengland.org.uk. Please note that, unless commercially sensitive, both the question and the response will be circulated to all tenderers.

About the buyer

Contact name

Ben Nichols

Address

Natural England Mail Hub
WORCESTER
WR52NP
England

Telephone

07810852900

Email

Ben.Nichols@naturalengland.org.uk