Published date: 28 October 2022

This notice was replaced on 6 April 2023

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

Awarded contract (published 6 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

£15,000

Procurement reference

BNG North Moor

Published date

28 October 2022

Closing date

16 November 2022

Closing time

5pm

Contract start date

5 December 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

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 41,000 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.

Natural England has recently acquired land on and around North Moor SSSI, within the Somerset Levels and Moors Landscape and Somerset Wetlands Nature Recovery Project Area.

We would like to gain a greater understanding of what is required to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain, by using Natural England owned non-designated land and land owned by a local farmer as a case study, looking at how this can be integrated with other green finance initiatives such as carbon credits and nutrient credits and identifying opportunities for improving public health and wellbeing. This piece of work will make an important contribution to advancing the understanding how BNG can be delivered in the landscape.

This piece of work aims to develop the understanding of BNG and green investment opportunities through the completion of the following work items:

1. Conduct a biodiversity metrics assessment of approximately 150 hectares of arable, grassland, ditches, ponds, hedgerows, scrub and woodland, to establish baseline biodiversity value, as well as the expected future biodiversity value, following potential habitat improvement works (see Appendix 1 for site location and the extent of the area to be assessed). Natural England will provide baseline vegetation data for ditches, grassland and arable land. Additional surveys of ponds, hedgerow, scrub, trees and woodland habitats are required.

2. Use the area as a case study 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, phosphate credits and nutrient credits.

3. Add the site to the net gain site register.

4. Identify ways to connect habitat within North Moor and between North Moor and local green spaces.

5. Identify opportunities for green investment, such as carbon/nutrient/phosphate credits, that are sympathetic with BNG.

6. Identify how BNG can contribute to nature-based solutions to major challenges in the NRP area including flood risk management and improving water quality.

7. Identify opportunities to improve public health and well-being through enhancement of green spaces.

More information

Attachments

Additional text

To apply please respond to the attached Invitation to Quote and associated documents. Email your response to: philip.thorpe@naturalengland.org.uk . Tenders to be received no later than 17:00 on 16/11/2022. To arrange find out more about this opportunity you can email Philip Thorpe on the email given, or ring on 07979119406

About the buyer

Contact name

Philip Thorpe

Address

The Avalon Marshes Centre
Shapwick Road, Westhay
Glastonbury
BA6 9TT
England

Email

philip.thorpe@naturalengland.org.uk