Published date: 7 October 2021
Last edited date: 7 October 2021
Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.
Contract summary
Industry
Research and development services and related consultancy services - 73000000
Location of contract
SN2 2EH
Value of contract
£50,000 to £75,000
Procurement reference
P/REF HE 00001547 - AWARD
Published date
7 October 2021
Closing date
12 February 2021
Closing time
5:05pm
Contract start date
22 February 2021
Contract end date
31 May 2022
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Open procedure
Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
No
Description
Flag Fen, near Peterborough, is a nationally important wooden Bronze Age post alignment and timber platform with associated artefacts and palaeoenvironmental remains. The archaeology is preserved within an embayment of low-lying wetland known as the Flag Fen basin. It is designated as a scheduled monument, along with adjacent dry-land Bronze Age remains at Northey (List entry 1406460; Figure 1). Preliminary work has indicated that the fragile organic remains are degrading in some parts of the site and, if unchecked, there may be catastrophic loss of rare organic archaeological evidence (Brittain 2010; Wilkinson et al. 2013; Brittain in press). The remains are currently included on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register and there is a pressing need to formulate and implement a formal management strategy to sustain the site's potential for future research, through continued physical preservation, archaeological excavation, or a combination of the two.
In order to determine the most appropriate management option, further preservation assessments are required to address the weaknesses/gaps present in our understanding. Only limited information is currently available about the preservation of the archaeological remains and how this may have changed since the site was first investigated in the 1980s. In addition, there is some ambiguity regarding the extent of the Platform, particularly the lack of timber in the trenches positioned on its northern side which has led to Brittain et al. (in press) suggesting a reduced extent of c.15,000 sqm, compared to the estimate of 22,100sqm proposed by Pryor (2001, 426). The excavation of key areas of the Platform will allow questions about the extent this feature to be investigated.
This brief addresses recommendations made in (Brittain et al. in press), a desk-based project commissioned by Historic England that modelled what is currently known about the survival and preservation of the archaeological remains at Flag Fen. Targeted excavations were recommended to address gaps in our understanding and to recover objective, scientific information about the preservation of the archaeological remains. The information is needed to aid the development of an appropriate management strategy to ensure that future generations can enjoy and understand the important archaeological remains. The ultimate aim is the removal of the scheduled monument from the Heritage at Risk Register. This brief covers the excavation and assessment stage of the project.
Award information
Awarded date
2 September 2019
Contract start date
22 February 2021
Contract end date
31 May 2022
Total value of contract
£85,224
This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.
Cambridge Archaeological Unit
Address
Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, Cambs, United Kingdom, CB2 3DZ
Reference
None
Supplier is SME?
No
Supplier is VCSE?
No
About the buyer
Contact name
Charlie Garratt
Address
The Engine House
Firefly Avenue
SWINDON
SN2 2EH
United Kingdom
Telephone
02073942987
Charlotte.Garratt@HistoricEngland.org.uk
Website
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Closing: 12 February 2021, 5:05pm
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