Published date: 14 November 2024

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


Closing: 29 October 2024, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Survey vessels - 34513550

  • Survey services - 79311000

Location of contract

East of England

Value of contract

£40,000 to £50,000

Procurement reference

CF-0406600D8d000003VQwdEAG

Published date

14 November 2024

Closing date

29 October 2024

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

18 November 2024

Contract end date

31 March 2025

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

The Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring programme is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and through this programme, Cefas co-ordinates some of the evidence collection for the monitoring of MPAs in English waters.

The Ross Worm Sabellaria spinulosa is a sedentary, epifaunal polychaete worm which builds tubes by consolidating particles of sediment (Limpenny et al, 2010). S. spinulosa is abundant in UK waters, largely existing in solitary form or within small, low-lying aggregations (Hayward and Ryland, 1990). However, under the right environmental conditions they also can establish dense colonies and form biogenic reefs. These biogenic reefs are protected as an Annex I habitat under the EU Habitats Directive (EEC, 1992), and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are designated for their protection.

Important areas of consistently occurring reef have been found across The Wash where extensive areas of subtidal mixed sediments in the tide-swept approaches provide the right conditions for reefs to form, particularly in deeper waters. These reefs are an important but understudied feature of both The Wash and North Norfolk Coast (WNNC) SAC and Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge (IDRBNR) SAC - named as 'The Wash and its approaches' hereafter.

Requirement:
With the aim of improving our understanding of the extent, distribution, and nature of S. spinulosa biogenic reef (i.e. reefiness) across The Wash and its approaches, Cefas are commissioning this contract to deliver a ground truthing survey. The evidence gathered in this acoustic survey will seek to allow for the identification of Annex I S. spinulosa reefs.

This evidence will be used to support conservation advice, condition assessment and management of the WNNC SAC and the IDRBNR SAC, its designated sites and protected features, i.e. Reefs (including S. spinulosa biogenic reef) habitat. This information will inform statutory advice on MPAs and assist in the assessment of both SAC sites' condition.

More information

Attachments

Award information

Awarded date

12 November 2024

Contract start date

18 November 2024

Contract end date

31 March 2025

Total value of contract

£63,350

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Ocean Ecology Limited

Address

Ocean Ecology,
River Office,
Severnside Park,
Epney GL27LN

Reference

None

About the buyer

Contact name

Jade Peek

Address

Pakefield Road
Lowestoft
NR33 0HT
GB

Email

procure@cefas.co.uk