CEFAS26-68 Contract for Marine Benthic Macroinvertebrate Samples Processing

Cefas, Natural England (NE) and Northumberland Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NIFCA) have been working collaboratively to deliver a monitoring survey within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as part of the ongoing MPA programme. This survey aims to support Natural England’s monitoring objectives and provide robust evidence to inform conservation measures.

Coquet to St Mary’s MCZ is an inshore site located along the Northumberland coast in the north-east of England. The site covers 192 km² of intertidal and offshore waters from near Whitley Bay in the south to near Alnwick in the north. As part of the MPA programme, NIFCA, NE and Cefas are planning to collect sediment samples within the site and in surrounding control areas using a 0.1m2 Day grab during a survey aboard the PV St Aidan planned for May 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed). Final sample availability will be confirmed in writing following survey completion.

The survey aims to:

1. Detect temporal change in benthic community structure and sediment characteristics relative to previous surveys (Cefas 2016 and 2021).
2. Provide evidence on the effectiveness of current fisheries management measures in maintaining the subtidal mud feature in line with the site’s conservation objectives.
3. Provide information to support Natural England’s condition monitoring in the MCZ.

The objective of the survey is to collect up to 52 Day grab samples (see Appendix 1 and Appendix 2). Samples will be collected both within the boundaries of the MCZ (25 samples), and outside the MCZ (27 sample). The macrofauna samples will be preserved in formaldehyde shortly after sampling, and all containers have both an internal and external label, clearly indicating the survey and station information.

All work under this contract is subject to the successful completion of the 2026 Coquet to St Mary’s MCZ survey in May 2026. Cefas is initiating this procurement in advance to ensure timely analysis once samples become available. Should final numbers, timings, or availability of samples differ from those described here, Cefas will notify the Supplier and agree any necessary scope adjustments in writing.

Requirements:

The Supplier is required to process up to 52 macrofaunal samples to extract and identify all biota retained following sieving on a 1.0 mm capture mesh, as per the NE Atlantic Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC) guidelines detailing extraction and identification protocols (NMBAQC scheme - APEM). In addition to this there is a requirement to ensure these data are audited as per the NMBAQC Own Samples protocol prior to submission to Cefas (NMBAQC scheme - APEM).

Enumeration, identification and biomass determination to the lowest possible taxonomic level must be carried out following the NMBAQC Processing Requirement Protocol and Taxonomic Discrimination Protocol (NMBAQC scheme - APEM). Samples should be assigned to the lowest EUNIS (V2007-11) and Marine Habitat Classification for Britain and Ireland (MHCBI – Version 22.03) biotope possible.

Biomass (wet weight in grams to at least 4 d.p.) is required for all enumerable taxa. Balances must be serviced annually and a valid service certificate must be supplied with this tender. Taxa list from previous surveys can be given on request or can be accessed via the One Benthic portal .

No formal reference collection is needed for this project. However, selected reference specimens will be requested by Cefas to be returned to its laboratories in Lowestoft in an appropriate preservation liquid (i.e. 100% IDA or 70% IMS, 20% water and 10% glycerol). Notable taxa must be highlighted here such as non-native species and new or unusual records. Non-native species must be added to the Non-native Species Information Portal (NNSIP) (hosted on the Non-native Species Secretariat website, GB Non Native Species Information Portal (GBNNSIP) - providing records and alerts for non-native species in Great Britain | InfraPortal).

The abundance and biomass data matrices must be sent on an excel spreadsheet via email (email address to be confirmed by Cefas on contract implementation) following completion. All species names must be run through the WoRMS ‘Match Taxa’ tool so that all naming is current (www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php ↗). Matrices should include epifauna presence/absence.

Quality assurance (QA):

10% of samples from this contract are to be subject to an independent QA process following the requirements of the NMBAQC ‘own sample’ scheme assessment criteria with the scheme coordinator (or their assigned Audit Quality Control laboratory (AQC)) (see above). As this is also a project level audit the full data set will be quality assured; in addition to the samples selected to assess processing, additional taxa will be identified for review from the full data matrix. Any remedial action required following the AQC process must be completed within an agreed timeframe at no extra cost to the project, including any subsequent AQC needed. The AQC contract will be arranged and paid for by Cefas. The processing and audit laboratories will include Cefas in all communications relating to this contract and will work to ensure timely delivery.

The Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright of all data and outputs (including photographs) will be owned jointly by Cefas and Natural England and NIFCA. All data will be made available by Cefas, Natural England under the Open Government Licence at the end of the project.

Reporting (optional – not evaluated)

This optional element will not form part of the evaluation or scoring of this tender process. Following award, Cefas and Natural England may, at their discretion, request the awarded Supplier to deliver this optional reporting element, subject to agreement and the prices provided.

All grab sample analyses data need to be entered into Marine Recorder Online and any import spreadsheets to be delivered with the final reports. As per the Technical Question below and RFQ Part 2 - Pricing, the Supplier will confirm capability and provide a quote for data entry to Marine Recorder Online alongside sample processing and analysis, if this service can be provided.

Natural England will arrange system logins to Marine Recorder Online for the Supplier to use. Guidance ‘Marine Recorder Guidance for Contractors’ will also be provided.