East Cheshire Aquifer Model

The Environment Agency will shortly be going out to tender with opportunities on the East Cheshire Aquifer model update project. The existing East Cheshire Aquifer model was last updated in 2004 with the MODFLOW96 software, using data from 1970 to 2001. The project objectives will be to update the 2004 model with the latest time series data covering 2001 to Dec 2021, upgrade the groundwater and recharge models to new modelling code/software versions and to run the model for four different scenarios - Calibrated historic, Naturalised, Recent Actual, Fully Licensed. Phase 1 (January 2023-March 2023), will involve data collection, processing, auditing and recommendations for the Phase 2 upgrades. Phase 2 (April 2023-March 2024) will involve agreed upgrades to the model following suggestions made in Phase 1, sensitivity testing, predictive scenario testing and reporting.<br/><br/>To support the consultant and the EA in delivering these updates, there will also be a separate contract for an External Peer Reviewer, who will be involved in key decision making and providing approvals at key project gateways. The External Peer Reviewer will be contracted for both phases. Consultants may bid for both contract opportunities, however, as the External Peer Reviewer will be an independent person, they cannot be associated with the consultant that is successful in securing the model update contract. <br/><br/>Phase 1 is expected to run from 03/01/23 to 31/03/23 and Phase 2 will run from 01/04/23 to 31/03/24. Funding is currently only guaranteed for Phase 1 although a request for Phase 2 funding has been made and we should be notified of the outcome of this bid by the end of the calendar year. If the funding bid is not successful then the project will terminate after Phase 1.<br/><br/>Please respond to the email address given below with an expression of interest for bidding for either the main project and/ or the peer review contract. If you have any comments or feedback on the project at this stage, please also include them in your email for consideration ahead of the ITT publication, which is anticipated to be w/c 07/11/22.