Official UK procurement notice
Identifying and Mapping Priority Freshwater Habitats
Authority: Natural England (Central government)·On behalf of: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNatural England is commissioning the Freshwater Habitats Trust (FHT) to deliver a programme of work to identify, map and verify priority freshwater habitats, with a particular focus on ponds and headwater streams that are currently underrepresented within existing habitat inventories. The project will utilise a combination of habitat modelling, remote sensing, field survey techniques, citizen science and specialist ecological expertise to improve the quality, coverage and accessibility of freshwater habitat data. The outputs will support Natural England's evidence base, inform conservation priorities, and contribute to the protection and restoration of priority freshwater habitats across England.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award — no call for competition
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 6 Oct 2026, 14:20 BST
- Last source update
- 6 Oct 2026, 14:20 BST
- Authority reference
C35745- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-094309- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0781b5Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
- Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of PA2023 - Absence of competition dueto technical reason, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required and there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.
- Risks
- Appointment of an alternative supplier would introduce delivery delays, additional costs and compatibility risks due to the specialist methodologies, datasets and expertise held by Freshwater Habitats Trust. Delays could also result in missed seasonal survey windows and reduced project outcomes.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
2 published dates · Europe/London- Notice published2 days ago6 Oct 2026, 14:20 BST
- Standstill endsin 8 days15 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics — not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater Habitats TrustVCSE16 Oct 2026 — 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2029Extensions: Option to extend the Agreement beyond 31 March 2027 up to 31 March 2029 via agreed addenda, subject to funding, approvals, business need and satisfactory performance. Extensions would support continued delivery of freshwater habitat mapping. | £331,500 | 6 Oct 2026standstill to 15 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 6 Oct 2026- Contract signature expected16 Oct 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract award notice published6 Oct 2026, 14:20 BSTUK6
- Transparency notice published6 Oct 2026, 13:54 BSTUK5
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRSProcuring entityProcurement
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Freshwater Habitats TrustAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Conflict of interest declarationNot published
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender