Official UK procurement notice
Mine Water Monitoring Borehole
Authority: Mining Remediation Authority (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBackground
The Mining Remediation Authority has identified a gap in mine water level data within the Central Durham South block, particularly in the area linking to the Central Durham North block. Detailed studies carried out in 2020 and 2022 confirmed hydraulic connectivity between the Central Durham South, Central Durham North, and Lumley mine water blocks. Rising mine water levels present a potential environmental risk and require proactive management through effective pumping strategies and continuous monitoring.
Currently, the north/northeast section of Central Durham South-especially around Chester-Le-Street-lacks adequate monitoring infrastructure. This data gap restricts our ability to make informed decisions on pumping operations and long-term water management strategies.
To address this, the Mining Remediation Authority proposes constructing a single monitoring borehole at Pelton Colliery. This borehole will intersect flooded underground workings and deliver real-time data to support effective management.
CPV: Test drilling and boring work
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewal
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Mining Remediation Authority buys Test drilling and boring work (CPV 4512), and who usually turns up
Mining Remediation Authority’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Test drilling and boring work (CPV 4512) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in North East England.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 118 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid13% / 11%
2–338% / 19%
4–625% / 27%
7+25% / 43%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate29% / 39%
Within ±2%29% / 30%
Above estimate43% / 31%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 4512Published estimate£150k
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 177 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid11%
2–319%
4–627%
7+43%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Works
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 3 Mar 2026, 14:40 GMT
- Last source update
- 3 Mar 2026, 14:40 GMT
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-019033- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06611aFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
3 Mar 2026 → 4 Sept 2026 · 3 dates- Planning notice published239 days ago3 Mar 2026, 14:40 GMT
- Market engagement151 days ago29 May 2026, 23:59 BST
Location / access
Pelton Fell is a residential area in County Durham, located near Chester-le-Street. The proposed drilling site (image 1) is situated within Pelton Colliery Park, which is an open public space on a gentle slope. There is currently no dropped kerb at the location. Access to the proposed site would need to be taken via Pelton Fell Road, images 2 & 3.
Key Requirements
The Contractor will be responsible for specific construction details to achieve the borehole requirements, as specified below
Summary of key requirements
Operational time: By October / early November 2026
Methodology: To be selected by the contractor to meet the target
requirements.
Borehole depth: 65-75m
Final internal diameter: 100 mm
Borehole deviation: 3 degrees
Design life: Minimum of 20 years
Headwork: To be completed under a square split lockable manhole cover at surface, minimum of 1000mm x 1000mm with D400 rating. Minimum of 200 mm between base of cover and top of casing Chamber must be between 0.5 and 1.0 m total depth.
Indicative Geology
The planed borehole is situated on the Pennine Middle Coal measures (PMCM). The Coal Measures strata are overlain by made ground and superficial deposits, likely comprised of colliery spoil and weathered bedrock.
The borehole is to be drilled to intersect coal mine workings in the Low Main (K) Seam. (the 'target') of the former Pelton Fell Colliery.
Permits / Land Agreements
The proposed borehole will be drilled within a managed, open space park owned and maintained by Durham County Council. To proceed, the Mining Remediation Authority must agree on Heads of Terms and secure a licence from the council. This licence will be formally executed and available prior to site mobilisation.
The project qualifies as permitted development; therefore, formal planning permission is not required. As the works involve only below-ground infrastructure, no additional rights or permits are required from the local council.
Programme
The current Programme is estimated to run to the following timescales, with an ambition to complete the Borehole by FY 26 /27.
- Tender Publish / Advert June 2026
- Evaluation July 2026
- Award Early August 2026
- Mobilisation on site Early September 2026
- Drilling & Construction Mid-September 2026
- Completion October / Early November 2026
Engagement Opportunities
The Mining Remediation Authority is committed to continuous improvement in project delivery and risk management. Based on previous experience, one effective method has been to drill a pilot hole using a wireline coring system to maintain borehole verticality. This approach provides an opportunity to confirm geological conditions before committing to full-scale drilling.
The pilot hole method mitigates this risk by offering flexibility to adjust and re-drill to an alternative target with minimal additional cost.
We welcome your feedback on this proposed methodology or any alternative strategies that could further reduce risk and optimize cost efficiency for borehole construction.
Site Visit
Date and time of the Visit: Tuesday 31st March 2026 at 11.00am
Site address: Pelton Fell, Chester-le-Street, DH2 2BN (nearest post code)
Please confirm your interest in attending the site visit to email: [email protected]
Mining Remediation Authority contacts:
- Satty Malhi Project Manager 07827 473955
- Sean Burke Senior Hydrogeologist 07826 908730
- Contract starts54 days ago4 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published3 Mar 2026, 14:40 GMTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender