UK Hydrocarbons Monitoring Network 2024

The UK Hydrocarbon Network measures ambient benzene concentrations at various sites around the United Kingdom.<br/>Benzene is monitored to assess compliance with UK Objectives (between 3.25 and 16.25 µgm-3 depending on area and compliance date, expressed as a running annual mean), as well as with the corresponding EC Air Quality Directive Limit Value (5 µgm-3 annual average).<br/>As the Objectives and Limit Values for benzene relate to the annual average concentration, it is not necessary to use a monitoring method with short time resolution. Sampling is therefore undertaken using pumped samplers, located at monitoring stations operated within the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN)<br/>The Environment Agency (EA) on behalf of United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) requires a Supplier to provide the Central Management and Control Unit (CMCU) and the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) for the UK Hydrocarbon Monitoring Network.<br/><br/>The Monitoring contracts team within Survey, National Monitoring has been managing the UK Hydrocarbons Network contract on behalf of DEFRA since April 2016. This tender is to replace the current contract which has been running for 6 years (1st September 2018 until 31st August 2023) with an additional 1-year extension until August 24.<br/>The networks consist of interdependent elements, split between an automatic and a non-automatic network.<br/>The Hydrocarbon Network Operator is responsible for the management of the network of air pollution monitoring sites throughout the UK for the measurement and assessment of Benzene and volatile organic compounds at automatic sites. The operator will be responsible for upkeep, collection, analysis QA/QC and transfer of data to contractors who have responsibility for wider dissemination of the data. <br/><br/>The tender is for the full seven-year period which is a five-year contract with the option of extending for a further two years.<br/><br/>The objective is to continue delivery and encompass new monitoring using automatic analysers that can measure additional hydrocarbons to align with changes to the pollution climate of the UK.