Environmental services

Tender description

This new framework is intended to provide a structure under which projects can be procured, via mini tender competition /direct award, for the continued delivery of the agri-environment schemes programme of monitoring and evaluation. It is proposed that the new framework will combine both the ongoing monitoring and evaluation requirements, and soils analysis, through the new framework which is proposed to be in place 1.6.2018. It will run for a period of 2 years (with an option to extend by 2 further years via 1 year extensions) from contract award (June 2018 – June 2020 as per proposed timetable), and funding for contracts will solely be from RDPE technical assistance funds. Please note Defra is acting on behalf of Natural England, who is the contracting body for purposes of calling off contracts under this framework. This lot covers delivery assessments of whole management agreements, including baseline assessments of new agreements and resurveys at regular intervals to measure and evaluate the results achieved across the full range of agri-environment scheme objectives. It requires competence across a wide range of activities such as: the design of sampling programmes, carrying out multi-objective environmental field and agreement scale monitoring, assessing progress against indicators of success, design of databases, collection, collation, storage and provision of data, quantitative and qualitative analysis of data and report writing. This lot also requires an in depth knowledge of agri-environment schemes and agreement options and a good knowledge of each of the objectives of the agri-environment schemes. This lot covers monitoring that complements, and may flow from, the core multi-objective agreement level monitoring. It will cover specific monitoring of the impact that RDP interventions are having on air quality, water quality, soil protection and flood management. It will require expertise in all of these areas and also in the construction and population of databases, GIS, techniques of statistical analysis and report writing. This lot covers the monitoring of the impact that schemes are having on invertebrate species assemblages of value in the farmed landscape. It will require expertise in terrestrial and freshwater ecology, invertebrate species identification and field monitoring techniques, GIS, techniques of statistical analysis and report writing. This lot covers the monitoring of the impact that schemes are having on non-avian vertebrate species (e.g. mammals, reptiles, amphibians and freshwater fish) and their habitats that complements, and may flow from, the core multi-objective agreement level monitoring programme. It will require expertise in terrestrial and freshwater ecology, species identification and field monitoring techniques, construction and population of databases, GIS, techniques of statistical analysis and report writing. This lot covers the monitoring of the impact that schemes are having on bird species and their habitats that complements, and may flow from the core multi-objective agreement level monitoring programme. It will require expertise in ornithology and terrestrial ecology, species identification and field monitoring techniques, construction and population of databases, GIS, techniques of statistical analysis and report writing. It is also likely to require access to the data from the various long term surveillance programmes that are used to monitor bird populations at a national level. This lot covers the monitoring of the impact that schemes are having on landscape character that complements, and may flow from, the core multi-objective agreement level monitoring programme. It will require an understanding of the National Character Area (NCA) framework and profiles, expertise in landscape character assessment and also in GIS and report writing. This lot covers monitoring of the impact that schemes are having on particular plants or groups of plants and their habitats that complements, and may flow from, the core multi-objective agreement level monitoring programme. It will require species identification skills, an understanding of plant ecology and a good understanding of field survey techniques. It will also require expertise in the construction and population of databases, GIS, techniques of statistical analysis and report writing. This lot covers monitoring of the impact that agri-environment schemes are having on multiple species groups at the landscape scale in the farmed landscape, i.e. beyond individual agreements. It will require a comprehensive understanding of field survey techniques for a range of species groups and expertise in the design and implementation of large scale field survey activity, including relevant species identification skills. It will also require expertise in spatial and statistical data analysis and report writing. This lot covers evaluations of scheme design and implementation, including factors such as the effectiveness of scheme targeting, the role of advice in supporting agreement development and implementation, the role of facilitation and land manager views and attitudes towards schemes. It may also include the modelling of potential longer-term environmental impacts of changes in scheme design /patterns of scheme uptake. It requires competence across a wide range of activities such as: the design of sampling programmes, completing questionnaire and interview /survey activity, design of databases, collection, collation, storage and provision of data, quantitative and qualitative analysis of data and report writing. This lot also requires an in depth knowledge of agri-environment schemes and agreement options and a good knowledge of each of the objectives of the scheme. This lot covers the delivery soil nutrient analysis required in order to provide Natural England with soil condition information. Natural England are seeking one contractor to perform laboratory analysis of soil samples as detailed in the invitation to tender. The laboratory will complete the suite of analyses required and email the results to the adviser who will upload them onto a database. Soil samples will usually be taken by Natural England advisers and will consist of c.25 cores normally weighing between 0,5 and 1 kg in total. They will be posted to the laboratory which will dry, sieve, homogenise, sub-sample and analyse.