Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs CAFRE
45 Tirgracy Road
Antrim
BT41 4PS
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKN - Northern Ireland
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Buyer's address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
ID 5623675 - DAERA - CAFRE - ESTABLISHMENT SOIL CARBON STOCKS BASELINE AT THE CAFRE FARMS
Reference number
ID 5623675
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 71600000 - Technical testing, analysis and consultancy services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The CAFRE Soil Carbon Coring Project has been developed by technologists at CAFRE to obtain a field level baseline of soil carbon stocks, soil nutrient and carbon properties at the five CAFRE estate farms in Northern Ireland. The project will provide CAFRE with a dataset that can be used for the delivery of innovation projects and industry demonstration on the management of soil carbon stocks and soil sequestration rates across a wide array of soil types, land uses and management practices. The project objectives are to - provide a detailed accurate measurement, analysis and establishment of a dataset of soil carbon stocks on active agricultural soils and on non-active agricultural/farmland soils at an individual field and subsequent whole farm level at each CAFRE farm centres - sample, analyse and report on broad soil nutrient and carbon properties at 0 – 7.5 cm depth on grassland areas and 0 – 15 cm on arable areas at an individual field and subsequent whole farm level at each CAFRE farm centre.. CAFRE wishes to establish a contract for a Supplier to provide a stratification and sampling plan, in-field sampling, lab analysis and reporting of soil carbon stocks. In addition, the supplier will provide the provision of sampling for broad soil nutrient analysis, and soil carbon properties from across the CAFRE estate farms, which are to be analysed by NRM Cawood Laboratories. For further information please see the Specification document.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £193,085
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 71610000 - Composition and purity testing and analysis services
- 71620000 - Analysis services
- 71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services
- 71900000 - Laboratory services
- 14212400 - Soil
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKN - Northern Ireland
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The CAFRE Soil Carbon Coring Project has been developed by technologists at CAFRE to obtain a field level baseline of soil carbon stocks, soil nutrient and carbon properties at the five CAFRE estate farms in Northern Ireland. The project will provide CAFRE with a dataset that can be used for the delivery of innovation projects and industry demonstration on the management of soil carbon stocks and soil sequestration rates across a wide array of soil types, land uses and management practices. The project objectives are to - provide a detailed accurate measurement, analysis and establishment of a dataset of soil carbon stocks on active agricultural soils and on non-active agricultural/farmland soils at an individual field and subsequent whole farm level at each CAFRE farm centres - sample, analyse and report on broad soil nutrient and carbon properties at 0 – 7.5 cm depth on grassland areas and 0 – 15 cm on arable areas at an individual field and subsequent whole farm level at each CAFRE farm centre.. CAFRE wishes to establish a contract for a Supplier to provide a stratification and sampling plan, in-field sampling, lab analysis and reporting of soil carbon stocks. In addition, the supplier will provide the provision of sampling for broad soil nutrient analysis, and soil carbon properties from across the CAFRE estate farms, which are to be analysed by NRM Cawood Laboratories. For further information please see the Specification document.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: AC1 Proposed Methodology and Approach to deliver stratification of in field sampling and methodology to determine minimum detectable difference MDD and sampling intensity / Weighting: 17.5
Quality criterion - Name: AC2 Proposed methodology and Approach to Deliver In-Field Sampling and lab analysis of soil carbon core samples, broad nutrient analysis and soil carbon properties analysis / Weighting: 17.5
Quality criterion - Name: AC3 Contract and Service Management / Weighting: 10.5
Quality criterion - Name: AC4 Social Value / Weighting: 10.5
Quality criterion - Name: AC5 Proposed Methodology and Approach - Data Analysis and Results / Weighting: 7
Quality criterion - Name: AC5 Alignment of Measurement, Reporting and Verification MRV Methodologies for direct measurement of soil carbon to FAO GSOC and GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Protocols / Weighting: 7
Cost criterion - Name: AC7 Total Contract Price / Weighting: 30
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
There is one optional extension period of up to 12 months.
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2024/S 000-034871
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
1
Title
Contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
6 January 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 1
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
AGRICARBON UK LIMITED
Star Inn Farm Invergowrie
DUNDEE
DD2 5EJ
Telephone
+44 1382413270
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
Internet address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £193,085
Total value of the contract/lot: £193,085
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
Contract Monitoring - The Contractor’s performance on the Contract will be regularly monitored in line with the tender documentation. Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for If the contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the. specified time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD) for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, it may be regarded as an act of grave professional misconduct and they may be issued with a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance and the contract may be terminated. The issue of a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance can result in the Contractor being excluded from all procurement competitions being undertaken by Centres of Procurement Expertise on behalf of bodies covered by the Northern Ireland Procurement Policy for a period of three years from the date of issue.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures. Instead, any challenges are dealt with by the High Court, Commercial Division, to which proceedings may be issued regarding alleged breaches of the PCR 2015 as amended.
Belfsat
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
CPD complied with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and incorporated a. standstill period (i.e. a minimum of 10 calendar days) at the point information on the award of contract was communicated to tenderers. That notification provided full information on the award decision. This provided time for the unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract was entered into.