Award

UK Hydrocarbons Monitoring Network 2025 STA

  • Defra Network eTendering Portal

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-003818

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-044d01

Published 5 February 2025, 1:45pm



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

Defra Network eTendering Portal

Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DF

Contact

Defra Group Commercial

Email

procurement@defra.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 3459335577

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs

Buyer's address

https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

Environment


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

UK Hydrocarbons Monitoring Network 2025 STA

Reference number

C27497

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 90731100 - Air quality management

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency (VEAT) notice, indicating that Defra (on behalf of the Environment Agency (EA)) intends to enter into a contract with Ricardo AEA Ltd for UK Hydrocarbons Monitoring Network 2025. 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.

Defra intends to award this contract following the expiry of a voluntary standstill period, 10 days from the date of publication of this notice.

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: £2,509,513.65

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency (VEAT) notice, indicating that Defra (on behalf of the Environment Agency (EA)) intends to enter into a contract with Ricardo AEA Ltd for UK Hydrocarbons Monitoring Network 2025. 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.

Defra intends to award this contract following the expiry of a voluntary standstill period, 10 days from the date of publication of this notice.

two.2.5) Award criteria

Quality criterion - Name: Quality / Weighting: 100

Cost criterion - Name: Cost / Weighting: 0

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

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

Negotiated without a prior call for competition

  • The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
    • absence of competition for technical reasons
  • New works/services, constituting a repetition of existing works/services

Explanation:

New works and services consisting of the repetition of similar works or services entrusted to the economic operator to which the same contracting authority awarded an original contract, the original contract was awarded following an open competitive procedure, in which only one supplier returned a bid.

Based on the information detailed below, the conclusion is that Ricardo AEA Ltd is the only supplier able to provide these Services to the Environment Agency. To the best of our knowledge and investigations it is concluded that, given the Supplier’s exclusive rights (IPR) to the software required to ratify the data, and therefore the Services, only the incumbent Supplier can maintain the existing contract with the Environment Agency.

- Ricardo has confirmed that they own IP in the software they use under the current contract. Further investigation by Environment Agency and Defra via a call to competition has confirmed that there is no competition amongst any potential suppliers and would not be a valid route to market.

- To enable connection between the data collection and Supplier software, it would appear that a new supplier would have to develop their own software package for data ratification and this would critically have a significant disruptive effect on business-as-usual Environment Agency data reporting of Hydrocarbons monitoring measurements for UK requirements (obligations must be met under AQSR regulations).

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 000-009830


Section five. Award of contract/concession

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract/concession

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

5 February 2025

five.2.2) Information about tenders

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire

Ricardo-AEA Ltd

The Gemini Building, Harwell, Oxfordshire

Harwell

OX11 0QR

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UK - United Kingdom
National registration number

08229264

The contractor/concessionaire is an SME

No

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)

Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £2,509,513.65


Section six. Complementary information

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (Defra Network eTendering Portal)

Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DF

Country

United Kingdom

Internet address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs

six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures

Public Procurement Review Body

N/A

N/A

N/A

Email

publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Internet address

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit