Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Defra Network eTendering Portal
17 Nobel House
London
SW1P 3JR
Telephone
+44 2072385921
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS 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://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
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
NCF Nature for Climate Peatland Discovery Grant Scheme Round 2
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 45262640 - Environmental improvement works
two.1.3) Type of contract
Works
two.1.4) Short description
Through the NCPGS, the government intends to invest over £50 million in peat restoration by 2025. There are two separate grants in the NCPGS:
- Restoration Grants
- Discovery Grants
Restoration Grants fund capital works to restore peatland on a landscape scale. They can fund up to 75% of costs, and in exceptional cases up to 85%. The window for applications to the 2022 Restoration Grant is due to open in April and will run for 8 weeks.
You can find out more about the Restoration Grant in the ‘NCPGS Restoration Grant Guide for Applicants’, a copy of which is provided as an Annex of the Discovery Grant Invitation to Apply (ITA) pack. Final details of the 2023 Restoration Grant will be confirmed prior to the 2023 application window.
Discovery Grants fund work to unlock barriers to peatland restoration and prepare projects to apply for Restoration Grants in future rounds. It is expected that if you receive a Discovery Grant, you will bid into the final Restoration Grant round in 2023. Discovery Grants can cover up to 100% of costs.
Peatland restoration includes works to raise the water table or reinstate peat-forming vegetation. Barriers to restoration may be from any aspect of a project, such as:
- the physical and historic nature of peatland sites
- partnership working
- development and securing of private finance
This may include, but is not limited to, funding to:
- build capacity and capability in new or nascent peat partnerships
- engage new partners or landowners
- explore opportunities for private investment funding
- develop site understanding, including baseline monitoring, hydrological and ecological surveys, or historic environment assessments.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £500,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 90712000 - Environmental planning
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme
The Government has committed more than £750 million for a Nature for Climate Fund, which includes programmes of peat restoration and tree planting. As part of this, Natural England is delivering a competitive grant scheme; the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme (NCPGS). The NCPGS will contribute to bringing landscape scale restorative action to degraded upland and lowland peatlands across England over four years, from 2021 to 2025.
There are two key targets for the NCPGS, which are linked directly to the delivery of the England Peat Action Plan. They are to:
- undertake restorative action on 35,000 ha of degraded peat in England by March 2025, putting the sites on a trajectory to recovery
- reduce emissions from peat by 9 Mt CO2e cumulatively by 2050
Through the NCPGS, the government intends to invest over £50 million in peat restoration by 2025. There are two separate grants in the NCPGS:
- Restoration Grants
- Discovery Grants
Restoration Grants fund capital works to restore peatland on a landscape scale. They can fund up to 75% of costs, and in exceptional cases up to 85%. The window for applications to the 2022 Restoration Grant is due to open in April and will run for 8 weeks.
You can find out more about the Restoration Grant in the ‘NCPGS Restoration Grant Guide for Applicants’, a copy of which is provided as an Annex of the Discovery Grant Invitation to Apply (ITA) pack. Final details of the 2023 Restoration Grant will be confirmed prior to the 2023 application window.
About Discovery Grants
Discovery Grants fund work to unlock barriers to peatland restoration and prepare projects to apply for Restoration Grants in future rounds. It is expected that if you receive a Discovery Grant, you will bid into the final Restoration Grant round in 2023. Discovery Grants can cover up to 100% of costs.
Peatland restoration includes works to raise the water table or reinstate peat-forming vegetation. Barriers to restoration may be from any aspect of a project, such as:
- the physical and historic nature of peatland sites
- partnership working
- development and securing of private finance
This may include, but is not limited to, funding to:
- build capacity and capability in new or nascent peat partnerships
- engage new partners or landowners
- explore opportunities for private investment funding
- develop site understanding, including baseline monitoring, hydrological and ecological surveys, or historic environment assessments.
Funding timeline
The second window for Discovery Grant applications is due to open in May and run for 8 weeks. Discovery Grants awarded in late summer 2022 will be offered until March 2023. This is to prepare projects for Restoration Grant applications in 2023.
There is no minimum or maximum limit to the size of projects: we anticipate applications of up to £100,000 and the amount bid for should be proportionate to the expected planning costs for a Restoration Grant project.
Eligibility
Who can apply
Applications are encouraged from partnerships or holdings with high potential for carbon capture. Partnerships will need to decide who will lead their application.
Applications are open to:
- environmental groups
- local authorities
- businesses
- commercial enterprises
- charities
- public bodies
- landowners
- other organisations
It is possible for you to have both a Discovery Grant and Restoration Grant at the same time, however these cannot both be active on the same area of land at the same time.
If you applied unsuccessfully in a previous year, you can apply again this year.
If you applied successfully in a previous year, you can apply for different sites this year.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
29 August 2022
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes