Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Contact
Defra Group Commercial
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 2025-2027
Reference number
C28478
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 90731100 - Air quality management
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The networks consist of interdependent elements, split between an automatic and a non-automatic network.
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.
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.
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: £2,550,513.65
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 90731100 - Air quality management
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Monitoring contracts team within Survey, National Monitoring has been managing the UK Hydrocarbons Network contract on behalf of DEFRA since April 2016. This procurement 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, followed by an STA for 6 months ending 31/03/2025.
The networks consist of interdependent elements, split between an automatic and a non-automatic network.
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.
The retender cost is for 4-year period which is a two-year contract with the option of extending for a further two years.
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.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
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
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to open procedure
- The 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:
This is a genuine STA under Regulation 32 of PCR 2015 and complies with clause 9.
Additional ground relevant to new works or services which repeat similar ones
(9) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for 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, provided that such works or services are in conformity with a basic project for which the original contract was awarded following a procedure in accordance with regulation 26(1) and (2), 32(1) and (2).
26.—(1) When awarding public contracts, contracting authorities shall apply procedures that conform to this Part.
(2) Such contracts may be awarded only if a call for competition has been published in accordance with this Part F1..., except where regulation 32 permits contracting authorities to apply a negotiated procedure without prior publication.
32.—(2) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:—
(a)where no tenders, no suitable tenders, no requests to participate or no suitable requests to participate have been submitted in response to an open procedure or a restricted procedure, provided that the initial conditions of the contract are not substantially altered [F1and that—
(b)where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons:— (ii)competition is absent for technical reasons, but only, in the case of paragraphs (ii) and (iii), where no reasonable alternative or substitute exists and the absence of competition is not the result of an artificial narrowing down of the parameters of the procurement;
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: 2025/S 000-003818
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
25 March 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
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 is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £2,550,513.65
Total value of the contract/lot: £2,550,513.65
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Public Procurement Review Body
N/A
N/A
N/A
publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit
six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
Public Procurement Review Body
N/A
N/A
N/A
publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Public Procurement Review Body
N/A
N/A
N/A
publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-procurement-review-service-scope-and-remit