Award

Procurement of Marine Data Products

  • DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

UK5: Transparency notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-041708

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05631d

Published 21 July 2025, 3:12pm



Scope

Description

The Marine Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a dataset providing a representation of the estimated depth of the sea across the UK continental shelf. Some of the specific uses of this technology include habitat modelling, sediment mapping and determining the adequacy of the UK's Marine Protected Area network. The Oceanwise Marine DEM uses the best available marine data sources to ensure data coverage and quality. This dataset is owned by the Supplier within their Intellectual Property and therefore this can only be made available by Oceanwise. Access to this dataset is key in helping Defra meet marine sustainability goals and policies and it will be used by marine analysts across Defra group, Natural England, JNCC, the MMO and CEFAS. In line with the Procurement Act 2023, this complies with the thresholds for a Direct Award due to the following justification: "6. (a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works." This is because Oceanwise have the expertise and knowledge, along with ownership of the best available marine data sources, to produce a dataset that will replace legacy, poor-quality data that has been used previously. Additionally, given the nature of this procurement (i.e. below the Procurement Act threshold of £139,688), this is a below threshold Direct Award and therefore is compliant with the Below Threshold rules within the Procurement Act 2023.


Contract 1. Procurement of Marine Data Products

Supplier

Contract value

  • £24,951.60 excluding VAT
  • £29,941.92 including VAT

Below the relevant threshold

Earliest date the contract will be signed

31 July 2025

Contract dates (estimated)

  • 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
  • 1 year

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

  • 72300000 - Data services

Contract locations

  • UK - United Kingdom

Participation

Particular suitability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)


Procedure

Procedure type

Below threshold - without competition


Supplier

OceanWise Limited

  • Companies House: 07206926
  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PQQB-6568-ZDTV

2 Upperton Gardens

Eastbourne

BN21 2AH

United Kingdom

Region: UKJ22 - East Sussex CC

Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes

Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No

Contract 1. Procurement of Marine Data Products


Contracting authority

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PNBD-3289-CDGX

Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DF

United Kingdom

Contact name: Tom Dubberley

Telephone: +44 7827903738

Email: tom.dubberley@defra.gov.uk

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

Region: UKI32 - Westminster

Organisation type: Public authority - central government