Scope
Reference
ENPA0020-25
Description
Reviving Exmoor's Heartlands is part of Defra's Landscape Recovery scheme, aiming to support long-term, large-scale restoration of England's most precious habitats. The Reviving Exmoor's Heartlands (REH) project is a round 2 Landscape Recovery project that has been approved for a two year development phase, which started in April 2024. The project aims to restore Exmoor's central moorlands to a thriving ecological state with good habitat connectivity to the wider landscape, supported by viable farming. The project area spans approximately 12,000 hectares made up of a cluster of over 20 upland farms and moorland landholdings including large areas of common land, supporting mainly extensive beef and sheep enterprises. ENPA are inviting bids from suitably qualified legal professionals or firms with experience in business law and contracts, governance, blended finance structures, and public sector project delivery to assist in the legal structuring and governance planning of our SLE, and negotiation of critical legal documentation to enable effective, long-term delivery. Experience of working with Commoners Associations would be an advantage.
The appointed legal supplier will: Advise on Legal Structure and Governance
- Evaluate and compare options for suitable legal entity structures aligned with the project goals (e.g. CIC, CIO, LLP, BenCom).
- Present clear and actionable advice to the project steering group and participants via an evening workshop to make a final decision on the legal form and governance arrangements.
- Draft a fit-for-purpose governance structure and plan for the selected SLE model compliant with HM Treasury's Managing Public Money principles.
Draft and Review Legal Agreements
- Draft and advise on: - Agreements between the SLE and land managers/commoners associations.
- Implementation agreement with Natural England.
- Contracts with private investors and partners. - Identify and evaluate legal tools to safeguard environmental outcomes (e.g. conservation covenants, land trusts).
Ensure agreements:
- Provide long-term environmental and legal security.
- Address enforcement, flexibility, and succession planning for land ownership.
Conduct Land & Title Due Diligence
- Review land ownership titles for risks, rights, or restrictions.
- Complete due diligence letters to be submitted to Natural England before contract signing.
- Identify and propose resolutions for any legal impediments to delivery.
Statutory Consents and Risk Management
- Identify required statutory consents, permits, or licenses.
- Highlight legal risks and develop mitigation strategies.
Total value (estimated)
- £80,000 excluding VAT
- £96,000 including VAT
Below the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 29 September 2025 to 31 March 2026
- Possible extension to 30 September 2026
- 1 year, 2 days
Description of possible extension:
ENPA have applied for an extension from Defra on this project but no confirmation has been received so this extension cannot be guaranteed at this stage.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 79100000 - Legal services
Contract locations
- UKK4 - Devon
- UKK23 - Somerset
Participation
Conditions of participation
As set out in the RFQ document
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
18 August 2025, 12:00pm
Tender submission deadline
25 August 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Suppliers can access the business opportunity via Supplying the South West Procurement portal at https://www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk.
Register your expression of interest to the advert and then automatic access will be provided to the competition documentation, terms and conditions and any supporting information. This information can be downloaded for completion. Your submission can be started on the same system/page where you downloaded the documentation.
The authority does not accept submission from any other method.
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | Quality | 70.00% |
| Price | Price | 30.00% |
Procedure
Procedure type
Below threshold - open competition
Contracting authority
Exmoor National Park Authority
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PNTL-8332-CCCH
Exmoor National Park Authority
Dulverton
TA22 9HL
United Kingdom
Contact name: Mrs Charlotte Thomas
Region: UKK23 - Somerset
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government