Scope
Description
The Technical Report of the Third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) identified a substantial increase in wildfire risk as a direct result of climate change which may have severe implications in peatland areas or for other organic soils which are major carbon stores (Risk N5 - risk to natural carbon stores). Wildfires on peat soils can lead to large amounts of carbon being released into the atmosphere, contributing further to climate change.
In Annex 1 to the Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), published in July 2023, we set out the actions we would be taking to achieve our risk reduction goal of creating and maintaining healthy, functioning peatland, which will increase the resilience of these carbon stores for future climate conditions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This included a commitment to a wildfire risk R&D programme beginning from 2023 (as part of Action 6).
We are putting in place research to fulfil this commitment and as part of this we need to commission several reviews and scoping studies.
These are smaller pieces of work individually, which we are bringing together into one larger project. The project is made up of 6 sub-projects (A to F) which will be reported on independently (giving a total project output of 6 reports). Sub-projects A and C are the largest sub-projects. Due to the diverse nature of the work areas, we expect that different teams will be required for each sub-project (and should involve different organisations as appropriate). We welcome consortia bids which draw together a range of expertise from different research institutes and organisations across environmental, economic and social disciplines.
The overall project must be coordinated by a scientist with expertise in wildfire who will contribute to each sub-project and ensure delivery. However, expertise in peat science will also be required and it would be beneficial to ensure that at least one peat scientist had a mirror role in ensuring consistency across the sub-projects (see also later section on the project team).
The six sub-projects are:
A Effectiveness of peatland land management systems and practices in creating wildfire resilience to meet adaptation needs
B The impact of peat restoration on building wildfire resilience into the landscape (deeper dive)
C The cost of wildfire on peat in England and Wales (economic assessment)
D Scoping a peat wildfire risk map for England (scoping study)
E Scoping a portal for land managers to report fires on peat they have dealt with (scoping study)
F Recovery of peat habitats post-wildfire
Total value (estimated)
- £300,000 excluding VAT
- £360,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 14 November 2025 to 13 November 2027
- 2 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Please see Bidder Pack Part Two
Technical ability conditions of participation
Please see Bidder Pack Part Two
Particular suitability
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
- Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
18 September 2025, 12:00pm
Tender submission deadline
14 October 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
31 October 2025
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical | E01 Organisation's capacity and resource - 10% E02 Project management and organisation's quality assurance - 10% E03 Proposed approach to research and methodology - 45% E04 Capability and... |
Quality | 70.00% |
| Commercial | Total Cost of Contract |
Price | 30.00% |
Other information
Description of risks to contract performance
Contract break clauses
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
A preliminary market engagement notice was not published due to the specification of the requirement being already established and clear. Therefore, there was no additional input from suppliers in the market to help with developing the requirement and approach to the procurement. This project also meets the Procurement Act 2023 - Schedule 2, Part 1, Section 22 - Research and Development Services (Research and Development Exemption).
Documents
Associated tender documents
C30151 - Bidder pack - procurement specific requirements above threshold PA23.docx
Procurement Specific Requirements
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
Email: procurement@defra.gov.uk
Region: UKI32 - Westminster
Organisation type: Public authority - central government