Open Closing in a 13 days

Local Resource Option Screening Study in Pedham

Descriptions

The Environment Agency seeks a supplier to deliver a Local Resource Option (LRO) Screening Study for a group of ten farms located east of Norwich, Norfolk, covering 3,515 ha (with 965 ha currently irrigated). These farms specialise in high-value irrigated crops (e.g., potatoes, onions, carrots, herbs, sugar beet, grapes, and daffodils) and cereals, with water abstraction being critical for production. The farms lie within the Broadlands Rivers catchment, near environmentally sensitive sites (Norfolk Broads, SSSI, SAC, SPA, Ramsar) and already hold abstraction licences, with voluntary restrictions applied during dry years to prevent regulatory action.

The study aims to identify, screen, rank, and evaluate local water resource options to improve resilience of supply and security for these farms. One pre-selected option is water sharing among participating farms. The methodology and tools for screening and ranking (provided in the appendices) must be applied.

Scope of Work

• Engage with farmers, the Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Boards, regional water groups and other stakeholders.

• Collect and review baseline data on farming practices, abstraction licences, water availability and projected demand.

• Undertake a water balance assessment, identify potential local water resource options and screen/rank them using the provided methodology and spreadsheet tools.

• Select the top three preferred LROs, including the pre-selected water-sharing option, for detailed evaluation covering yield, cost, security of supply modelling, and environmental and social impacts.

• Identify barriers, risks, and next steps for scheme development.

• Deliver an executive summary, technical report, screening spreadsheet, presentation slides and summary findings for participating farmers.

Key Deliverables

1. Screening and ranking spreadsheet (Environment Agency template).

2. Draft and final technical report covering methodology, baseline conditions, stakeholder engagement outcomes, ranking results, detailed evaluation of top three LROs, barriers, and next steps.

3. Summary slides for farmer engagement.

4. Weekly progress updates and biweekly virtual meetings with the Environment Agency.

5. Final presentation to study participants.

Project Management & Timescale

• Duration: 3.5 months, including stakeholder workshops, screening and ranking, and two report review stages.

• Weekly progress reports (via email) and fortnightly review meetings required.

• Contract budget: £25,000 - £30,000 (excl. VAT).

Evaluation

Tenders will be assessed 60% on technical quality (understanding of project and local area, methodology, project management, Gantt chart, team experience) and 40% on cost. AI use must be declared but is not scored.

Timeline

Published Date :

31st Jul 2025 Yesterday

Deadline :

14th Aug 2025 in a 13 days

Contract Start :

24th Aug 2025

Contract End :

12th Dec 2025

Tender Regions

Tender Lot Details

2 Tender Lots

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Workflows

Status :

Open

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Tender Progress :

0%

Details

Notice Type :

Open opportunity

Tender Identifier :

IT-378-246-T: 2024 - 001

TenderBase ID :

310724019

Low Value :

£100K

High Value :

£1000K

Region :

North Region

Attachments :

Buyer Information

Address :

Liverpool Merseyside , Merseyside , L13 0BQ

Website :

N/A

Procurement Contact

Name :

Tina Smith

Designation :

Chief Executive Officer

Phone :

0151 252 3243

Email :

tina.smith@shared-ed.ac.uk

Possible Competitors

1 Possible Competitors