CEFAS24-06 Request for Quotation for the provision to provide subtidal Sabellaria spp. monitoring surveys using an Adaptive Resolution Imaging Sonar (ARIS) camera at Sizewell, Suffolk UK
Open opportunity - This means that the contract is currently active, and the buying department is looking for potential suppliers to fulfil the contract.
Closing: 13 May 2024, 12pm
Contract summary
Industry
Survey services - 79311000
Survey design services - 79311100
Survey conduction services - 79311200
Location of contract
East of England, Any region
Value of contract
£25,000 to £30,000
Procurement reference
CF-0288800D8d000003VQwdEAG
Published date
22 April 2024
Closing date
13 May 2024
Closing time
12pm
Contract start date
20 May 2024
Contract end date
31 March 2025
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Open procedure (below threshold)
Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.
Background:
The Sizewell BEEMS (British EDF Estuarine and Marine Studies) programme is funded by Sizewell C Limited (SZC). Through this programme, Cefas provide authoritative scientific information on the marine and transitional waters in the vicinity of the consented SZC new build nuclear power station and require a competent supplier to deliver the element described below.
Overview of Requirement:
Cefas require a supplier to conduct a subtidal Adaptive Resolution Imaging Sonar (ARIS) camera survey for the Sizewell C (SZC) Nuclear New Build project to prepare for construction activities. At SZC there are known offshore areas of the reef forming polychaete Sabellaria spp. The turbid waters in the Greater Sizewell Bay preclude the use of traditional underwater camera, however the seabed in the region has previously been successfully imaged with an ARIS camera (Sound Metrics ARIS Explorer 3000). Previous survey work, including ARIS camera imagery acquired at Sizewell is detailed in the SZC Environmental Statement Appendix 22C for further background context.
The objective of the proposed survey is to ground-truth an area of the seabed with an ARIS camera (Sound Metrics ARIS Explorer 3000) to confirm the seabed type and the presence or absence of Sabellaria spp. tube aggregations. The specified 'Sound Metrics ARIS Explorer 3000' is required to ensure quality and data consistency with the previous survey, and therefore it is a requirement for the supplier to either own, or be able to hire, the equipment for the survey. The exact survey area will be derived from a preceding (separate) side scan sonar and bathymetry survey (anticipated Spring 2024), and therefore the exact survey area is not known, however the expectation is that it will be in the region of the offshore infrastructure (Figure 1), approximately 3 km offshore off Sizewell, in approximately 10-20m of water. The survey area is likely to be approximately 1.5 km x 1 km (1.5 km2) and is expected to cover a range of habitats including subtidal sand, subtidal rock (Coralline Crag) and subtidal biogenic reefs (Sabellaria). The survey is required in the Summer of 2024.