UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

To carry out an assessment of the discharges from sewage and industrial Waste Water Systems in Northern Ireland in order to identify which component of the system posed the biggest threat to aquatic ecosystems  This objective will be achieved through review and critical appraisal of the following areas, as described further in the Invitation to Tender: - To map out the wastewater systems in Northern Ireland to inform the identification of relevant data and information needed to deliver this project.   - To develop a risk assessment method to identify which component of the wastewater system pose the biggest risk to aquatic ecosystems.   - To evaluate impacts on different waterbody types (e.g protected sites, sensitive areas) and conditions (e.g. low flow vs. high flow conditions). - To provide an assessment of whether specific elements of the relevant regulations are being implemented fully and correctly, and/or whether they are fit-for-purpose. The scope of this project includes all of Northern Ireland, including coastal areas, including those discharges in the Republic of Ireland that contribute to the nutrient loading on shared waters. For this project, wastewater is defined as any water used by arising from households, businesses, and industry that enters waterbodies, whether treated or untreated. The wastewater system will encompass all wastewater treatment works (, both private and public), septic tanks, and any domestic, business, or industrial operations under a discharge consent. THIS PROCUREMENT HAS CONCLUDED AND THE CONTRACT AWARDED

The overarching objective of this project is to provide a critical appraisal of the current regulatory and policy frameworks for both monitoring and managing bycatch in UK marine waters. This is a crucial project required to inform the OEP's wider work on holding government to account for the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) under the UK Marine Strategy. For the purposes of this project, 'bycatch' will be taken to mean the "unintentional capture or entanglement of non-target species in fishing gear often resulting in serious injury or mortality"1. It should also encompass the unintentional capture of fish that are below minimum conservation reference size, so as to fully align with the 'bycatch objective' set out in the Joint Fisheries Statement. The overarching objective will be achieved through delivering the following elements: •Building on existing OEP analysis to clarify the degree to which bycatch affects the achievement of GES - specifically, to determine the contribution that delivering Government's bycatch commitments could make to relevant GES indicators, and the scale of action that may be required to realise those commitments. •Reviewing current regulatory and policy measures implemented in UK marine waters that impact on the management of bycatch - to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the regulatory system by examining the design and implementation of existing laws, policies and regulations, including compliance mechanisms and enforcement practices. •Reviewing the effectiveness of current approaches to monitoring bycatch - to evaluate the accuracy, reliability and coverage of existing monitoring programmes and potential knock-on effects for impactful regulation across different species and regions. •Identifying barriers and enablers for improved bycatch monitoring and regulation, with a particular focus on known mitigation options and best practice solutions where available - to inform recommendations which would ensure that actions taken to address bycatch the contribute to achieve GES, based on the analysis conducted under 'A'. The scope of this work will cover measures to monitor and address bycatch in England and Northern Ireland only, unless specifically designed to be UK-wide (e.g. UK Bycatch Mitigation Initiative). In addition, we reserve the right to make direct awards of further contracts to the successful supplier for additional services (including consultancy and acting as an expert witness). THIS PROCUREMENT HAS CONCLUDED AND THE CONTRACT AWARDED

The objective of this procurement is to provide the OEP with an integrated system comprising: • a user-friendly, flexible, web hosted HR software solution that supports all OEP staff and roles throughout the end-to-end HR lifecycle. • a fully-managed payroll service that ensures all OEP staff are paid accurately and on-time, with minimal intervention needed from the OEP HR and finance teams. THIS PROCUREMENT HAS CONCLUDED AND THE CONTRACT AWARDED

3.1 To carry out a review of the application of environmental assessments in the management of nutrient inputs to the environment in Northern Ireland. 3.2 This objective will be achieved through review and critical appraisal of the following areas, as described further in Section 5: a. Evaluate the degree to which the environmental assessments carried out for the Nutrient Action Programme (NAP) and Future Agricultural Policy (FAP) are appropriate in the context of the risks posed to the environment from nutrient inputs. b. Review the evidence underpinning the need for, and development of, an appropriate assessment of nutrient inputs to aquatic ecosystems. c. Evaluate the links between the application of Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) of nutrient inputs to aquatic protected sites and other regulations such as the NAP and Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations (UWWTR) d. Identify gaps in the application of environmental assessment for the management of nutrients and the risks nutrients pose directly and indirectly to protected sites. 3.3 The scope of this project will focus on the Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) and HRAs conducted for the Nutrient Action Programme and Future Agricultural Policy in Northern Ireland. This element of the project will consider nutrient emissions to both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, inside and outside of protected sites. 3.4 Separate to this, the project will also have a focus on the need for, and scientific evidence underpinning, the development of an appropriate assessment (as required under Article 6.3 of the Habitats Directive) of nutrient inputs to aquatic protected sites and how this links with the NAP and other regulations, such as the UWWTR.

Objectives The overarching aim of this project is to provide the OEP with an initial understanding of whether existing nutrient environmental quality standards underpinning the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017, reflect best available evidence. This will be achieved through the following objectives: undertake a Quick Scoping Review1 of research and evidence on the of environmental quality standards. Complete interviews with water quality expert practitioners and researchers. provide the OEP with a searchable database that can be used to quickly summarise the nature of the evidence base in a given area and can inform more detailed synthesis and systematic evidence reviews; provide options for systematic evidence reviews and assessments for the OEP to consider. Additional information: Awarded through the Research & Insights RM6126 DPS

Objectives The overarching aim of this project is to provide the OEP with an initial understanding of whether existing nutrient environmental quality standards underpinning the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017, reflect best available evidence. This will be achieved through the following objectives: undertake a Quick Scoping Review1 of research and evidence on the of environmental quality standards. Complete interviews with water quality expert practitioners and researchers. provide the OEP with a searchable database that can be used to quickly summarise the nature of the evidence base in a given area and can inform more detailed synthesis and systematic evidence reviews; provide options for systematic evidence reviews and assessments for the OEP to consider. Additional information: Awarded vis DPS Research & Insights (CCS RM6126)

The objectives of this work are to: Understand how the OEP is perceived by its stakeholders; and identify opportunities for increasing the impact of the OEP's work. These objectives will be achieved through delivery of the following project elements, as described further in Section 5: Stakeholder survey Stakeholder interviews Opportunities for impact Reporting Additional information: Awarded through the Research & Insights RM6126 DPS

The overarching objective of this work is to provide the OEP with the capability to monitor the delivery expenditure of actions in the annual reporting period. The OEP intends to apply the outputs of this research to inform its reporting on Government's progress in delivering its Environmental Improvement Plan and achieving Environment Act 2021 targets. Our main focus in this particular project is on contribution to the Environment Act 2021 biodiversity, woodland and marine targets. A particular focus being the 2030 species abundance target and the long-term target to reverse the decline of species abundance. The outcome of the project will support the OEP's ongoing monitoring and assessment of government's progress with Environmental Improvement Plans in England.

The overarching aim of this project is to support the OEP in developing an independent view of the effectiveness of three regulations relating to agricultural diffuse pollution, namely: Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018, commonly known as the Farming Rules for Water (FRfW); Nitrate Pollutions Prevention Regulations 2015; and Storing Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oils (England) Regulations 2010. This will be achieved through delivering the following objectives: Undertake a review of research and evidence on the effectiveness of the regulations in reducing diffuse agricultural pollution Undertake interviews with expert practitioners and researchers. Provide an initial assessment from the overall review and provide options for systematic evidence reviews and assessments for the OEP to consider.

The Supplier shall develop a methodology which can be applied in England which considers the readiness of key sectors and industries to water scarcity and drought, and how likely implementation plans or a lack them, pose a risk to the natural environment. The supplier is not required to implement the methodology developed but it must be sufficiently detailed so that it can applied at a later date.

This procurement is for our End User Computing Managed Service: • End User Computing • Storage as a Service • Security as a Service (SOC) • Virtual Infrastructure management • WAN and LAN management • Monitoring services • Mobile Device Management • End User Service Desk • Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity • Hardware and Software Asset Management • SharePoint Additional information: Contract has been procured through the HealthTrust Europe LLP Framework Agreement for Enterprise Level Information Communication Technology (ICT) Digital Technology Solutions 2023.

This procurement is for our End User Computing Managed Service: • End User Computing • Storage as a Service • Security as a Service (SOC) • Virtual Infrastructure management • WAN and LAN management • Monitoring services • Mobile Device Management • End User Service Desk • Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity • Hardware and Software Asset Management • SharePoint Additional information: Contract has been procured through the HealthTrust Europe LLP Framework Agreement for Enterprise Level Information Communication Technology (ICT) Digital Technology Solutions 2023.

The objectives of this work are to improve the OEP’s understanding of the importance of management, including but not limited to the composition and handling, of animal feeds and manures on farms, in contributing towards the EA21 long-term and interim agriculture water targets. Furthermore, the OEP seeks to understand the barriers and enablers to action needed to manage inputs. In our last England Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) progress report1, we assessed the prospects of meeting the Environment Act 2021 (EA21) long-term2 and interim agriculture water targets3 to be largely off track, given current policies and measures deployed by the government. Our assessment of the prospect of achieving the EA21 agriculture water target shows that, in the long term, this target will be difficult to achieve without substantial increases in compliance with farming regulations and further changes in how land is used and managed. We consider a number of spatially targeted actions are important in supporting delivery and progress towards meeting the target. Namely: High uptake of Agri-Environment Scheme measures which tackle diffuse pollution effectively. High levels of compliance with farming regulations relevant to agricultural diffuse pollution. Changes in how land is utilised, as illustrated through Government’s land-use consultation. Reducing nutrient inputs into farms. The OEP is seeking to further evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of reducing nutrient inputs into farming systems (action 4), particularly by managing animal feeds and thereby affecting associated levels of nutrients in livestock manures distributed onto farmland. Work we have commissioned previously4 assumed that dietary inputs of nutrients for pigs, poultry and cattle could be reduced by a few percent through targeted actions. We are looking to further test the underlying assumption of our previous work, by reviewing wider evidence associated with managing animal feeds and affecting the associated levels of nutrients in livestock manure. This review would then be used to re-assess the contributions these specific measures make towards the long-term and interim agriculture water targets.

Efforts to manage Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are critical to the UK government’s Environmental Improvement Plan, focusing on reducing harmful chemical emissions and advancing a circular economy. Building on our assessment of Government’s progress towards its Environmental Improvement Plan, this project will assess stockpiles, incinerator capacity, economic and environmental impacts, and required government actions to support regulatory/strategy coherence and upstream actions such as safe and sustainability by design.

Sage Intacct implementation, License & Support.

Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of government plans to reduce the nutrient surplus in Northern Ireland. This objective will be achieved through review and critical appraisal of the following areas, as described further in Section 5: Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Nutrient Action Programme in reducing the nutrient surplus and its impact on the environment. Assessment of how other strategies and policies will impact the nutrient surplus and their effects on the environment. Development of indicators to monitor government progress in addressing the nutrient surplus over time. The scope of this project will focus on both nitrogen and phosphorus at the scale of the food system in Northern Ireland. We are interested in the overall national nutrient balances rather than those at farm, catchment or regional scale. For this project, we define the food system as the interconnected network of activities that link food production, processing, consumption, waste, and emissions to the environment. It will include the agriculture, wastewater, energy, and waste sectors, as well as any others that may impact the nutrient surplus. The project will evaluate scenarios of nutrient management within the food system and their impact on emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the air and water environment.

The objectives of this work are to provide a critical appraisal of the synergies and trade-offs of potential pathways towards achieving both the 2050 target for woodland and trees outside woodland, as well as increasing the sustainable management of woodlands and trees. These pathways will be appraised to determine the extent to which they support the achievement of wider key targets and commitments for biodiversity, net zero and timber production.

The OEP is interested in understanding and advising how government might best act in order to improve prospects of meeting its targets and commitments for improving the natural environment, particularly the Environment Act 2021 species abundance targets. The objective of this work is to support our scrutiny of the role of river habitat improvements, and changes in the scale, pace and feasibility of such improvements, in order to meet these long-term targets.

The objectives of this work are to: Develop a monitoring framework and assess trends in performance metrics for key nature markets Gather perspectives from nature market participants and systematically appraise the barriers and enablers to nature markets operating efficiently and effectively Develop transferable lessons on how to make nature markets and wider environmental offsetting schemes efficient and effective, prioritising key issues and solutions