Modelling of Ambient Air Quality

Concepts

• air quality management
• defra
• ambient air quality
• ambient air pollutant concentrations
• air quality limit values
• air quality models
• modelling of ambient air quality
• direct award basis
• defra group commercial
• penny hebden

Location

United Kingdom:

Description

A contract to develop and apply air quality models and other methods of assessment to: * Map ambient air pollutant concentrations across the UK for 13 pollutants; * Carry out an annual assessment of compliance with air quality limit values and target values for reporting; * Support the investigation and development of policy initiatives.

Total Quantity or Scope

Defra intends to award a contract for the Modelling of Ambient Air Quality. The services required under this contract include: * Mapping ambient air pollutant concentrations across the UK for 13 pollutants; * Carrying out an annual assessment of compliance with air quality limit values and target values for reporting; * Supporting the investigation and development of policy initiatives. The contract is planned to start on 01/05/2021 and to run for two (2) years. There is a possibility that the contract will be extended for a period of up to twelve (12) months. (The value covers the full three-year period). This notice advises that Defra has decided to award the contract with the named provider on a direct award basis and is published for reasons of transparency. Additional information: If you have any concerns regarding this decision, please ensure that you contact Penny Hebden, Defra Group Commercial, at penny.hebden@defra.gov.uk, clearly detailing the basis of your concerns, within 10 calendar days of the publication of this notice.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 90731100 - Air quality management

Legal Justification

This contract uses the PCM model, developed under previous contracts with Ricardo Energy & Environment, and they own the intellectual property rights (IPR) for elements that feed into the model, such as the Stack Characterisation Database and associated tools. Any new supplier would need to buy a licence to use the Stack Characterisation or develop a replacement option that would not infringe on their IPR. There is no other model in the market at this time that can take the place of the PCM model and meet the requirements of the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 in time for the 2020 compliance assessment. The PCM model is specifically designed to provide outputs which form the majority of the scientific base that enables Defra to fulfil its legal obligations. The current situation with Covid-19 has had a significant impact on air quality, so the modelling required for the 2020 compliance assessment (carried out between March and August 2021) will be much more complex than usual. A new contractor would not be able to complete this work and meet the reporting deadline, thus creating a further risk of failure to meet statutory obligations. The justification for the direct award of this contract is that there is currently only one supplier who can fulfil the requirements of the contract, which is justified under Regulation 32 of the Public Contracts regulations (PCR) 2015: (b) Where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons: (ii) Competition is absent for technical reasons, and (iii) The protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights.

Other Information

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