Voluntary ex ante transparency notice
Directive 2014/24/EU
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Natural Resources Wales
Ty Cambria House, 29 Newport Road
Cardiff
CF24 0TP
UK
Telephone: +44 3000653000
E-mail: procurement.enquiries@naturalresources.wales.gov.uk
NUTS: UKL
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0110
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Environment
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Met office services
II.1.2) Main CPV code
71351610
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
We currently procure our meteorological and coastal forecasting data from the UK Met Office both directly (via this contract) or through other UK partnerships (for example the UK Coastal Flood Forecasting partnership).
The use of Met office meteorological and coastal forecasting data is part of a wider long-term working relationship with the Met Office whereby we use this data in conjunction with “added value” consultancy services delivered by the Flood Forecasting Centre (procured under separate arrangements) and the Met Office to provide NRW with a complete integrated assessment of the meteorological forecast and so enable us to determine the resulting flood risk for Wales
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
295 778.60
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKK43
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Flood Data Feeds & 24/7 Service Desk Support
The provision of near real time observational and forecast data feeds, supporting 24/7 helpdesk support. The real time data feeds are taken directly into our operational FEWS Wales flood forecasting system for making forecasts of river and coastal flooding across Wales. This data includes rainfall (meteorological forecast and weather radar observations), forecast wind, astronomic tide, forecast storm surge and forecast waves. The contract also provisions for 24/7 helpdesk support given the business-critical nature of these near real time data services to NRW.
Water Resources management and reporting data (MORECS Data and Monthly Areal Rainfall Datasets)
The provision of weekly and monthly MORECS data (including soil moisture and evaporation data) and daily and monthly NCIC areal rainfall data used for NRW water resources situation reporting and assessments across Wales.
Rain gauge network inspection & data quality control
This includes:
Routine physical site audits by a Met Office inspector to ensure our rain gauge sites comply with Met Office and World Meteorological Office (WMO) standards for the measurement of precipitation. This is an unaccompanied inspection on a three-year cycle to observer manual gauges and an accompanied inspection on a 6 year cycle, on a risk-based approach, to automatic gauges
Quality assurance of measured precipitation data to ensure compliance with national standards and in statistical compliance with geographically similar rain gauges
Return of the quality assured rain gauge data to NRW for uploading to our WISKI7 hydrometric archive for use by NRW hydrologist and water resource specialists.
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition
Justification for selected award procedure:
The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the Directive
Explanation:
Met Office is the gov sponsored provider of UK public weather services and are a provider of quality control and audit services for the rainfall observation network across the UK. To fulfil this requirement elsewhere would be disproportionately costly and cause difficult technical issues.
Met Office provide compatibility by using the same underpinning data and forecasts for NRW flood forecasting, warning and informing service.
MORECS Data and Areal Rainfall Datasets are used to assess and report on the water situation, which is particularly important in dry weather to inform our decisions on drought management. These are the only datasets, which Met Office have exclusive rights to the IPR, that enable us to calculate long term average statistics on rainfall and soil moisture deficits at a strategic Wales and area level.
The Met Office quality control all rainfall data from gauge sites within Wales (i.e. NRW and Met Office gauges) that have been registered with the Met Office in order to meet BS7843 standards requirements and send this data to NRW in a format compliant with NRW’s IT systems, including all quality control comments indicating any changes made to the data during the quality control process. They have bespoke tools designed specifically to quality control rainfall data incorporating manually read rainfall data, automatically read rainfall data, radar data, storm event data including lightning event records and crowd source information, as well as elements specified by NRW, ensuring the quality-controlled data is of the highest possible quality.
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section V: Award of contract/concession
V.2 Award of contract/concession
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract/concession
04/04/2023
V.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
MET OFFICE
FITZROY ROAD
EXETER
EX13PB
UK
NUTS: UKK4
The contractor is an SME:
Yes
V.2.4) Information on value of the concession and main financing terms (excluding VAT)
Total value of the concession/lot:
295 778.60
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at http://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=130621.
(WA Ref:130621)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
UK
Telephone: +44 2079477501
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
17/04/2023