Expression of Interest for National Tide Gauge Maintenance

There are 43 'Class A' tide gauges around the UK coastline. These tide gauges are owned by the Environment Agency and operated on behalf of the UKCFF (UK Coastal Flood Forecasting) partnership. Class A gauges conform to the highest standards of sea level monitoring as defined by the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) for the Global Sea Level Observing programme (GLOSS). 3 of the gauges from the UKCFF network are a formal part of the Global Core Network of sea level observations used in monitoring global sea level changes.

The observations are used in real time flood forecasting to check actual sea levels against forecast as tides pass around the UK. The gauges are maintained to the highest standards and so the quality of the real time observation is of known accuracy. The observation record from the gauges provides one of the critical datasets underpinning all of coastal flood risk across the UK as it provides the source of sea level information for flood risk mapping studies and design levels for coastal flood defences.

Additional information:

Thank you for your interest in tendering for this requirement, You will need to access the documents through Bravo Solutions portal.

1. The web address is https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register - Accept the terms and conditions and click 'continue' - Enter your correct business and user details - Note the username you chose and click 'Save' when complete - You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure).

2. Express an Interest in the tender - Login to the portal with the username/password - Click the 'PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) - Click on the relevant PQQ/ ITT to access the content. - Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page. - This will move the PQQ /ITT into your 'My PQQs/ My ITTs' page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only) -You can now access any attachments by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'PQQ/ ITT Details' box 3. Responding to the tender - Click 'My Response' under 'PQQ/ ITT Details', you can choose to 'Create Response' or to 'Decline to Respond' (please give a reason if declining) - You can now use the 'Messages' function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification - Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT - There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available) You must then submit your reply using the 'Submit Response' button at the top of the page. Please give yourself enough time to complete this before the deadline. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the e-Tendering help desk.

Please direct all questions and queries through the message function of the portal, including any clarification questions. This is to ensure no questions are missed and that all answers can be shared with all interested suppliers at the same time.