Environment Agency: Moorings Management

The Environment Agency requires an experienced, specialist moorings management company to manage boats mooring where it owns riverbank along the non-tidal River Thames. Initially this excludes moorings at lock sites, but could be extended to include some, or all sites, in the future.

Customer experience is important to ensure the services provided by the Environment Agency are consistent with its mission 'To enable and enhance boating on non-tidal Thames'. River users have high expectations of us as the navigation authority for the non-tidal Thames, and this includes doing all we reasonably can to ensure that river users cherish the leisure time they choose to spend on the Thames. It also includes working to sustain and increase levels of boating where we can in a manner which our users deem appropriate and consistent with the informal, friendly culture on the river, established over many decades. We would expect interested companies to be able to evidence an understanding of this culture and put forward a solution which aligns with it.

The contract will cover designated mooring sites where a tariff of charges will apply to cover the costs of maintaining the infrastructure required to facilitate safe and convenient usage. Ideally, it will generate additional income from these sites which could be reinvested in establishing additional mooring sites. We would expect the company to work with us and river users to develop proposals which would support this ambition.

Additionally, we would want the company to support our operational teams in managing boats moored outside of our designated mooring sites where we allow, but do not necessarily encourage, free mooring for a maximum of 24 hours as part of the public right of navigation.

Our aim is that 100% of boats mooring to our land, are doing so with our consent, but we want to achieve this in a manner that all river users consider reasonable, and, so far as is possible, without the need to resort to charges which could be considered excessive, or enforcement action. This includes the expectations of the community of residential boaters on the Thames, whose needs may be different to recreational boaters, but are equally important, and legitimate. Amongst this group there is a vulnerable element and we would expect the company to be able to evidence credentials that give us confidence they will be mindful of the circumstances of such individuals when working with them to achieve compliance.

Additional information: To respond to this invitation please email daniel.taylor@environment-agency.gov.uk. Expressions of interest are to be received no later than 16:00 on 15 November 2019.