Marine PQQ & ITT for Offshore Marine Minerals Key Resource Assessment
The Crown Estate is an independent commercial business, created by Act of Parliament to manage a portfolio of property, land & marine assets. Our portfolio is one of the largest in the UK and includes the whole of Regent Street and much of St James’s in London’s West End, regional shopping centres, Windsor Great Park, hundreds of thousands of acres of rural land and coastline, and the UK’s seabed.
We are seeking expressions of interest from suitably experienced and qualified contractors wishing to bid for an opportunity to carry out geophysical and geotechnical surveys in the southern North sea (Humber & East Coast), the Eastern English Channel and the Thames Estuary. This work will be complementary to a project being undertaken by The Crown Estate focussed on generating a more detailed picture of the marine sand and gravel resources lying offshore eastern and southern England. Geophysical work will include bathymetric, side scan sonar and seismic surveys. Geotechnical work will include grab sampling and vibrocoring.
In each geographical area there will be a combined geophysical survey composed of a bathymetry, side scan sonar and high resolution 2-D seismic survey to be undertaken along a series of transects. Each transect will consist of either a single line or two adjacent lines. The geophysical data will be complemented by a grab and vibrocore survey. Details of survey components will be described in the PQQ and the Invitation to Tender. It is currently estimated that around 1000-line km of geophysical data and 200 vibrocores will be acquired across the 4 zones. Seismic lines and sample sites will be provided prior to each survey and may occasionally be varied. Offshore regions will be divided for ease of reference into survey blocks and further information on these will be released in due course.
Companies interesting in submitting bids will need to have access to suitable survey vessels capable of 24hr operations with a proven capability for high quality high resolution seismic acquisition and seabed sampling. They will also need to demonstrate appropriate levels of experience and competence and high standards in the management of health and safety.
Companies wishing to receive a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire as a precursor to being selected to bid for individual work packages can do so by contacting The Crown Estate through the following e-mail address: offshoresurveytender@thecrownestate.co.uk.
Expressions of interest should be submitted by COB on Friday 16th July 2021 at the latest.