OWD-Assessing environmental DNA sampling methods for environmental assessments of marine renewable developments

Description

The Offshore Wind Directorate (OWD) is looking for a suitable Service Provider to carry out eDNA analysis, metabarcoding and bioinformatics of water and sediment samples collected from the marine environment. This work will feed into a project assessing the effectiveness of eDNA-based sampling for environmental assessments for marine renewable energy developments and propose guidelines for standardised sampling strategies. Lot 1: The Offshore Wind Directorate (OWD) invites a tender from a suitable Service Provider to carry out eDNA analysis and metabarcoding of water and sediment samples collected from the marine environment. This work will feed into a project to provide clarity on the suitability of environmental DNA (eDNA) in a context of delivery of data necessary for biodiversity assessments in the marine environment. This project would also support the delivery of guidelines for consistent approaches to survey sampling design and utilisation of eDNA-based biodiversity data for environmental impact assessments for potential Marine Renewables (MR) installations.. The contract may be extended by one period of up to 3 months to a date falling no later than 21 July 2026.