o Xxxx indicates where information has been redacted under exemptions / exceptions in the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 and / or Environmental Information Regulations 2004. SERVICE ORDER

This Service Order specifies the requirements necessary for the completion of an agreement for the purchase of Services/Goods.

CONTRACT REFERENCE NUMBER: ECM6571 (to be quoted on all correspondence relating to this Service Order) DATE: 30July 2014 PURCHASE ORDER NUMBER: (When detailed, this number should be quoted on all invoices to ensure payment is made in accordance with the contract) FROM: Natural TO: APEM Ltd Head Office: Riverview, A17 Embankment Foundry House, 3 Millsands, Riverside Business Park, Vale Road Exchange, Sheffield S3 8NH Stockport Greater MANCHESTER Return to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx SK4 3GN Procurement Team Suite D Unex House Bourges Boulevard PETERBOROUGH PE1 1NG

Project Officer: xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Job Title: Lead Adviser Telephone No: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx E-mail Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED AT: INVOICE ADDRESS: Natural England Natural England, DFSSD Accounts Hornbeam House Payable, PO Box 92, Lion House, Electra Way Willowburn Trading Estate, Alnwick, Crewe Business Park Northumberland, NE66 9AR. CW1 6GJ Enquiry Centre phone number 0845 6037262

SERVICES: . River Dee Otter Survey CONTRACT PERIOD: Commencement On receipt of this order signed by the supplier Date: Duration: Final report and invoice to be submitted no later than 31.12.14

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CONTRACT PRICE EXCLUDING VAT: CONTRACT PRICE INCLUDING VAT: £14,600 VAT @ 20% £2,920.00 Total £17,520.00

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES and TIMETABLE (specification):

See attached specification.

PAYMENT PROFILE, RATES AND CHARGES:

NATURAL ENGLAND RESPONSIBILITIES: Attendance at start up meeting August 2014. Provision of landowner contact details where requested and available. Agreement of survey sites September 2014. Participation in monthly progress teleconferences / emails. Comment on draft report December 2014.

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION: If requested under clause 16 of the General Terms following action note 06/10 5 March 2010 issued by OGC, the Supplier may need to supply management information to Natural England or the GPS (Government Procurement Service) formally OGC. The final scope of these requirements may vary according to the category of spend and will be agreed with the supplier at the time of engagement but may consider the following: line item amount; invoice line descriptions; invoice line number; currency code; order date; VAT inclusion flag; VAT rate; list price; number of items; unit of purchase; unit of purchase quantity; price per unit; supplier product/service code; product description; product/service level (product or service name); UNSPSC code; taxonomy code; taxonomy name; geographical; project code; project description; project start date; project delivery date (estimate and actual); total project cost and project stage. SPECIAL TERMS:

NE General Terms Special Terms for Services

Liability and Insurance

Insurance and liability levels required by Natural England are as follows:

Public Liability Insurance £1Million Professional Indemnity Insurance £2 Million

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SIGNATURE: Signed on behalf of Natural England: Signed on behalf of the APEM Ltd: Authorised Signatory: Authorised Signatory:

……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… Print name: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Print name:

Job title: Senior Adviser Job title:

Date: 30.7.14 Date:

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Annex A

Tender Specification

Project Reference: RP2158

Project Title: River Dee Otter Survey

1. Background

Natural England (NE) works for people, places and nature, to enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promote access, recreation and public well-being; and contribute to the way natural resources are managed so that they can be enjoyed now and in the future.

Natural England works towards the delivery of four strategic outcomes, which together deliver on our purpose to conserve, enhance and manage the natural environment for the benefit of current and future generations.

. A healthy natural environment: England’s natural environment will be conserved and enhanced. . Enjoyment of the natural environment: more people enjoying, understanding and acting to improve, the natural environment, more often. . Sustainable use of the natural environment: the use and management of the natural environment is more sustainable. . A secure environmental future: decisions which collectively secure the future of the natural environment.

For further details about Natural England, its objectives, targets, and ways of working please visit www.naturalengland.org.uk

2. Background to the work area

The River Dee flows from its source in through the Vale of Llangollen to the open lowland of the plain, after which it flows into the . It is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) from its source to the estuary, including and the Ceiriog, Meloch, Mynach, and Tryweryn tributaries. It is notified as two separate Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the River Dee (England) SSSI in England and the (River Dee) SSSI in . The features of the SAC are as follows:

 Water courses of plain to montane levels with the Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation; Rivers with floating vegetation often dominated by water-crowfoot  Petromyzon marinus; Sea lamprey  Lampetra planeri; Brook lamprey  Lampetra fluviatilis; River lamprey

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 Salmo salar; Atlantic salmon  Cottus gobio; Bullhead  Lutra lutra; Otter  Luronium natans; Floating water-plantain

The link below to the National Biodiversity Network Gateway illustrates the extent of the River Dee and Bala Lake SAC, along with a list of available species records. https://data.nbn.org.uk/Reports/Sites/GA000327UK0030252/Groups The catchment of the River Dee, including the tidal Dee, is illustrated on the below map.

Otter is also a notifed feature of the River Dee (England) SSSI and the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) SSSI. The River Dee (England) SSSI has been selected by Natural England for an Integrated Site

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Assessment (ISA) in 2014/15. In order to inform this assessment an otter survey is required.

European otters mainly live along rivers, but can inhabit small streams, ditches, ponds, lakes, canals and marshes, and can be found in coastal areas and estuaries. Otters can travel over large areas. Some are known to use 20 km or more of river habitat. Otters tend to live alone as they are very territorial. Otters deposit faeces (known as spraints) with a characteristic sweet musky odour in prominent places to mark their range which may help neighbouring animals keep in social contact with one another.

The otter population in the UK has recovered strongly since the 1950s, when the species came close to extinction in England. The decline was strongly linked to the use of agricultural pesticides, and stricter control of pesticides has led to an increase in otter populations, along with a release programme in the 1980s.

Otters are strictly protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and by the EC Habitats Directive, (transposed into domestic law through the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 (as amended) (the Habitats Regulations). Under the Habitats Regulations otters are classed as a European protected species and therefore given the highest level of protection.

3. Requirement The survey methodology to be followed is detailed in “A Monitoring Protocol for the European Otter, Lutra lutra” (Chanin, 2003), part of the “Life in UK Rivers” project. A brief outline of the methodology is given below.  Identification of approximately 60 sites that will be monitored for signs of otters. It is desirable to split up large SACs into sub-catchments or sections, and a total of at least 60 sites are required for each of these. Sites should be selected based on a combination of previous survey data and preliminary field surveys.

 At each site, record presence or absence of otter signs, and categorise spraints based on freshness.

Comparison of results with previous survey data to form conclusions on the status of otter. Identification of sites The River Dee SSSI / SAC covers the main stem of the river and a small number of tributaries only. The only ecologically sound approach, however, is to consider otter populations in the catchment as a whole. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the SAC is cross-border, with the river itself forming the boundary for long stretches. Whilst the immediate driver for the project is to inform the Integrated Site Assessment of the River Dee (England) SSSI, it is beneficial to survey otter populations in Welsh parts of the catchment, and this will improve understanding of the status of otter within the wider SAC. A suggested priority list is given below: 1. Catchment of units 1 & 4 of River Dee (England) SSSI, which includes the following:

 River Dee ( to )

 Aldford Brook

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 Emral Brook

 Henlake Brook

 Pulford Brook

 Worthenbury Brook

2. Catchment of unit 3 of River Dee (England) SSSI, which includes:  River Dee (Ceiriog to )

 River Ceiriog

 Morlas Brook

3. River Dee and tributaries between units 3 and 4 of the River Dee (England) SSSI. 4. Catchment of the River Dee & Bala Lake SAC entirely in Wales. In the tender please provide a cost for completing otter surveys for each of these areas. It will be necessary to identify how to split up the Dee catchment into sub-catchments for the purposes of monitoring otter, with at least 60 sites selected per sub-catchment. There are a number of previous surveys which will be useful in determining monitoring locations:  Fifth Otter Survey of England 2009-2010 (Environment Agency)

 Otter Survey of Wales 2009-10 (Natural Resources Wales, currently draft)

 Current and potential distribution, condition and breeding success of the otter (Lutra lutra) in the River Dee catchment (Morgan, 2004)

 Local record centres – Record (Cheshire), Biological Records Centre, Cofnod (North Wales)

It may be that artificial sprainting sites are required (note that the introduction of structures in the watercourse may need consent from the Environment Agency, which should be consulted before any work is carried out). It is the responsibility of the contractor to arrange access permission to sites if required. Natural England can assist in identifying landowners. Determination of status of otter within the River Dee (England SSSI) Otter are currently considered in favourable condition for the River Dee and Bala Lake SAC. This is based on the Morgan study of 2004, which was the first comprehensive study of otter populations in the Dee catchment. The otter survey of England in 2009-10 recorded otter signs at 75% of the 12 sites in the Dee catchment, compared to 50% in 2000-02, whilst in the Welsh part of the catchment 93% of the 59 sites yielded otter signs in 2009, compared to 78% in 2002. Morgan (2004) estimated that the River Dee catchment held a population size of 22 breeding pairs, though this was largely based on an assessment of the habitat available.

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Data collected during this survey should be analysed against historical data to form conclusions on trends in otter populations. It is recognised that it will not be possible at this point to perform statistical tests due to an absence of widespread historical data. It is hoped that this survey will be repeated in future years to enable statistical analysis to be undertaken. An assessment is required, however, of the status of otter within the River Dee (England) SSSI, to be based on survey data collected during the project, comparison with historical data, and expert judgement.

Outputs & Timescales

Surveys should take place between August and October, when water levels are lower so spraints are less likely to be washed away.

A report should be produced on conclusion of the project detailing the survey findings, including an assessment of the status of otter in the sub-catchments surveyed, and the SAC as a whole. GI data should be provided in Arc GIS format.

The deadline for provision of the final report and submission of the final invoice is 31st December 2014.

4. Useful Information

Chanin P (2003) Ecology of the European otter. Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers Ecology Series No. 10. English Nature, Peterborough

Chanin P (2003) Monitoring the otter Lutra lutra. Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers Monitoring Series No. 10. English Nature, Peterborough

5. Timescales Natural England expects to award the contract by w/c 21st July 2014. The intention is to start work as soon as possible after the contract has been awarded. The start-up meeting is to be held within 2 weeks of the award of contract, at Natural England’s Crewe office. The timetable for work tasks is given in below. 20th June 2014 Request for quotation issued Noon on 11th July 2014 Submission of quotation By 25th July 2014 Contract awarded asap after award Contract commences August – October 2014 Otter surveys By 31st December 2014 Final Report and Invoice Submitted

6. Project management

The Nominated Officer for the project is: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lead Adviser, Cheshire Natural England Hornbeam House

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Electra Way Crewe Business Park CW1 6GJ Tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxx E-mail: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You will need to liaise with the Project Officer on a regular basis, progress reports by email or phone call should be provided monthly.

Further details on the structure and format of the final report is to be developed with the Project Officer.

Intellectual property rights to the report and outputs arising from this contract will belong to Natural England. The outputs may only be used or published elsewhere with the permission of Natural England.

7. Payment Schedule

Payment will be made upon receipt of an appropriate invoice at the completion of the contract. If interim payments are required, then this should be identified at the tender stage.

The original invoice must be sent to the accounts department in Alnwick quoting the order number. The address for submitting original invoices is: PO Box 92, DFSSD Accounts Payable, Lion House, Willowburn Trading Estate, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 2PF

8. Procurement Contact xxxxxxxxxxxxx Natural England Suite D, Unex House Bourges Boulevard Peterborough PE1 1NG Tel: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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