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: ECM 6566 (to be quoted on all correspondence relating to this Service Order) DATE: 30 June 2014 PURCHASE ORDER NUMBER: TBC (When detailed, this number should be quoted on all invoices to ensure payment is made in accordance with the contract) FROM: Natural England TO: TACP LLP Foundry House, 3 Millsands, Riverside 10 Park Grove, Cardiff, CF10 3BN Exchange, Sheffield S3 8NH

Project Officer: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Job Title: Lead Adviser Director Telephone No: xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx E-mail Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED AT: INVOICE ADDRESS: Natural England, DFSSD Accounts River Camel, Cornwall – Units 59-70 Payable, PO Box 92, Lion House, Willowburn Trading Estate, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 9AR. Enquiry Centre phone number 0845 6037262 SERVICES: To attend site to carry out an NVC survey, analysis and reporting on Units 59-70.

Subject to extra funding being available, Units 71-77 will also be awarded, as an amendment to this Service Order. CONTRACT PERIOD: Commencement 1st July 2014 Date: Duration: To be completed by 31st October 2014

CONTRACT PRICE EXCLUDING CONTRACT PRICE INCLUDING VAT: VAT: £12,412.60 £14,895.12 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES and TIMETABLE (specification):

The works should be carried out in accordance with:

 The Specification (see attached at Annex A)  The Invitation to Tender ref. ITT_809 dated 27th May 2014 and subsequent Tender Queries and additional information, all issued via Bravo

ITT809 1

Timetable: Contract for completion by 31st October 2014

PAYMENT PROFILE, RATES AND CHARGES:

NATURAL ENGLAND RESPONSIBILITIES: n/a 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:

The following Natural England terms and conditions shall apply to this service order as per those issued with ITT_809 as Appendix 2:

 NE General Terms and Conditions  Special Terms for Services  Special Terms Research and Development  Qualification Requirements for Potential Providers £1m liability

SIGNATURE: Signed on behalf of Natural England: Signed on behalf of the Contractor: Authorised Signatory: Authorised Signatory:

……………………………………………… Print name: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Print name: Job title: Senior Adviser Job title:

Date: 1 July 2014 Date:

ITT809 2 Annex A

INVITATION TO TENDER FOR THE SUPPLY

OF

NVC survey of the River Camel Valley and Tributaries SSSI

TO

ITT809 3

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Instructions to Tenderers

3. Scope of Contract

4. Tender Process Timetable

5. Contract Award Criteria

6. Information to be Completed

7. Pricing Schedule

8. Check List

9. Appendices/Annex:  appendix 1- Specifications  appendix 2 - General Terms and Conditions Special Terms for Services  Annexes 1/2/3/4a/4b/5  Maps 1/2/3

ITT809 4 Invitation to Tender 1. Introduction

Natural England is the government’s advisor on the natural environment. We provide practical advice, grounded in science, on how best to safeguard England’s natural wealth for the benefit of everyone.

Our remit is to ensure sustainable stewardship of the land and sea so that people and nature can thrive. It is our responsibility to see that England’s rich natural environment can adapt and survive intact for future generations to enjoy. In order to achieve this we recognise the requirement for developing a supply chain that is capable of meeting this challenging objective.

We work with farmers and land managers; business and industry; planners and developers; national, regional and local government; interest groups and local communities to help them improve their local environment.

Our responsibilities include:

 Managing England’s green farming schemes, paying over £300million/year to over 55,000 agreement holders  Increasing opportunities for everyone to enjoy the wonders of the natural world  Reducing the decline of biodiversity and licensing of protected species across England  Designating National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty  Managing most National Nature Reserves and notifying Sites of Special Scientific Interest

We want to work with suppliers who can support us in achieving our objectives. For further information about Natural England please view our website (www.naturalengland.org.uk).

2. Instructions to Tenderers

This document is an invitation to tender for the supply of services to Natural England.

All information contained in this document is confidential and should only be passed to individuals within your organisation on a need to know basis. Under no circumstances should this document be disclosed to a third party without the prior written consent of Natural England.

Natural England accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred in completing this tender and any subsequent supplier involvement in the tender process.

ITT809 5 The award of contract will be made to one or more suppliers on the basis of the most economically advantageous option. The decision will be based on the contract award criteria detailed in section 5 of this document.

 All questions must be completed  All tenders must be returned by no later than 12pm on 16.6.14  Failure to meet this deadline may result in your tender not being accepted  Your tender return must be uploaded to Bravo (Natural England’s e- tendering system). Please be aware that emailed bids will not be accepted. If you should experience any technical difficulties whilst using Bravo, please contact their helpline on 0800 368 4850  Any tender clarifications or queries must be registered by 12pm on 11.6.14 and sent via Bravo. All interested parties will receive a response to any queries registered

2.1 Supplying Goods and Services to Natural England (DUNS number)

The UK Government has an aspiration to achieve a minimum of 25% of government spend with ‘Small and Medium sized Enterprises’ (SME). More information is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-government- business-more-accessible-to-smes-2-years-on.

Natural England welcomes this initiative and is working towards this goal. To enable us to do so we need to capture details on all our suppliers to accurately identify those that are classified as SMEs. This classification is being carried out via the Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) number against our suppliers. A D&B DUNS Number is a unique nine-digit sequence recognised as the universal standard for identifying and keeping track of businesses worldwide.

It is a requirement that all our new and existing suppliers supply or obtain a DUNS Number. This would also assist other Government departments for whom DUNS registration is a mandatory requirement.

To search for your unique number you can use this link - www.dnb.co.uk/myduns.

Alternatively, if you have not already registered please use the following link or telephone number to register: - http://www.dnb.co.uk/dandb-duns-number/request-a-duns-number - D&B customer service team on 0870 243 2344 and choose option 2 to request a DUNS Number.

2.2 Collection of Supplier Management Information From 5th March 2010 there is new government policy in place to facilitate the collection and analysis of contractor management information relating to government agreements. The information is required to obtain an overview of

ITT809 6 spend across government to contribute to the aim to achieve greater efficiencies in public sector procurement. The provisions of clause 16 of the General Terms have been included to reflect this policy. They enable The Government Procurement Service (GPS) and Natural England to be able to coordinate the collection of Management Information more effectively and put electronic systems into place to collect the information with minimum disruption to you and to Natural England.

The information needs to be collected by GPS (in conjunction with the collection of Management Information from all other Government departments) to promote greater transparency and enable improved value for money across the public sector. The intention is not to place an additional burden on you and the information required should be no different to that which other commercial organisations need to produce for their own invoicing purposes and that you would need to produce to provide the invoicing information required under the Agreement.

3. Scope of Contract

The contractor will be required to undertake an NVC survey of all the terrestrial SSSI units as identified in Table 1 of the specification and shown in Maps 1-3 (Annex 1), excluding c. 20 ha of part of unit 76 at Brynn Moor which has been NVC surveyed recently; a total survey area of approximately 537 ha. The area of unit 76 that has already been surveyed is shown in Annex 2 of the specification.

In addition, those habitats which are Annex 1 qualifying habitats for the River Camel SAC should be identified as such (descriptions provided in Annex 3 of this document). While in general these qualifying habitats relate to particular NVC communities, there is not always a direct correlation, and some interpretation may be required.

Full details contained in the Specification

Our goals are to establish and/or reaffirm supplier relationships that enable us to work together to:

 Improve the Environment and reduce the carbon footprint  Manage and reduce costs for both parties  Deliver innovative solutions  Maximise customer and supplier value; and  Share information and challenge current practice

4. Tender Process Timetable

Key Dates Tender Issue – 27.5.14 Tender clarifications by – 11.6.14 Return of tenders – 16.6.14 Evaluation/Clarification/Negotiations – w/c 16.6.14 Contract Award – w/c 23.6.14

ITT809 7

The above timetable may be subject to change and any changes will be notified as soon as they are known.

5. Contract Award Criteria

The information received in your tender submission will be evaluated against the following contract award criteria and weightings – threshold 7:

 Experience and expertise – 20%  Fit with specification – 20%  Contract/Risk Management - 10%  Commercial – 50%  Sustainability – pass/fail criteria  Health and Safety - this is a pass or fail criteria

6. Information to be Completed by Tenderer Technical

1) Confirm that your /service(s) meet our specification(s). Please highlight any differences or provide alternatives with reasons/benefits of using those alternatives. (The product specification is attached as appendix 1).

Contract Management

1) Detail how you intend managing this contract. 2) Managing performance is important – please provide examples of key performance indicators that you currently work to and detail the key performance indicators that you feel would be beneficial to this contract

3) What systems and procedures do you have in place that would apply to the management of this contract – please give details?

4) Detail your processes for customer support and how this would work in this contract. Details the benefits to Natural England.

5) If you are successful in being awarded this contract detail how you would implement the contract into the business ensuring that your customers are aware of the service you are providing and get to know you as the provider of this service.

Commercial

ITT809 8 1. Please confirm your acceptance of the terms and conditions included in this invitation to tender. (attached as appendix 1). Not accepting our terms & conditions may result in your submission being considered non- compliant.

2. Please complete all of the pricing schedules (item 7), providing prices excluding VAT. Please detail any risks and assumptions made and exactly what has been included in the prices.

3. Please confirm that your prices will remain fixed and firm for the duration of the contract.

4. Please indicate what financial benefits Natural England would receive if they were to award all of the business as detailed in this tender to you as opposed to splitting it with one or more suppliers.

5. Detail what Natural England can do to ensure that they are using the service you provide as cost effectively as possible.

Continuous Improvement

What cost reduction initiatives have you introduced on similar contracts with other customers? Please detail including the benefits realised as a result.

Sustainability

As a delivery partner, the successful contractor is expected to pursue sustainability in their operations, thereby ensuring Natural England is not contracting with a supplier whose operational outputs run contrary to Natural England’s objectives. The successful contractor will need to approach the project with a focus on the entire life cycle of the project. The successful contractor is likely to be able to provide a copy of their environmental policy and any environmental accreditation schemes such as ISO 14001 or EMAS which they have been awarded or are working towards.

Your attention is drawn to the contract requirements governing the supply and use of timber and wood-derived products in performing the contract. It is UK Government policy to require that all timber is from legal and sustainable source. Timber and wood-derived products in the context of this Contract includes any product that contains wood or wood fibre supplied to Natural England or used by the Contractor, his agents and subcontractors in performance of the Contract. The Contract Conditions require that all timber and wood derived products supplied to Natural England or used by the Contractor in performing the Contract are legal and sustainable (See Appendix A and B for details.) Natural England will reject any bid that cannot offer to provide independent verification that all timber and wood- derived products used in the Contract meets this requirement

1. Operational Sustainability - Explain to Natural England what your

ITT809 9 organisation is doing to incorporate sustainability within its operations? This may include any details you are able to provide in relation to steps you may be taking to reduce your carbon footprint.

2. Environmental Management - Provide details on the approach you will take to undertake an assessment of any environmental impact that may arise as a result of undertaking this contract. These measures may include operational measures to reduce emissions and noise impacts, efficient energy use, efficient use of raw materials, minimisation of waste wherever possible and minimise disturbance and disruption to any sensitive wildlife

3. Wildlife and Natural Features - How will you avoid critical and irreversible environmental damage to wildlife and natural features and minimise general damage to ecology on site (such as changes to water quality; destruction of places inhabited by plants and animals; interruptions to the movement of wildlife; vegetation damage through trampling by people or vehicles)?

4. Transport - How will you minimise:

 The transport distances of materials where possible?  Promote green travel plans to construction site for site employees, car sharing and minibuses?  Use of cleaner fuels for transport?

5. Raw Materials - How will you manage the potential environmental impacts of any raw materials you intend to utilise. Examples may include:

 Selecting chemicals with less environmentally harmful properties such as organic and natural varieties.  Ensuring all products purchased have comprehensive labelling detailing information for safe storage, use and disposal.

6. Packaging - What steps will you take to reduce waste throughout the projects life and how and where will site waste be disposed of?

7. References - Provide references from previous works where sustainability was integrated throughout delivery

8 . Please provide details of any carbon reporting currently being undertaken.

7. Pricing Schedule

In order to assist with pricing, the following information is provided as a guide only and does not constitute any guarantees with regard to Natural England’s requirements during the lifetime of this agreement.

ITT809 10

Pricing schedule: Please provide the day rates and numbers of days for key staff. Costs should be broken down to show the time allocated to each part of the project, as per the table below.

As explained in section 2.4 of the project specification, the survey area has been split into two sections: Section 1: Terrestrial units 59 to 70 Section 2: Terrestrial units 71 to 77

Costings should be provided for the two survey sections separately.

Item of work Grade of Staff Day Number Total Rate of days Cost Project management & steering group meetings Field Survey

Analysis of results and reporting Mapping including uploading data into database Other costs

T&S

Total excluding VAT

Total including VAT @ 20%

Please detail any assumptions made when pricing for any aspects of this tender. Please indicate if VAT will be applied

8. Checklist

Checklist of things to be included with your tender Item Please tick to confirm inclusion in tender submission Confirmation that you accept Natural England’s Terms and Conditions

ITT809 11 Your proposal outlining how you will meet Natural England’s Requirements

An outline project Plan

Answers to Natural England questions

Copies of your Public Liability Insurance (max £1m) and Professional Indemnity Insurance (max £2m)

Copies of C.V.s of key staff that you wish to employ on this contract

Organisation and financial details form

Specification

1. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Natural England is seeking to implement a National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey of the River Camel Valley and Tributaries SSSI, in order to provide substantive habitat information that will underpin Natural England’s biodiversity evidence base for the site.

The River Camel Valley and Tributaries SSSI, which encompasses the Rivers Camel, Allen, De Lank, Ruthern and Clerkenwater and their associated woodland, carr, fen, heath and wet meadow habitats, is of outstanding importance for wildlife. The system supports a wide range of species and is of particular importance for otters, Lutra lutra, which benefit from some of the most unspoilt river corridors in the South West. Some of the largest remaining ancient semi-natural woodlands in Cornwall are found alongside the Camel. They are often sessile oak Quercus petraea

ITT809 12 dominated, but significant areas of more recent wet grey willow Salix cinerea and alder Alnus glutinosa woodland are also present, and have a variable and rich ground flora. A range of fen and wet neutral grassland plant communities have developed along the Ruthern, Allen and lower Camel, often present in mosaics associated with scrub and wet woodland. They form transitions to valley mire and there is limited wet and humid heath development. The whole SSSI area is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), reflecting the international importance of the site.

Natural England aims to achieve favourable condition for all SSSI sites, which means that the specific features for which a site is notified have reached nationally recognised goals for habitat quality or species abundance. Natural England Common Standard Monitoring targets used to assess site condition, include a target on the extent of each habitat feature. However, a lack of baseline data for the River Camel and Tributaries SSSI currently prevents accurate monitoring of the extent of each habitat type. The objective of this project is for the contractor to undertake an NVC survey of the defined area shown in Maps 1-3 (terrestrial units only) - a total area of approximately 557 ha - to provide baseline data on the extent and location of each notified feature. The broad habitat types (Biodiversity Action Plan categories) represented within the SSSI are;

Broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland Fen, marsh and swamp Neutral grassland Dwarf shrub heath

Information gained from this work will enable accurate monitoring of the effectiveness of current and future management practices and restoration measures.

2. REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Surveys

The contractor will be required to undertake an NVC survey of all the terrestrial SSSI units as identified in Table 1 and shown in Maps 1-3 (Annex 1; more detailed mapping available at www.magic.gov.uk), excluding c. 20 ha of part of unit 76 at Brynn Moor which has been NVC surveyed recently; a total survey area of approximately 537 ha. The area of unit 76 that has already been surveyed is shown in Annex 2.

In addition, those habitats which are Annex 1 qualifying habitats for the River Camel SAC should be identified as such (descriptions provided in Annex 3 of this document). While in general these qualifying habitats relate to particular NVC communities, there is not always a direct correlation, and some interpretation may be required.

Survey areas: The survey area has been split into two sections: Section 1: Terrestrial units 59 to 70 Section 2: Terrestrial units 71 to 77

While it is intended that all units detailed in Table 1 will be surveyed in 2014, and it is hoped that the funding currently available will be sufficient for a survey of all units, it is possible that the funding available may be insufficient. In this case the survey will

ITT809 13 initially commence with units 59-70 and the survey of the remaining units will be commissioned when additional funding becomes available. Consequently costings should be provided for the two survey sections separately. Table 1: Site units for River Camel Valley And Tributaries

Unit Unit Current Number Unit Name area Main habitat condition (Ha) 59 Upper Unfavourable Camel 28.54 Acid Grassland - Upland Recovering Grassland 60 Upper Camel 3.41 Favourable Neutral Grassland - Lowland Wetland 61 Upper Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew Camel 11.57 Favourable Woodland - Lowland Woodlands 62 Upper Unfavourable Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew Camel 49.74 Recovering Woodland - Lowland Woodlands 2 63 Mid Camel Unfavourable 2.24 Neutral Grassland - Lowland Wetlands No Change 64 Mid Camel Unfavourable 8.09 Acid Grassland - Upland Grassland Recovering 65 Mid Camel Unfavourable Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew 33.62 Woodlands No Change Woodland - Lowland 66 Mid Camel Unfavourable Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew 101.07 Woodlands 2 Recovering Woodland - Lowland 67 Lower Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew Camel 3.39 Favourable Woodland - Lowland Woodlands 68 Lower Unfavourable Camel 16.44 Acid Grassland - Upland Recovering Grasslands 69 Lower Unfavourable Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew Camel 126.12 Recovering Woodland - Lowland Woodlands 2 70 Lower Unfavourable Camel 20.78 Neutral Grassland - Lowland Recovering Wetlands 71 River Allen Unfavourable 15.72 Neutral Grassland - Lowland Wetland Recovering 72 River Allen Unfavourable Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew 59.28 Woodlands Recovering Woodland - Lowland 73 River Allen Unfavourable 10.38 Acid Grassland - Upland Grassland Recovering 74 Upper De Lank 11.18 Favourable Neutral Grassland - Lowland Wetlands 75 De Lank 15.66 Unfavourable Acid Grassland - Upland

ITT809 14 Grassland Recovering 76* Upper Unfavourable Ruthern 34.31 Neutral Grassland - Lowland No Change Wetland 77 Helland Unfavourable Broadleaved, Mixed And Yew Wood 5.92 Declining Woodland - Lowland Stretch

*Note that 20 ha of this unit will not require surveying as has been surveyed recently under a separate project.

The SSSI notified features for the River Camel Valley and Tributaries SSSI are:

H4 - Ulex gallii - Agrostis curtisii heath M14 - Schoenus nigricans - Narthecium ossifragum mire M16 - Erica tetralix - Sphagnum compactum wet heath M21 - Narthecium ossifragum - Sphagnum papillosum mire M23 - Juncus effusus / acutiflorus - Galium palustre rush pasture M25 - Molinia caerulea - Potentilla erecta mire M27 - Filipendula ulmaria - Angelica sylvestris mire M28 - Iris pseudacorus - Filipendula ulmaria mire M29 - Hypericum elodes - Potamogeton polygonifolius soakway MG8 - Cynosurus cristatus - Caltha palustris grassland S4 - Phragmites australis swamp and reed-beds W1 - Salix cinerea - Galium palustre woodland W10 - Quercus robur - Pteridium aquilinum - Rubus fruticosus woodland W16 - Quercus spp.-Betula spp.-Deschampsia flexuosa woodland W7 - Alnus glutinosa - Fraxinus excelsior - Lysimachia nemorum woodland W8 - Fraxinus excelsior - Acer campestre - Mercurialis perennis woodland

The Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature for the River Camel SAC are:

4030 European dry heaths 91A0 Old sessile oak woods with Ilex and Blechnum in the British Isles 91E0 Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae)

Detailed descriptions of these habitats are given in Annex 3.

All habitats within the defined SSSI unit area will be surveyed to determine the extent and classification of habitats in accordance with NVC http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page- 4259. Clear explanations are required as to the reasoning behind the interpretation of NVC category to a habitat type. Surveys will be carried out by individual(s) with competence/ expertise and experience in the methodologies required. Following the survey work, the contractor will be required to produce a report accompanied by maps and electronic data.

Natural England will supply the following material for the contract:

 Base mapping for the areas to be surveyed.  Guidance on the survey techniques to be employed and specification for GIS - see Annex 4A&B.

ITT809 15 A detailed programme for field survey work, including details of methodology and reporting, will be negotiated and agreed with the Project Manager following the award of this contract.

2.2 Access to land

Natural England will organise access for surveyors to the land within the survey area. The contractor will be required to identify themselves on site at all times during the project. The Project Manager will be the liaison point for any owners or occupiers with issues regarding access.

2.3 Reporting

The field survey work will be reported in full by end of October 2014, with fieldwork completed by end of September 2014 (see details of outputs and project milestones below) and draft report due by 17th October 2014.

3. OUTPUTS

The outputs will be:

 An interim progress report a month after the start of the contract, to be provided to Natural England via email, highlighting progress in data collection and analysis and interpretation in line with what is agreed in the contract, highlighting any unforeseen difficulties. Should there be any difficulties in accessing sites, please contact the Natural England advisor as soon as possible. If any changes to the methodology are required these should be agreed with the project officer.  Submission of a draft report for comment and final report to Natural England. This should include a clear description of the field survey methods and dates, and provide an analysis of the survey results indicating the version of the NVC documents which were used, how the decisions were made in ascribing a certain vegetation type to a code and a justification for choosing one vegetation code over another.  Digital and hard copy location maps showing the cover of NVC types coded using standard codes, using GPS plotted in ARCGIS.  Quadrats in Excel spreadsheets format that record the floristic composition of the main stand types found, and the quadrat locations in GIS.

All document outputs should be submitted to the Project Manager in MS Word, Excel or pdf format by e-mail or CD ROM. GIS outputs should be in shapefile format with fully completed attributes and metadata. Electronic data transfer should occur via email where possible, but where file size is excessive then this should be via CD or pen drive. However, in both instances the sender should ensure the recipient has received the data.

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.

4. PROJECT MILESTONES

ITT809 16 4.1 Project milestones The key milestones and review dates are identified below:

Task/Output Completed By

Start-up meeting and agree works plan (at the Natural England Within 2 weeks of Office, Pydar House, Truro) with project manager: contract being xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Responsible Officer for the SSSI awarded Contract start (anticipated): 1st July 2014

One month after Interim report start of contract 17th October 2014 Draft final report provided for comments at the latest 31st October 2014 Final report agreed at the latest

4.2 Payment Schedule Payment will be made upon receipt of an appropriate invoice, quoting the purchase order number and project code, following satisfactory completion of the contract. If interim payments are required, then this should be identified at the tender stage.

5. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND KEY CONTACTS

The contractor will have regular contact with the Project Manager throughout the timescale of the project in order to advise over particular queries, comment on drafts etc. Any unforeseen issues arising in the course of the contract must be raised with the Project Manager as early as possible to facilitate prompt resolution. Key project milestones for fieldwork, data collation and analysis, and submission of completed draft and final reports will be agreed at a meeting between the supplier and the Project Manager in advance of site work commencing. Progress will be monitored by the Project Manager, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, by regular meetings and contact by phone and email.

The Project Manager for this contract is: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lead Adviser Land Management Natural England Pydar House Truro, TR1 1XU Tel. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx email xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Procurement Officer is: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Senior Adviser Suite D Unex House Bourges Boulevard PETERBOROUGH PE1 1XN

ITT809 17

6. HEALTH AND SAFETY/ KNOWN HAZARDS AND RISKS

Please provide a clear and structured proposal to demonstrate your intended approach to health and safety on this project and how you ensure the requirements of legislation are met. Risks associated with field-based work need to be considered. The survey area includes sites with uneven terrain, boulders and large stones which can be hidden by vegetation and steep-sided wooded river gorges. Vegetation cover includes woodland, dwarf shrub, grassland and scrub communities with some areas of open water. Streams and rivers are present. Some areas may be grazed, mainly by cattle or occasionally by ponies. Bad weather must always be considered a hazard, with heavy rain potentially making sloping areas slippery. Mobile phone reception has not been checked across the area.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is to be fully complied with at all times. Before work commences Natural England will require to have seen all relevant:

1. Method statements 2. Certificates of liability 3. Insurance 4. Risk assessments

The appointed contractor(s) should be aware of the hazards highlighted by Natural England above. Work shall not commence without Natural England being in possession of appropriate documentation and an agreed safe method of working.

Health and Safety documentation required by Natural England, to accompany quotation for the work:

1. Risk assessment: this must take the hazards identified above into account.

2. Method Statement

3. Company Health and Safety policy: What steps do you take to ensure that your employees know your Health and Safety Policy or where to refer to it?

Please confirm that you have procedures in place to cover all of the following:

Procedure Please tick as appropriate Identifying hazards and eliminating risks Manual handling Accident reporting, RIDDOR, investigation and learning Method statements Risk assessments

ITT809 18 Health & Safety audit and inspection Health hazards Hazardous substances Confined space entry Site safety and first aid Electrical activities

4. Valid certificates to be made available on request:  Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance  Public Liability Insurance – minimum £1m  Professional Indemnity Insurance – minimum £2m

7. BIOSECURITY

Phytophthera ramorum and P. kernoviae are fungal type pathogens known to occur within and in the vicinity of the survey area. Care needs to be taken to contain these diseases and avoid activity likely to cause their spread. The contractor must demonstrate understanding of biosecurity risks in general and of good practice measures to minimise these risks. Further information is provided in Annex 5.

8. EVALUATION CRITERIA - 50% Cost 50%Quality

The contract will be awarded to the tender that best fits the profile of requirements. This will be assessed by the Project Manager in consultation with relevant colleagues using the evaluation criteria detailed below. As part of the evaluation process a quality threshold will be placed on each scoring criterion identified below. If your tender falls below the threshold then your bid will not be considered.

Scoring - Quality Criteria

Rating of Response Score

Very Good or Fully Compliant Submission: 9 - 10 meeting all requirements and is fully explained in comprehensive detail.

Good or Fully Compliant Submission: 7 - 8 meeting all the requirements and is explained in reasonable detail.

Satisfactory or Compliant Submission: 5 - 6 meeting the essential requirements and is explained in adequate detail.

Weak or Partially Compliant (Minor issues) Submission: 3 - 4 falls short of requirements in some areas and is poorly explained.

ITT809 19 Unacceptable or Non Compliant (Major issues) Submission: 1 - 2 fails to meet requirements and is not explained.

As part of the tender evaluation for the contract, the following information and supporting evidence must be provided:

Evaluation Criteria Weighting Threshold Tender Information (%) score out of 10 Technical expertise and 20 7 Previous contracts for experience – undertaking NVC habitat Please provide details of surveys experience undertaking:  NVC habitat Qualifications, technical surveys merit and experience of key staff engaged on the Please provide details of contract e.g. CVs, previous your experience in: botanical work / contracts,  Identification of technical qualifications. higher plants,  Identification of lower plants,  Using GIS systems (must be Arc GIS 9.3.1 compatible)

ITT809 20 Evaluation Criteria Weighting Threshold Tender Information (%) score out of 10 Fit with Specification and 20 7 Include details of availability methodology – and a proposed outline Availability: schedule or timetable of Please provide full details works as requested under Tender Information. Include details of capability for field survey work with a Capability for full delivery clear rationale for the of expectation: estimated number of days Please provide full details as requested under Tender Information. Project and risk 10 7 Details of personnel, management, and support systems, resources allocated – organisational and Please provide full details management skills to deliver as requested under Tender all aspects of the Information requirement in full. This must include an assessment of the risks to project delivery and mitigation (including contingency in the event of delays), evidence of quality control measures and project management procedures.

Financial (value for 50 No Include all costs and VAT money) threshold clearly itemised.

Sustainable Operations N/A Pass/fail Environmental Policy or evidence of a sustainable practice.

ITT809 21 Evaluation Criteria Weighting Threshold Tender Information (%) score out of 10 Health and Safety N/A Pass/fail The contractor should ensure that all the works are undertaken in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and its associated regulations.

Where there are no statutory legislative controls the contractor should follow the industry’s ‘best practice’, always ensuring personnel are properly protected, trained and competent to carry out the operations being undertaken.

Work areas must be properly defined and segregated to protect those not involved in the works. Emergency procedures must be in place with proper first aid provision. All accidents are to be reported to Natural England.

9. TIMESCALE

 Tender responses received no later than 12pm 16.6.14  Evaluation – w/c 16.6.14  Award w/c 23.6.14  Estimated start date of the contract w/c 1 July 2014  Following the award of contract, a date for a project inception meeting with the Project Manager will be agreed, the meeting to be held no more than 2 weeks from the date of award of contract or as otherwise agreed with the Project Manager.  A draft report of the survey work to be submitted to the Project Manager by 30 September 2014  The final report of the survey work to be submitted to the Project Manager for ‘signing off’ by 31 October 2014

ITT809 22 All work and agreed final reports must be submitted and approved by the Project Manager by the end date.

10. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Enclosed are Natural England’s General Terms and Conditions Special Terms for services

11. TENDER REQUIREMENTS

Tender requirements: The tender should include the following details:  Your proposal outlining how you will meet Natural England’s Requirements  Insurance certificates.  Health and Safety Policy.  Risk Assessment.  Methodology including a proposed outline schedule or timetable of works, including an estimate of the number of days required for field survey work, supported by a rationale identifying the estimated number of hectares per day for NVC survey  Evidence of sustainable operations.  Evidence that the biosecurity implications of field work have been considered.  Acceptance of terms and conditions – otherwise tender will be deemed non- compliant and rejected

12. ENCLOSURES

Annex 1: Map 1-3 showing extent of River Camel Valley and Tributaries SSSI for NVC survey

Annex 2: NVC map of part of unit 76 that has already been surveyed and should not be included in this survey.

Annex 3: Descriptions of Annex 1 habitats present as qualifying features of the River Camel SAC

Annex 4: Standards for phase II Terrestrial Habitats Survey of Statutory Sites.

Annex 5: Biosecurity good practice guidance for semi-natural vegetation surveys.

Maps are presented as separate documents.

ITT809 23 Annex 2: NVC map of part of unit 76 that has already been surveyed and should not be included in this survey.

ITT809 24 Annex 3: Descriptions of Annex 1 habitats present as qualifying features of the River Camel SAC (from JNCC descriptions: further information is available from the JNCC website: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUcode=UK00300 56)

The Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature for the River Camel SAC are:

4030 European dry heaths

European dry heaths typically occur on freely-draining, acidic to circumneutral soils with generally low nutrient content. Ericaceous dwarf-shrubs dominate the vegetation. The most common is heather Calluna vulgaris, which often occurs in combination with gorse Ulex spp., bilberry Vaccinium spp. or bell heather Erica cinerea, though other dwarf-shrubs are important locally. Nearly all dry heath is semi- natural, being derived from woodland through a long history of grazing and burning. Most dry heaths are managed as extensive grazing for livestock or, in upland areas, as grouse moors.

Twelve NVC types in Britain meet the definition of this habitat type:

H1 Calluna vulgaris – Festuca ovina heath H2 Calluna vulgaris – Ulex minor heath H3 Ulex minor – Agrostis curtisii heath H4 Ulex gallii – Agrostis curtisii heath H7 Calluna vulgaris – Scilla verna heath H8 Calluna vulgaris – Ulex gallii heath H9 Calluna vulgaris – Deschampsia flexuosa heath H10 Calluna vulgaris – Erica cinerea heath H12 Calluna vulgaris – Vaccinium myrtillus heath H16 Calluna vulgaris – Arctostaphylos uva-ursi heath H18 Vaccinium myrtillus – Deschampsia flexuosa heath H21 Calluna vulgaris – Vaccinium myrtillus – Sphagnum capillifolium heath

Not all forms of these communities are European dry heaths. For example, dry heath vegetation on deep peat is regarded as bog, while alpine forms of the last five types listed above (found at high elevations and in northern latitudes around and above the presumed natural tree-line) are referable to Annex I type 4060 Alpine and Boreal heaths. Most forms of H1 Calluna – Festuca heath belong within the European dry heaths category, including those rare occurences of the Carex arenaria sub- community (H1d) on inland dune systems such as Breckland; but this sub-community is more usually found on the coast, when is referable to 2150 Atlantic decalcified fixed dunes. Stands of H7 Calluna – Scilla heath on moorland near the sea conform to European dry heaths, but most examples, together with stands of H8d Calluna – Ulex heath, Scilla verna sub-community on sea cliffs, are referable to 1230 Vegetated sea cliffs of the Atlantic and Baltic coasts. Dry heaths vary in their flora and fauna according to climate, and are also influenced by altitude, aspect, soil conditions (especially base-status and drainage), maritime influence, and grazing and burning intensity. There is a gradation from southerly to northerly kinds of dry heath, and there are also both western (oceanic) and eastern (more continental) forms.

On slightly damp soils in the mild, oceanic climate of south-west England and south Wales, there is the uncommon H4 Ulex– Agrostis heath, characterised by the

ITT809 25 frequency of bristle bent Agrostis curtisii and western gorse Ulex gallii, alongside Calluna, bell heather Erica cinerea and cross-leaved heath E. tetralix. The rare Dorset heath E. ciliaris and Cornish heath E. vagans are found locally in this community. On similarly moist soils further east, in Dorset and the New Forest, U. gallii is replaced by dwarf gorse U. minor in H3 Ulex – Agrostis heath. H2 Calluna – Ulex heath occurs on dry acid soils in the lowlands of south-east and central southern England, and is typically dominated by mixtures of Calluna, U. minor and E. cinerea. The semi-continental H1 Calluna – Festuca heaths of Breckland on the western Norfolk-Suffolk border are generally overwhelmingly dominated by Calluna, with, sometimes, an abundance of lichens. Lowland heaths in southern Britain often support an important fauna, including birds (such as European nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus and Dartford warbler Sylvia undata), reptiles (such as sand lizard Lacerta agilis and smooth snake Coronella austriaca) and invertebrates.

At low to moderate altitudes in warm oceanic parts of southern Britain, the typical form of the habitat is H8 Calluna – Ulex heath, characterised by abundant Calluna, U. gallii and E. cinerea. U. gallii becomes scarce in the cooler oceanic climate further north, where E. cinerea and Calluna are abundant together in H10 Calluna – Erica heath, especially on more southerly-facing slopes; E. cinerea becomes dominant in the hyper-oceanic fringes of the north-west. On more sheltered, humid slopes there are H21 Calluna – Vaccinium – Sphagnum heaths with a high cover of bog-mosses Sphagnum spp. and hypnaceous mosses, which are best-developed in Scotland. In the hyper-oceanic far north-west Highlands and Islands these heaths are rich in Atlantic bryophytes, and especially liverworts such as Bazzania tricrenata, Herbertus aduncus ssp. hutchinsiae, Mastigophora woodsii and Pleurozia purpurea, which develop as luxuriant mats under the canopy of dwarf-shrubs. The UK is one of the most important parts of the world for Atlantic bryophytes, and this is the most important habitat for many of these oceanic species of restricted world distribution.

At low to moderate elevations in the less oceanic areas of north-east England and the Midlands there are often extensive species-poor heaths (H9 Calluna – Deschampsia heaths) with an overwhelming dominance of Calluna and frequent wavy hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa. These are often the least diverse of all UK heaths. In upland regions further north, there are sub-montane Calluna-dominated heaths with abundant bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and crowberry Empetrum nigrum ssp. nigrum (H12 Calluna – Vaccinium), and, in the eastern Scottish Highlands, bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (H16 Calluna – Arctostaphylos). Calluna – Vaccinium heaths occur throughout the British uplands, but are best-developed in the North Pennines and north-eastern Scotland. They often hold important populations of moorland birds. Red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus, hen harrier Circus cyaneus, merlin Falco columbarius, twite Carduelis flavirostris, short-eared owl Asio flammeus and golden plover Pluvialis apricaria occur widely. Black grouse Lyrurus tetrix and golden eagle Aquila chrysaetes are especially associated with the Scottish Highlands, and whimbrel Numenius phaeopus and great skua Stercorarius skua with the northern maritime moors of Scotland. Increasing snow-lie at high altitude favours bilberry species in particular, and H18 Vaccinium – Deschampsia heaths are abundant in the central and eastern Scottish Highlands; the rare blue heath Phyllodoce caerulea occurs very locally in these snow-bed heaths which grade to 4060 Alpine and Boreal heaths. Vaccinium-dominated heaths also occur in more southerly upland areas where Calluna heaths have been subjected to heavy grazing and/or inappropriate burning.

Species-rich forms of dry heath (so-called chalk heath and limestone heath) occur where acid surface deposits overlie calcareous materials. Such heaths contain unusual combinations of heath and calcareous grassland species, such as common

ITT809 26 rock-rose Helianthemum nummularium and salad burnet Sanguisorba minor ssp. minor, and are very rare in the UK. Other unusual forms of species-rich heath occur in Scotland on base-rich glacial drift or on moderately base-rich rocks, such as those on Rum in the Inner Hebrides. These support rare or local species, including northern bedstraw Galium boreale, intermediate wintergreen Pyrola media, stone bramble Rubus saxatilis, alpine bistort Persicaria vivipara and thyme broomrape Orobanche alba. On coastal cliffs and slopes there are maritime H7 Calluna – Scilla heaths with spring squill Scilla verna, including an unusual lichen-rich waved form in the far north on Orkney and Shetland.

91A0 Old sessile oak woods with Ilex and Blechnum in the British Isles

This habitat type comprises a range of woodland types dominated by mixtures of oak (Quercus robur and/or Q. petraea) and birch (Betula pendula and/or B. pubescens). It is characteristic of base-poor soils in areas of at least moderately high rainfall in northern and western parts of the UK.

The habitat corresponds broadly to the ‘western oakwoods’ described in previous accounts of UK woodlands, particularly NVC types:

W10e Quercus robur – Pteridium aquilinum – Rubus fruticosus woodland, Acer pseudoplatanus – Oxalis acetosella sub-community W11 Quercus petraea – Betula pubescens – Oxalis acetosella woodland W16b Quercus spp. – Betula spp. – Deschampsia flexuosa woodland, Vaccinium myrtillus – Dryopteris dilatata sub-community W17 Quercus petraea – Betula pubescens – Dicranum majus woodland

The habitat shows considerable variation across its range, in terms of the associated ground flora and the richness of bryophyte communities. There is also a continuous spectrum of variation between oak-dominated and birch-dominated stands. Often these local variations reflect factors such as rainfall, slope, aspect, soil depth, and past and present woodland management (e.g. coppicing, planting, grazing). The most distinctive forms of the habitat have a ground flora dominated by bryophytes, such as Dicranum majus, Hylocomium splendens, Isothecium myosuroides, Plagiothecium undulatum, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Bazzania trilobata and Plagiochila spinulosa. Other variants include stands in which the ground flora is characterised by the prominence of dwarf shrubs, such as bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus; grasses, such as wavy hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa, common bent Agrostis capillaris and sweet vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum; and plants indicative of more mesophytic conditions, including bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, bramble Rubus fruticosus, scaly male-fern Dryopteris affinis.

Birch-dominated woodlands which contain at least some oak, and which either (a) occur as part of an intimate mosaic with oak-dominated stands, or (b) are clearly successional stages which are reverting to oak woodland, are included in the Annex I definition. However, birch woodlands in Scotland which lie beyond the present-day natural distribution of oak, and also those within this range for which there is no historical evidence for the presence of oak, are excluded from the Annex I type.

Frequently the oak woodland occurs as part of a mosaic of woodland types (including other Annex I habitats, such as 9180 Tilio-Acerion forests of slopes, screes and ravines and 91E0 Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno- Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae)) that varies with position on the slope, occurrence of streams or other waterbodies, and local soil enrichment. These

ITT809 27 transitions are important in maintaining the structure and function of the habitat type and differ across the country. A key feature of European importance is the rich Atlantic bryophyte communities that are often well-developed within this Annex I type. These include numerous rare species, such as Campylopus setifolius, Sematophyllum demissum, Adelanthus decipiens, Leptoscyphus cuneifolius and Plagiochila atlantica. Fourteen different bryophyte zones have been identified in the UK (Ratcliffe 1968), with distinct differences in the bryophyte assemblages within them. The richest zones are in the western Scottish Highlands. Stands of old sessile oak woods in eastern Britain tend to be much smaller and less distinctive in their species composition, particularly their bryophyte assemblages.

91E0 Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae)

Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae) comprises woods dominated by alder Alnus glutinosa and willow Salix spp. on flood plains in a range of situations from islands in river channels to low-lying wetlands alongside the channels. The habitat typically occurs on moderately base-rich, eutrophic soils subject to periodic inundation.

Many such woods are dynamic, being part of a successional series of habitats. Their structure and function are best maintained within a larger unit that includes the open communities, mainly fen and swamp, of earlier successional stages. On the drier margins of these areas other tree species, notably ash Fraxinus excelsior and elm Ulmus spp., may become abundant. In other situations the alder woods occur as a stable component within transitions to surrounding dry-ground forest, sometimes including other Annex I woodland types. These transitions from wet to drier woodland and from open to more closed communities provide an important facet of ecological variation. The ground flora is correspondingly varied. Some stands are dominated by tall herbs, reeds and sedges, for example common nettle Urtica dioica, common reed Phragmites australis, greater tussock-sedge Carex paniculata, and meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, while others have lower-growing communities with creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens, common marsh bedstraw Galium palustre, alternate- leaved golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium and marsh-marigold Caltha palustris.

In the UK this Annex I habitat falls mainly within the following NVC types:

W5 Alnus glutinosa – Carex paniculata woodland W6 Alnus glutinosa – Urtica dioica woodland W7 Alnus glutinosa – Fraxinus excelsior – Lysimachia nemorum woodland W2a Salix cinerea – Betula pubescens – Phragmites australis woodland, Alnus glutinosa – Filipendula ulmaria sub-community

Riparian trees are excluded from the Annex I type except where these form part of a wider network of alluvial woodland and wetland communities.

ITT809 28 Annex 4a

Guidance on standards for NVC field work.

A detailed description of the NVC methods for collection of vegetation quadrat data, the methodology for sampling vegetation in the field, and the analysis and description of NVC data is given in Rodwell, J.S. (2006) NVC Users Handbook downloadable from the JNCC website at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-3724.

1. Classification 1.1. The classification for terrestrial habitats on statutory sites is the NVC. 1.2. The mapping units should be NVC sub-communities under most circumstances. The sub-community level is preferred because it is considered by national specialists that the extra information gained is high relative to the modest extra cost of mapping at this level of floristic resolution. In addition sub-community level data are required to distinguish a range of Habitats Directive Annex 1 types and sub-community data give valuable information about management and representation of the full range of biogeographical variation. 1.3. The sub-communities should be encoded on the maps using the standard NVC codings (e.g. MG5b) as recognised in the NBN dictionaries and given in the published NVC texts. 1.4. Stands which do not conform to the standard NVC types should be identified by target notes and briefly described in terms of their dominant species and any unusual floristic combinations. 1.5. For mires additional mapping may be required to capture important information about hydro-topographic types and their boundaries (see section 9.). 1.6. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan; Priority Habitat Descriptions. BRIG (ed. Ant Maddock) 2008. (Updated July 2010) http://www.ukbap.org.uk/library/UKBAPPriorityHabitatDescriptionsRevised20 100730.pdf must be used alongside the NVC community data to ensure accurate representation of the community.

2. Stand identification and scale of resolution 2.1. Stand identification should be based upon a thorough knowledge of the characterisation published in Rodwell J R (1991 et seq.) British Plant Communities, Cambridge University Press and an ability to recognise the stand types in the field. 2.2. For the most part this is based upon a consideration of distinctive floristic associations, although often stand delineation in the field should take vegetation structure into account. 2.3. As discussed below quadrat data has value but it should not be seen as essential to record 5 quadrats for each stand, although quadrats scored on a range of stands at the site will help to confirm the stand type at the site and illustrate how it fits into the overall between–site variation in the type (see section 7). 2.4. It is recommended that as a minimum all stands occupying an estimated 1% of the site should be recorded, except on sites of 100 ha. or more where stands covering more than 1 ha. should be recorded. 2.5. Smaller stands of high conservation significance (e.g. flushes) should be located and described, recorded as target notes.

ITT809 29 3. Intermediate stands 3.1. Wherever possible stands should be referred to a specific NVC sub- community using target notes to indicate any anomalous floristics. 3.2. Where the stand is very definitely intermediate in character this should be coded using standard community codes separated by a forward slash (e.g. M20b / M19b). 3.3. It is recommended that stand determinations should never waiver between more than 2 types. 3.4. More complex vegetation should be identified using target notes as an unusual stand.

4. Mosaics 4.1. Mapping of mosaics should be restricted to below a specific grain size. As a guide it is recommended that mosaics are mapped where the repeated elements cover less than 1 per cent of the site (less than c. 1 ha. on sites over 100 ha.). 4.2. Mosaics should be identified by standard codes separated by a dash along with the estimated cover to the nearest 10 per cent (e.g. H8b 40% - W25a 60%). Target notes should be used to identify any further variations in the vegetation.

5. Target notes 5.1. Targets notes should be used to record:  Stands of vegetation which due to their unusual floristics cannot be assigned to a given NVC type or its intermediates.  Small stands which cannot easily be mapped.  Locations for rare or local species, or species which are otherwise of importance, including non-native invasive species.  Other features of importance to site conservation such as geological exposures, landforms and evidence of management activities.  Location of photographs. 5.2. Geographical locations should be recorded using GPS.

6. Quadrats 6.1. The purpose of collecting quadrat data is to provide clear illustrative evidence of the more precise floristic composition the NVC types found on the site. Usually they should be taken from several stands (if multiple stands of a given type exist). 6.2. The minimum standard should be to have five quadrat for the main stand types – more data may be recorded if deemed necessary. 6.3. How to record spatially restricted stands should be the subject of discussion between the field worker and project officer. In general it is recommended that species rich strands, those which are rare types (e.g. M10 flushes) or which are important as habitat for rare plants or animals should be the subject of some quadrat recording. 6.4. Quadrat sizes should follow the published guidance in British Plant Communities. 6.5. The quadrat data should include a grid reference (gathered using GPS), 6.6. All terrestrial plants should be recorded using standard NBN dictionary names, and species in nearby vegetation given DAFOR scores. Data should be entered onto an Excel spreadsheet as individual quadrat samples and their map location indicated by a target note.

ITT809 30

7. Site species list A valuable adjunct to the site documentation is a species list for all vascular plants recorded at the site; recording both species cover values and DAFOR scores.

8. Photography Digital photography of key aspects of the site and particularly of quadrats at time of recording is highly recommended as part of the site documentation.

ITT809 31 Annex 4b

GIS standards for Phase II Habitat Surveys

The following are Natural England’s standards for converting National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey information into a format that can be used in a Geographical Information System. This provides minimum standard and additional requirements may be specified for individual surveys.

The components of this specification required for particular surveys will be clarified in the contract specification for that survey.

1. Standard Data Model for Vegetation Data

1.1 Vegetation Data

Where referenced in the text as NVC this also applies to all additional categories mapped for the conservation objectives.

NVC vegetation boundaries should be represented as a single continuous GIS layer of polygons.

All polygons should be digitised against individual site units. Where a community overlaps unit boundaries it should be mapped as two (or more when appropriate) polygons.

Where the same vegetation type occurs at more than one location within a unit these should be digitised as a multi-part polygon or region with a single polygon_ID.

NVC mosaics should be represented as a single polygon with a unique polygon ID. Intermediate/transitional stands should be represented as a single polygon with a unique polygon ID.

All polygons should be digitised to the standards in section 2.1.

Vegetation polygon attributes:

Each polygon should have the following attributes (the data type for each attribute is shown in brackets):

Through digitisation each polygon or multipart polygon will be attributed its own unique sequential numeric value. site_code (character 16) - each polygon should be attributed with the site code. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date. theme ID (character 16) - each polygon should be attributed with the unit ID within which it lies. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date.

SSSI_unit (character 10) – each polygon should be attributed with the unit number within which it lies. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date. veg_type (character 50) - this represents the NVC coding.

ITT809 32 All communities, mosaics and intermediate/transitional stands should be labelled in the attribute table with the exact text combination. The following table summarises this approach: community type community label typed label format (no spaces) Single M19b M19b Single M25 M25 Single McBB McBB Single SpBB SpBB Mosaic U5a (60%) + U6d (40%) U5a(60%)+U6d(40%) Mosaic M19b (40%) + McBB (60%) M19b(40%)+McBB(60%) Transitional M19b / M20 M19b/M20 Transitional McBB / M25 McBB/M25

The exact wording, including upper and lower case, must follow the standard NVC codes as outlined in the National Vegetation Classification: Users Handbook (JNCC 2006) http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/pub06_NVCusershandbook2006.pdf. (or using the abbreviations given for additional categories, a list of these will be provided).

Where it is determined that stands consist of intermediate communities, these should be indicated in the vegetation codes by a '/' e.g. MG5/MG4.

Area_ha (integer 4) – The area of each polygon/multi-part polygon in hectares rounded to two decimal places (not truncated).

The following exemplifies the attribute table which will lie behind the vegetation polygon data: site_ theme_ SSSI_ poly_I community veg_type area_ cod ID unit D type ha e leav e leave leave 1 single M19b 4.68 blan blank blank k 2 single M20 52.13

3 single U20c 14.13

U5a(60%)+U6d 4 mosaic 15.60 (40%) 5 transitional M19b/M20 2.71

Vegetation Mosaic:

Details of the mosaic composition should be recorded in a secondary table, which will contain only text and have no map features. The secondary table will have the following attributes (the data type for each attribute is shown in brackets): site_code (character 16) - will match the site code given to the mosaic record in the primary table (this will be provided by Natural England at a future date);

ITT809 33 polygon_ID (character 16) - will match the polygon_ID given to the mosaic record in the primary table; vegetation_type_mosaic (character 16) - the NVC coding for the composite part of the mosaic. The exact wording, including upper and lower case, must follow the standard NVC codes as outlined in the National Vegetation Classification: Users Handbook (JNCC 2006) http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/pub06_NVCusershandbook2006.pdf. percentage (integer) - the percentage cover of each component part of the mosaic. As a mosaic can be made up of many composite vegetation classes, each vegetation class will be recorded as a separate record in the secondary table.

Note: In all instances the summed value of the percentage for each unique polygon_ID in the secondary table will equal 100% vegetation coverage for that polygon.

The following table summarises the approach:

site_code polygon_ID vegetation_type_mosaic percentage leave blank 1 U20c 30 1 H8c 20 1 MG5a 50

1.2 Quadrat Data

Quadrat locations should be represented as a single continuous GIS layer of point data.

Quadrat location data will be provided as at least an 8 figure grid reference, e.g.SE83204132.

Quadrat point data.

Through digitisation each point will be attributed its own unique sequential numeric value.

Each record will have the following attributes (the data type for each attribute is shown in brackets): site_code (character 16) - each point feature should be attributed with the site code. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date. theme ID (character 16) - each point should be attributed with the unit ID within which it lies. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date.

SSSI_unit (character 10) – each point feature should be attributed with the unit number within which it lies. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date. quad_ID (character 10) - each point feature should be allocated its quadrat number (Q1, Q2, Q3) date (character 10) – date in the format DD/MM/YYYY

ITT809 34 quad_area (numeric) – area of the quadrat in square metres. grid_ref (character 20) - each point feature should be attributed with its grid reference. veg_type (character 50) – each point feature should be attributed with its NVC community (inc transition and mosaic as labelled under polygon attributes). slope (character 10) – each point feature should be attributed with its slope. aspect (character 10) – each point feature should be attributed with its aspect. photo_ref (character 25) – each point feature should be attributed with any photographic references.

Each point reference should be attributed with its species and associated domain. Abbreviations of species names should enable clear identification of individual species without any potential for confusion or misidentification.

The following exemplifies the attribute table which will lie behind the quadrat point data:

ITT809 35 point_ID site_code theme_ID SSSI_unit quad_ID date quad_area grid_ref veg_type slope aspect photo_ref erioph_vag cal_vulg sphag_fal hyp_jut etc

leave leave leave 26/03/2012 1 4 0 1 0 1 Q1 SE83204132 M19b 5-10 NW 1511 (330) blank blank blank 2 Q2 26/03/2012 1 SE83304142 M20 <5 S 1514 (280) 6 2 4 0

3 Q1 26/03/2012 1 SE84204156 U20c 15 SE 1506 (270) 0 8 0 4

26/03/2012 1 0 6 0 0 4 Q2 SE84204158 U5a(60%)+U6d(40%) 0 SW 1509 (085)

ITT809 36

1.3 Target Note Data

Target note locations should be represented as a single continuous GIS layer of point data.

Target location data will be provided as a ten figure grid reference.

Target note point data.

Through digitisation each point will be attributed its own unique sequential numeric value.

Each record will have the following attributes (the data type for each attribute is shown in brackets : site_code (character 16) - each point feature should be attributed with the site code. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date.

SSSI_unit (character 10) – each point feature should be attributed with the unit number within which it lies. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date. target_ID (character 10) – each point feature should be allocated its target note reference i.e. TN1, TN2, TN3 etc grid_ref (character 20) - each point feature should be attributed with its grid reference. veg_type (character 50) – each point feature should be attributed with its NVC community (inc transition and mosaic as labelled under polygon attributes) where stated or otherwise annotated as appropriate. photo_ref (character 25) – each point feature should be attributed with any photographic references.

The following exemplifies the attribute table which will lie behind the target note point data: point site_code SSSI_ target_ grid_ref veg_type photo_ _ID unit ID ref leave 1511 1 leave blank TN1 SE83204132 M19b blank (330) 1514 2 TN2 SE83304142 M20 (280) 1506 3 TN1 SE84204156 bare peat (270) U5a(60%)+ 1509 4 TN2 SE84204158 U6d(40%) (085)

NB – all data given within the example attribute tables is merely for illustration purposes and does not pertain to actual survey results.

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1.4 Photographs

Site photographs provide a valuable record of the habitat structure and physical status of the site, quadrat etc. All photos should be provided with a unique file name.

Photograph locations should be stored as a single GIS layer of point data.

All points should be digitised according to the standards in section 4.2. site_code (<16 character) - each point feature should be attributed with the agreed site code given to the site surveyed. This will be provided by Natural England at a future date. polygon_ID (<16 character) - will match the polygon_ID in which the photograph is taken; photo (<16 character) - each photograph feature should be attributed with the filename (excluding path) of the appropriate digital photograph. photo_DEG (numeric) - each photograph orientation should be recorded based on compass bearing; target_note (<254 character) - the target note given for each photograph should be entered to briefly describe the photographed subject. (Note that MapInfo tables will only accept up to 254 characters, so whatever format is supplied the length of the target note must be within this limit.)

Digital recording of photographs is required based either on digital origination or scanning of 35 mm slides. Resolution for digital origination should be at least 1024 x 768 24 bit images. Higher resolutions should be used where conditions dictate or local detail is required.

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1.5 Metadata

Metadata should be captured to UK Gemini 2.1 and INSPIRE standards.

In addition, if data contains species data and is to be supplied to the NBN Gateway then the Metadata for Species form should be filled out and can be found at http://www.nbn.org.uk/Share-Data/Providing-Data/Metadata-form-for-species- datasets.aspx

Further information can be found using the following links: NBN http://www.nbn.org.uk/Share-Data/Providing- Data/NBN-Metadata-Standard.aspx UK Gemini 2.1 http://location.defra.gov.uk/resources/discovery- metadata-service/creating-metadata/ and http://www.agi.org.uk/storage/standards/uk- gemini/GEMINI2_1_published.pdf INSPIRE http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/101. Registration for a Defra UK http://location.defra.gov.uk/resources/discovery- Location Programme Metadata metadata-service/metadata-editor/ Editor tool for capturing metadata to INSPIRE standard Information on building your own http://location.defra.gov.uk/resources/discovery- Metadata tools metadata-service/building-your-own-metadata- tools/

The metadata should include information relevant to the whole dataset. Specifically this will include the method of determining the NVC community and the method of determining grid references. Where fields are common to the entire data set e.g. a single surveyor conducted all surveys, this may be included in the metadata rather than the data tables.

A tabular method of capturing metadata to UK Gemini 2.1 and INSPIRE standards can be supplied on demand.

Queries should be directed to [email protected]

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2 Material Supply

This section outlines how geographic data will be supplied to external contractors. Internal staff can access this data through the MapData Drive.

2.1 Supply of geographic data held by Natural England

Information about Natural England’s geographic data is available at: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/publications/data/default.aspx

Data supplied via NE DataShare website

An up to date listing of the datasets provided by Natural England for contractors, sub contractors and partners can be found on the Data Request Form at the Natural England Contractors’ and Partners’ webpage at http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/publications/data/giforcontractorspartners.aspx.

Relevant licence forms are found at the same location. These, and the Data Request Form, should all be sent to the Natural England Data Managers’ Inbox at [email protected] in enough time for completion of the request prior to the project finish date.

On receipt of the Data Request Form and the licence(s) the requestor will be supplied with a log in to NE DataShare to define their area of interest and receive the data, sent either via download, DVD or hard drive depending on which is most appropriate for the volume of data requested.

External contractors and/or sub contractors will be expected to sign contractors’ licences for data requested before data is supplied. The terms and conditions of the contractors’ licences are non-negotiable.

Early warning of data requests by contractors or project officers are welcomed and guarantee data supply in time. Late submission of data requests may not be actioned as swiftly if requests for data are high at that point.

Data supplied via NE publically available data downloads website

In addition to the above service there is also the Natural England publically available data downloads site: http://www.gis.naturalengland.org.uk/pubs/gis/GIS_register.asp External contractors are expected to register and download these datasets as required.

Data supplied via the Pan Government Agreement 2A

The data below is available via a log in through the PGA Geostore website. This will be generated by Data Managers if required.

Available as Data Download or Web Map Service (WMS) URL  Aerial Photography Products at 25cm (both baseline and updates where available)  Aerial Photography Colour Infra-Red Product at 50cm

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 Height Data Terrain Product at 5m  Height Data Contours 5m Product  Spot and Air Heights  Height Data Surface Product at 2m  Height Data LiDAR Terrain  Surface Products at 1m/2m (where available)

Natural England will supply the requested data to external contractors undertaking works described in these standards.

The project officer will specify the requirements and request this data, and it will be supplied to the contractors within four weeks of request.

Please contact [email protected] with your requirements.

3 Contract Product

3.1 Quality Assurance

Natural England expects external contractors to have adequate Quality Assurance procedures in place.

Natural England will check data and may ask for corrections to be made before the completion of any contract. The accuracy of all attributes when transferred from survey outputs to GIS layers is expected to be 100%.

3.2 Products

File Format

The preferred format for Geographic Information (GI) output is ESRI ArcGIS v9.0 (or above) geodatabase files. ESRI ArcGIS shp files are acceptable, or MapInfo 8.0 (or above) tab files if this is not possible. The date and/or version of the dataset should be stated.

Geographic Projection

If data is on or near land then British National Grid co-ordinate systems should be used. If data is marine-based then WGS84 is more appropriate. The parameters for both formats and both situations are given below:

British National Grid for ESRI shp/geodatabase: PROJCS["British_National_Grid",GEOGCS["GCS_OSGB_1936",DATUM["D_OSGB_19 36",SPHEROID["Airy_1830",6377563.396,299.3249646]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0],UNIT ["Degree",0.017453292519943295]],PROJECTION["Transverse_Mercator"],PARAMETE R["False_Easting",400000],PARAMETER["False_Northing",- 100000],PARAMETER["Central_Meridian",-

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2],PARAMETER["Scale_Factor",0.999601272],PARAMETER["Latitude_Of_Origin",49],U NIT["Meter",1]]

British National Grid for MapInfo tab: CoordSys Earth Projection 8, 79, "m", -2, 49, 0.9996012717, 400000, -100000 Bounds (- 7845061.1011, -15524202.1641) (8645061.1011, 4470074.53373)

WGS84 for ESRI shp/geodatabase: Angular Unit: Degree (0.017453292519943299) Prime Meridian: Greenwich (0.000000000000000000) Datum: D_WGS_1984 Spheroid: WGS_1984 Semimajor Axis: 6378137.000000000000000000 Semiminor Axis: 6356752.314245179300000000 Inverse Flattening: 298.257223563000030000

WGS84 for MapInfo tab: CoordSys: Earth Projection 1, 104

File Naming Convention

The following file naming convention should be used:

SurveyName_TableName

Table Names: Vegetation Data Vegatation Mosaic Data VegMosaic Quadrat Data Quadrats Target Note Data TargetNotes Photograph Data Photos

For Example: Herefordshire2002_Vegatation Herefordshire2002_VegMosaic Herefordshire2002_Quadrats Herefordshire2002_TargetNotes Herefordshire2002_Photos

Units

The units used for attribute and quadrat data must be as follows:

Units Coordinate Units Metres Distance Units Metres Area Units Hectares

Vegetation Data Vegetation data is supplied as a single GIS polygon layer and quadrat, target note and photograph data as individual point layers.

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Photographs Photographs of survey sites should be supplied as TIFF images. Digital images should be at 1024 x 768 24-bit resolution. Images may be accepted in another format if the project officer agrees.

Quadrat records

Quadrat records will be presented in the form of constancy tables in Excel spreadsheet files.

All data (as described above) should be provided on CD-ROM. Two copies of the data should be supplied.

If data which Natural England licence and pay for is used in a Natural England contract any products from the project – reports, maps, GI information etc – will belong to Natural England, not the contractor.

All data obtained from Natural England must be returned to Natural England on completion of the contract.

4 Digitising Standards

Natural England expects that the following standards and rules be applied when digitising data from field survey into GIS.

All coordinates will be recorded in Ordnance Survey British National Grid (based on OSGB36 geodetic datum and a single Transverse Mercator projection).

It should be noted that these rules only cover technical aspects of the digitisation process and not the interpretational aspects. It is expected that the people undertaking the digitisation will have sufficient experience to be able to properly interpret field survey data.

The units used for attribute and quadrat data must be as follows:

Units Coordinate Units Metres Distance Units Metres Area Units Hectares

Minimum data capture units will be based on the survey requirement that

4.1 Polygon Data

1. All polygons should be digitised to Ordnance Survey’s MasterMap data (as supplied).

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2. Where a boundary follows an OS MasterMap Feature the OS MasterMap feature should be copied so that the digitised boundary and OS MasterMap feature share the same geometry.

3. Where a boundary follows part of an OS MasterMap Feature the digital boundary should be snapped along the OS MasterMap feature so that the digitised boundary and MasterMap feature both share the same geometry where appropriate.

4. Where a boundary does not follow an OS MasterMap Feature the digitised boundary should be captured with sufficient nodes that the digitised feature takes on the shape of the feature on the source material at a scale of 1:2500.

5. Where a boundary is shared between two (or more) polygons the boundaries should all share the same geometry. Thus there should be no slithers or gaps between polygons with like boundaries.

6. Where a boundary follows a feature on a aerial photograph, scanned and geo- rectified map (maybe field or historical) or other raster image that is not shown on the OS MasterMap Data; the digitised boundary should be captured with sufficient nodes that the digitised feature takes on the shape of the feature on the raster material at a scale of 1:2500.

7. Features should not be "stream" digitised. Stream digitising is the process of manual digitising, of lines or regions, where nodes are automatically placed at preset intervals based upon distance or time.

8. Polygons should not contain inappropriate "spikes". In the figure below the digitised field has an inappropriate spike.

9. Polygons must not contain "bowties". Polygons must not intersect or cross themselves. In the figure below the digitised field has a bowtie caused by a polygon crossing itself.

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10. Holes in polygons should be appropriately "punched". Where there is a hole in a polygon this should be digitised as a hole as shown below.

4.2 Point Data

1. Point data must be accurate to 10 metres.

2. Point data should be collected in the field using GPS, wherever possible.

3. Grid References collected in the field should be to at least 8 figures, for example SE83204132.

4.3 Licensing of source data and copyright

Natural England must be licensed to use any source data used as reference for capturing geographic data. This licensing process should go through Natural England Geographical Information & Analysis Services Team (2) and also through, if appropriate, Natural England Legal Team, to ensure its suitability for purpose.

The data itself should be supplied to NE GIAS Team 2 for appropriate dissemination.

For further advice, please contact: [email protected];

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The terms and conditions for using the source data must allow for the data, maps or reports produced from the project to be used as Natural England require them.

Appropriate copyright statements will be required on all hardcopy and image output for all datasets used in the digitising process. Details of the copyright statements should be found in the contractors’ licences.

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Annex 5 Biosecurity good practice guidance for semi-natural vegetation surveys

Basic good practice In previous disease outbreaks epidemiologists have confirmed that most disease ‘walks onto and off sites’, i.e. is carried on by the movement of people. Most pathogens will be carried in soil and organic material on footwear and vehicles and if this is removed the risk of disease transmission is significantly reduced. Clean boots and vehicles are also a prerequisite for effective disinfection should this be required. Therefore the adoption of a ‘clean boot policy’ that seeks to reduce significantly the probability of transferring diseases between sites by minimising the transfer of mud and muck on footwear, vehicles and equipment is a basic requirement that can be built on when necessary.

Plan visits Consider if site visits can be arranged so that the most risky visit is at the end of the day. This will enable all necessary cleaning to be completed before the next site visit.

What you should do  Always arrive at a site with clean boots, vehicle and equipment and as far as possible also leave in that condition.  Where possible avoid direct contact with farm animals and their manure.  At the end of a visit dispose of any used cleaning material appropriately.  Avoid getting the interior of your car, pedals etc muddy as this is more difficult to clean.  Where site visits involve crossing several land holdings, for example on public rights of way or open access land, take particular care to avoid livestock in these situations and ensure that your equipment is clean before the next site visit.

Tips for keeping boots and equipment clean  Keep a brush, bucket and container of water in the boot of the car so you can clean your boots etc when you can’t get access to a tap.  Where appropriate ensure a cleaning kit(s) is available for use in vehicles used for site visits.  In muddy conditions keep your boots handy (eg in passenger footwell ) so that you can keep your normal shoes clean.  Keep a spare pair of boots/walking boots in the car in case you’re unable to clean your other pair.  Wash any clothes that get muddy at the highest possible temperature as higher temperatures kill more pathogens.

Phytophthera ramorum and P. kernoviae These two species are fungal type pathogens that have been found in nursery stock, especially rhododendron, and woodlands and heathlands in the south west as well as in parkland in various parts of the country. They are responsible for ‘sudden oak death’ in the USA and have caused bleeding cankers on beech and other trees. More information on the diseases transmitted by these pathogens can be found on the Forestry Commission and defra websites: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-66THS4; and http://www.defra.gov.uk/planth/pkconcerns.htm . It is possible for P. ramorum and P. kernoviae to be transferred to native dwarf shrubs – Vaccinium has been shown to be vulnerable – therefore care needs to be taken to

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contain these diseases and avoid activity likely to cause their spread. Stream water and walkers’ boots have been shown to spread the diseases. Damp soil can maintain the pathogens for up to 72 hours.

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