Purpose

To seek approval to procure specialist coastal monitoring services required to deliver the North East Coastal Monitoring Programme, including aerial surveying, topographic surveying, hydrodynamic monitoring, analytical services, bathymetric surveying, and habitat mapping services.
To note that the appointment of contractors and consultants following the tendering process is subject to 100% grant in aid funding being awarded by the Environment Agency. Executive at its meeting on 31 March 2026 delegated authority to accept the grant, subject to satisfactory terms and conditions, to the Corporate Director Resources, in consultation with the Corporate Director Environment, the Executive Member for Finance (Deputy Leader) and the Executive Member for Highways and Transportation. The portfolio holder for Coastal Protection has transferred from Highways and Transportation to Managing our Environment.

Decision

To approve the procurement of specialist coastal monitoring services required to deliver the North East Coastal Monitoring Programme 2027-33 and note the appointment of contractors and consultants following tendering exercises is subject to 100% Grant in Aid funding being awarded by the Environment Agency and accepted by the Council in line with the usual grant acceptance process.

Reasons for the decision

To allow procurement activities to be undertaken in a proactive manner.

To procure in a nationally consistent manner in line with the other five regional coastal monitoring programmes covering the English Coastline.

To avoid gaps in data collection, which can be restricted by tidal cycles, times of the year and weather conditions.

Hydrodynamic data capture feeds into the national coastal flood warning system.

To allow survey captures to be undertaken in line with the programme business case timescales and grant funding.

Alternative options considered

Due to the need to collect continued, uninterrupted and consistent coastal monitoring datasets during restricted collection windows like has been undertaken since 2011 it is impractical to consider alterative/delayed procurement. The five other regional sister coastal monitoring programmes covering the rest of the English coastline are all currently in the process of procuring coastal monitoring services for their regions for 2027-33.