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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Drone Technology for Environmental Monitoring and Disaster Response

Somerset Council · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 10:36.

Opportunity overview

Somerset Council is inviting suppliers to participate in a pre-market engagement exercise to explore innovative drone-based-and potentially other-technological solutions that can enhance environmental monitoring and disaster response across the region. This engagement will inform the procurement. The Council anticipates a multi-stage procurement approach, beginning with a pilot delivered by selected supplier(s), followed by further testing and potential scaling of the solution(s) that demonstrate cost-effective impact and alignment with the challenge requirements.

Classification

  • CPV35613000 — Unmanned aerial vehicles
  • CPV60400000 — Air transport services
  • CPV71351500 — Ground investigation services
  • CPV71351720 — Geophysical surveys of archaeological sites
  • CPV71510000 — Site-investigation services
  • CPV79961200 — Aerial photography services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-05a9e6
Status
planning
Above Threshold
Yes
Main Procurement Category
services

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Communication

Future Notice Date
21 Nov 2025, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning
Has Renewal
Yes

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Ends
15 Feb 2028, 23:59
Starts
16 Feb 2026, 00:00
Max Extent Date
15 Feb 2030, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKK23
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
35613000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Entry 2
Id
60400000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Air transport services
Entry 3
Id
71351500
Scheme
CPV
Description
Ground investigation services
Entry 4
Id
71351720
Scheme
CPV
Description
Geophysical surveys of archaeological sites
Entry 5
Id
71510000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Site-investigation services
Entry 6
Id
79961200
Scheme
CPV
Description
Aerial photography services

Planning and budget

Documents

Entry 1
Id
063017-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Published
7 Oct 2025, 16:28

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Status
scheduled
Due
7 Nov 2025, 23:59
Description
Purpose of Engagement Somerset Council is inviting suppliers to participate in a pre-market engagement exercise to explore innovative drone-based-and potentially other-technological solutions that can enhance environmental monitoring and disaster response across the region. This engagement will inform the procurement. The Council anticipates a multi-stage procurement approach, beginning with a pilot delivered by selected supplier(s), followed by further testing and potential scaling of the solution(s) that demonstrate cost-effective impact and alignment with the challenge requirements. Challenge Statement "Somerset Council is seeking innovative solutions that harness drone technology to enhance environmental monitoring, asset management, and disaster response across the county. While drones offer powerful capabilities for collecting high-resolution, real-time data in remote and sensitive locations, their full potential is currently limited by a range of technical, operational, analytical, and ethical challenges. We invite proposals that address these barriers and unlock the transformative potential of drones or other methods to support climate resilience, ecological stewardship, and evidence-based decision-making. Solutions should be scalable, adaptable to diverse environments, and capable of integrating with existing data systems to deliver actionable insights." Background As part of our commitment to sustainable land management and climate resilience, Somerset Council is investigating the use of drone technology to: • Monitor coastal erosion and river dynamics • Map habitats and assess biodiversity • Detect pollution in terrestrial and aquatic environments • Support rapid response to environmental hazards (e.g. flooding, landslides) Focus areas include River Parrett, Minehead Harbour, Watchet Harbour, and Doniford Beach. Challenges to Address We are particularly interested in solutions that overcome: • Technical barriers: battery life, payload limits, weather sensitivity, data processing • Operational constraints: flight regulations, pilot skills, maintenance • Data & privacy concerns: secure data handling, ethical surveillance • Environmental impact: wildlife disturbance, e-waste • Analytical complexity: data interpretation and integration with other source Desired Outcomes • Scalable, cost-effective surveying in remote areas • Adaptability to varied environmental contexts • Integrated data management and analysis • Enhanced disaster preparedness and response • Use of AI for predictive modelling and planning Evaluation Criteria Responses will be assessed based on: • Technical feasibility and innovation • Cost-effectiveness and sustainability • Scalability and integration potential • Environmental impact Engagement deadline 16:00 on 07 November 2025 How to Participate Interested suppliers are invited to: • To register your interest, please email corinne.matthews@somerset.gov.uk including your organisation's name and main contact details. • Upon receipt of your expression of interest, the team will provide you with a pre-market engagement questionnaire for completion. • All completed questionnaires must be submitted to corinne.matthews@somerset.gov.uk by 16:00 on Friday 7th November 2025. • Responses will help shape future requirements and inform potential market solutions. **Please note that this market engagement exercise is for information-gathering purposes and does not constitute a commitment to initiate a procurement process or award any contract.**

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-PPON-PPGC-1434-MQPJ
Name
Somerset Council

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKK23
Country
GB
Locality
Taunton
Postal Code
TA1 4DY
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
County Hall, The Crescent

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Identifier

Id
PPGC-1434-MQPJ
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Telephone
0300 123 2224

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Taunton · UKK23 · TA1 4DY · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKK23 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-05a9e6-2025-10-07T16:28:09+01:00Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·