The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has gone out to tender with a major framework contract for external stakeholder engagement, advice and facilitation services (SEAFS) worth up to an estimated £1.9million in value.
Defra is tendering for the provision of the external services for the Environment Agency and other Defra departments and Arms Length Bodies.
The current contract expires on 30 September 2025. The intention is to award the new contract before the end of July 2025, with a start date for services commencing on 1st October 2025.
Defra is looking to appoint between 3-5 suppliers who can provide SEAFS deliverables follow on SEAFS framework - Defra views effective stakeholder engagement as critical for its organisations to deliver its goals.
The framework agreement is being let by the Environment Agency's National Engagement and Insight Team who will use the contract and review and audit work completed under it.
The primary users of the contract will be Environment Agency staff involved in stakeholder engagement at a local and national level – the staff have varied levels of expertise and experience in stakeholder engagement.
The successful suppliers will have demonstrated through the tender process that they are national suppliers who are experts in engagement, facilitation, evaluation and skills development and who can:
provide proactive support for a planned project / programme of work provide reactive support forissues of
- high concern or conflict build the organisation's engagement skills and capacity
- help Defra collaborate and strengthen relationships so it can deliver against its priorities
- identify and mitigate potential risks through helping to engage inclusively
- enhance reputation by delivering participative and well-thought-out engagement.
The appointed suppliers will support engagement work with external stakeholders over the next 2 to 4 years.
Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate is 7 March 2025 – click here to access the tender documentation.
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