Posted on July 30, 2025
The Environment Agency has launched a major procurement exercise for a comprehensive beach management framework aimed at maintaining and protecting England’s coastal frontages.
This pivotal framework, with a potential value of up to £1.23bn excluding VAT, will guarantee long-term maintenance and rapid incident response along the country’s shorelines over the next eight years.
The tender seeks delivery partners to undertake essential beach maintenance tasks, including the movement and redistribution of large volumes of shingle along the coast. These operations are critical to manage natural erosion and accretion processes, ensuring that protective barriers remain effective in preventing coastal flooding. Additionally, the contract covers the importation of marine dredged or land-based materials such as shingle and rock, alongside maintenance and repair work on coastal defences and structures.
Operating as a single national lot, the framework will appoint up to two delivery partners for an initial six-year period starting 1 May 2026, with an option to extend for a further two years. The Environment Agency has deliberately opted for a notably long contract duration – in total, up to eight years – to support the strategic delivery of its Shoreline Management Plans and to align with key government policies outlined in the Construction Playbook. These policies promote longer-term contracting, efficient risk allocation and pipeline management, which the Environment Agency believes will foster stronger market commitment and investment.
“The international demand for specialist marine vessels has lengthened mobilisation timelines, which makes a longer contract essential for effective delivery,” noted the Agency in its tender notice. Engagement with the market prior to the tender launch demonstrated strong support for an extended framework duration, highlighted by the need for investment in specialised equipment and personnel. Furthermore, a prolonged partnership model is expected to enhance collaboration and optimise programme-level efficiencies.
The framework will not only serve the Environment Agency but may also be utilised by a range of contracting authorities including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its associated bodies, local authorities, internal drainage boards and other government departments and agencies within England.
Tender enquiries are open until 5 September, with final submissions due by 19 September.
With significant climate challenges facing the UK’s coastline, this framework represents a critical investment in safeguarding communities and commercial interests from the increasing risk of coastal flooding and erosion.
This procurement marks one of the largest and most strategically important contracts in coastal management in recent years, reflecting the UK’s commitment to resilient infrastructure in the face of environmental uncertainty. As climate change intensifies, such proactive measures are set to become central to the nation’s defence strategy against rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
