Technical Consultant Services to represent EA in surface water and groundwater nitrate vulnerable zones appeals

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. The last DEFRA review concluded that that there had been little change in patterns of nitrate pollution and thus no new holdings were added to or removed from the list of designated NVZs. Therefore, the overall area of designated land in England remains at around 55%. The NVZ designations for 2021 to 2024 came into effect on 31 December 2020. The Authority has a requirement for technical consultancy services to support its role in responding to complex NVZ appeals of current surface water and groundwater NVZ designations. The Contractor will be required to provide the following Services for the duration of the 2021 NVZ appeals process: 1) Responses to complicated appeals for existing NVZ designations. 2) Expert technical witnesses in 'oral' hearings. 3) Supplementary evidence in support of written hearings. 4) Updated spatial data to EA, reflecting changes to current NVZ boundaries resulting from appeal decisions, and clear and comprehensive audit trail of those changes. 5) Feedback to the EA on any data quality or assurance issues for correction. 6) A summary table of appeal outcomes handled by the contractor, including whether conceded or contested, and a brief description of the reasons for any upheld appeals.