The Environment Agency has awarded a contract for environmental consultancy services to seven firms worth an estimated £4 million in total.

The regulator was looking to source a number of suppliers to provide consultant support to the environment agency’s national permitting service - the National Permitting Service (NPS) Resources determines environmental permits to support regulation across a range of sectors from householders to major international chemical industries.

The Agency’s National Permitting Service is a busy department with over 400 staff across 5 offices delivering a permitting service for the Environment Agency. Under the contract, the successful suppliers will provide consultancy support for the determination of permit applications made under the Environmental Permitting Regulations and the Water Resources Act for regulated industry sites in waste and installations.

The Agency was seeking to appoint approximately 15-20 experienced professionals who are familiar with the permitting process or activities that the environment Agency regulate, together with one or 2 individuals required to support its specialist geoscience technical team as a hydrogeologist or a geotechnical engineer with extensive risk assessment experience.

Twelve companies were in the bidding for the work. Jacobs UK Ltd, Wardell Armstrong, Socotec, Gutteridge Haskins and Davey, Mott MacDonald Ltd, Stantec UK (ESI) and WYG Environment Planning Transport Ltd have all been awarded contacts.