The Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) has issued a planned procurement notice giving the supply chain an early heads up of its intention to go out to tender with a contract to put a borehole framework in place worth an estimated £46 million.

Boreholes form part of the MRA’s groundwater and mine water monitoring network and are critical in the assessment and management of legacy mining risks.

Monitoring allows the Authority to identify, assess and quantify risks and to develop interventions that protect water resources and the natural environment.

As a secondary benefit, the MRA can also monitor mine water heat at these points and add this to the MRA’s heat map portfolio for future potential opportunities in this area.

The mine water monitoring network provides insights into legacy mining risks and opportunities, including:

• Aquifer protection
• Mine water heat use
• Mine water heat licensing and assurance
• Future emerging opportunities and risks

Over the coming years the MRA will drill boreholes across the UK to support the remediation and management of rising and recovered mine water in underground coal workings.

Boreholes and pumping tests are required to allow monitoring and mine water control. The activities are time critical to allow mitigations to be implemented before impacts occur, preventing pollution incidents.

The boreholes form a a key component of the MRA’s monitoring network and support:

• targeting deep underground mine workings
• the assessment of water levels and chemistry 
• filling knowledge gaps in areas where mineshafts and other monitoring options have been decommissioned or abandoned
• assessing underground water systems, their behaviours, relationships, and to develop and operate effective management interventions.

Borehole testing also enhances understanding of system characteristics, assessment of the likely effectiveness or suitability of proposed management; and the long-term management through abstraction of mine water.

The MRA is intending to come to market in Summer 2025 to seek suitably qualified contractors who can help with the delivery of the Authority’s expanding borehole programme.

Current estimated start and end dates for the framework contract are 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2030.

The framework will be tendered in the following Lots:

Lot 1. Drilling and Borehole Construction (est value £27,500,000 including VAT)

Typical works required under this Lot will include :

Drilling of mine water monitoring and/or extraction boreholes to depths ranging from 100-700m and diameters up to and in excess of 300mm.

Other associated minor design and construction related tasks such as specification development or simple borehole design and headworks construction (Retaining walls for culverts), including Construction Design Management (CDM) responsibilities of Principal Designer and Principal Contractor

Lot 2. Borehole and Pumping Testing (est value £5,000,000 including VAT)

Typically this Lot will be for the provision of works relating to:

Less complex pumping tests - discharge without/minimal treatment (e.g. removal of suspended solids may be required)

Lot 3. Borehole Cleaning, Maintenance and Rehabilitation (est value £1,000,000 including VAT)

This Lot is intended to provide:

Borehole cleaning services such as brushing, jetting, chemical treatments, clearance pumping. It includes exploration of boreholes, operational mine water and gas management boreholes and purpose drilled monitoring and abstraction boreholes

Lot 4. Consultancy Services - Design and Management (est value £1,250,000 including VAT)

This Lot is to provide:

Borehole design and specification - including identification of sites and targets.

Management of construction and contract including NEC accredited site supervisors and project managers.

Lot 5. Pumping and Mine Water Treatment (Complex) (est value £8,750,000 including VAT)

Includes the provision of: Design & supply of temporary treatment systems to allow environmentally compliant discharge of mine waters to watercourses during test pumping.

May include sampling, analysis, bench testing and small scale pilot trials.

The MRA is looking to appoint up to 17 suppliers to the framework - technical capacity specifies membership of the British Drilling Association or a similar trade association.

Pass / Fail criteria stipulate that bidders must confirm they are committed to best practice and continuous development with membership of an accredited Trade Association. Following the Conditions of Participation bidders will be invited to a two stage process for Lot One Borehole Construction.

The MRA are inviting interested suppliers to sign up ahead of the publication of the formal tender notice at the end of June 2025 – click here to register https://inbye.coal.gov.uk/s2c/