Service Review Group
NERC Services & Facilities -
Announcement of Opportunity
Deadlines
Expressions of interest: 30 September 2011
Completed applications: 3 January 2012
NERC offers a wide range of services and facilities for the research community as part of its provision of National Capability. Many of the services and facilities are unique within the UK, if not internationally, and often facility staff are world-leaders in their field. Competitively-won contracts (or service level agreements, if hosted by research council institutes) are established to enable efficacious and economical provision of services and facilities that underpin delivery of NERC's strategic priorities and Responsive Mode science.
There are four facilities under review this time (listed below) by NERC's Services Review Group. NERC only invites competitive bids for the provision of three of the existing facilities (IMF, NBAF-W and NRCF) that are under review. The NERC portfolio planning process will identify where there is a need for new services and facilities to underpin delivery of NERC strategy.
| Facility | Current Provider |
|---|---|
| ARSF Airborne Research & Survey Facility |
NERC / Plymouth Marine Laboratory |
| IMF Ion Microprobe Facility |
Edinburgh University |
| NBAF - Wallingford NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility (Bioinformatics node) |
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology - Wallingford |
| NRCF NERC Radiocarbon Facility |
Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre and University of Oxford |
NERC facilities that are due for review should send a brief email to Adele Gardner stating their intention to submit a renewal application.
Anyone interested in making a competitive bid against all or part of one of the facilities that are to be reviewed, please email an expression of interest (maximum of two A4 pages) to Adele Gardner. This should outline what the facility will do, where it will be based and the amount of resources requested (personnel and financial).
The deadline for receipt of expressions of interest is 13:00 on Friday, 30 September 2011 and NERC will then provide guidance to interested parties on making full applications. The deadline for receipt of completed full applications is Tuesday 3 January 2012. Please note applications are based on Full Economic Cost.
The outcomes should be known by June 2012.
For further information please contact:
Adele Gardner
Tel: 01793 411736