Request for Information - Marine Recovery Fund

ACTION REQUIRED:
1) Express an interest in responding by emailing mrf@defra.gov.uk and asking for a copy of the RFI
2) written returns are to be made before the return deadline of 14:00 on 7th November are to be submitted to mrf@defra.gov.uk.

Purpose
This Request for Information is to seek feedback from relevant parties on the operational design of the Marine Recovery Fund (MRF). The MRF is intended to facilitate the delivery of strategic compensatory measures to compensate for unavoidable damage to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) from offshore wind developments. The MRF will play a key role in the Government’s commitment to deploy 50 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 whilst continuing to protect our MPAs.

This RFI presents six potential delivery options for the MRF currently identified by Defra. These are based on the hypothetical Target Operating Model (TOM) on how we envisage the MRF working in the long-term. We are seeking feedback on the existing supply market and supplier capabilities within that market regarding these delivery models to inform the design of the enduring MRF. We welcome comprehensive information backed by evidence where possible.

Please note: This RFI is not to be construed as a request to submit a tender offer by a respondent at any stage. Answers from respondents may be used to inform Defra’s potential tendering strategy. Not all options demonstrated would be subject to procurement legislation or necessarily result in a formal public procurement.

Confidentiality: Any information provided in response to this RFI is subject to the confidentiality restrictions outlined in the documentation. If Defra do proceed to tender, we will summarise received content in a wide summary format to explain to any bidders what was learnt at this stage for reasons of transparency.