Framework agreement for the analysis of phytoplankton from transitional and coastal waters for the purpose of the implementing the EU Water Framework Directive in Ireland.

Description

The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for overseeing and undertaking elements of the national Water Framework Directive (WFD) monitoring programme. The information collected in the programme is required to determine the ecological health of surface water bodies in Ireland. To support this work, the EPA is establishing a multi-party Framework Agreement from which it can tender for contracts to provide technical services, specifically the analysis of phytoplankton samples from transitional and coastal waters. The deliverables will include databases for each water category listing the identified species as well as the abundances of phytoplankton found in each sample. This information will be used to assess the ecological status of these different water categories and this information in turn will be used to determine if the environmental objective established for these waters are being achieved.