Jacobs Solutions announced that it has been selected by Natural England and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to coordinate and deliver field surveys for the England Ecosystem Survey, the largest environmental data‑collection effort ever undertaken in the United Kingdom. The contract, part of the UK government’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme, will establish a baseline of England’s natural assets by 2029.
The agreement requires Jacobs to manage program logistics, procure and oversee survey contractors, and ensure that data collection follows Natural England’s field protocols. Jacobs will work closely with Southern Ecological Solutions, a subsidiary of the RSK Group, to mobilise internal survey teams and external contractors across England. Activities are set to begin immediately and are expected to conclude in the first half of 2027. A related soil‑sampling contract awarded to Jacobs UK Ltd is valued at approximately £12 million, underscoring the scale of the overall engagement.
This win expands Jacobs’ environmental consulting pipeline and reinforces its strategy of delivering high‑margin, outcome‑based solutions. By securing a national‑scale data‑collection effort, Jacobs positions itself as a trusted partner for government environmental initiatives, potentially opening doors to additional contracts within the UK’s ambitious biodiversity and net‑zero agenda.
Jacobs Executive Vice President Richard Sanderson emphasized that high‑quality environmental decisions depend on consistent, reliable data, and that coordinating survey delivery at a national scale supports Natural England in building robust evidence for policy and land‑management decisions.
The England Ecosystem Survey is a key component of the NCEA programme, which aims to provide a comprehensive, science‑based understanding of England’s land, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems. The data collected will inform environmental policy, land‑management decisions, and support the UK’s 25‑Year Environment Plan, making this contract a strategic milestone for both Jacobs and the UK government.
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