To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether DEFRA has established whether Equal Experts, in conducting the BNG Metric Tool Discovery phase under contract C24064, accessed software products developed by private sector BNG technology companies without those companies' knowledge or consent; and whether her Department has asked this question of Equal Experts in writing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the Equal Experts Discovery Report, including appendices and supporting research materials, before further public expenditure on the Alpha and Beta phases of the BNG metric digitisation programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date her Department first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement; what steps her Department has taken in response to those representations; and whether her Department has sought advice from the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Government's digitisation project will address. Contract C24064 is for Application Development Services and provides digital specialist support and programme delivery capability. The Discovery phase of the BNG metric digitisation project explored a wide range of user needs and potential options and does not represent a delivery commitment. Discovery reports are not routinely published but can be made available on request. Defra first became aware of written representations from private sector companies alleging procedural irregularities in the BNG metric digitisation procurement on 4 March 2026. Checks were undertaken to make sure the work is following due process. User research activities conducted during the Discovery phase were reviewed and found to be compliant with Government standards for research, and therefore further advice has not been sought. We are keen to work with private sector BNG technology providers to ensure digitisation of the BNG metric is a success.