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Acoustic Bat Monitoring Array – Dorset Survey Portfolio

Proposal #1 · Submitted 2026-08-06
100
Recommend Approval
Strong financial return with acceptable payback period and positive NPV.
Requestor
Name
Dr. Sarah Okonkwo
Role
Principal Ecologist
Region
EMEA – UK South
Business Unit
Ecology & Nature Recovery
Proposal
Description

Purchase of 12 Anabat Swift bat detectors with cloud sync and 4 AudioMoth units for overnight passive acoustic monitoring across 6 concurrent client sites. Current equipment is rented at £3,200/month.

Strategic Rationale

Equipment ownership eliminates rental dependency, enables rapid mobilisation, and supports our EIA bid pipeline for the Dorset Energy Transition Zone.

Approver Information
Urgency
High – Q3 mobilisation required
Risk Level
Low
Risk Description
Equipment obsolescence risk mitigated by 5-year manufacturer support contracts.
Alternatives Considered
Continued rental evaluated — 3-year total cost 40% higher than ownership.
Vendor / Supplier Shortlist
Titley Scientific, Wildlife Acoustics, Open Acoustics Devices
Implementation Timeline
2 months
Dependencies
None
Regulatory Requirement
No
Carbon / Sustainability Impact
Neutral – replaces equivalent rental fleet
Financial Metrics
CapEx £58,000
Annual OpEx Change –£22,400
Annual Benefit £31,000
Useful Life 7 yrs
Payback Period 1.09 yrs
ROI (life-of-project) 544.5%
NPV £220,020
ROIU (yr 1) 92.1%
Cumulative Return (£)
YearCumulative (£)
Yr 1 £8,555
Yr 2 £37,226
Yr 3 £79,616
Yr 4 £118,867
Yr 5 £155,210
Yr 6 £188,861
Yr 7 £220,020
Committee Decision
Current status: Pending