AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Department for Business and Trade awarded I.F.F RESEARCH LIMITED a £900,000 research-services contract to deliver the Industry Portfolio Research Tool for the Office for Product Safety and Standards. The work includes business surveys, qualitative research and responsive research commissions on product-safety responsibilities.
Published outcomeAward notice published for one active award to I.F.F RESEARCH LIMITED. The published contract period is 28 September 2026 to 27 September 2030, with a stated option of up to six months' time-only extension.
Market significanceThis is a £900,000 call-off from the Government Commercial Agency RM6126 Research & Insights Dynamic Purchasing System, covering a multi-year programme of product-safety evidence and research.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
I.F.F RESEARCH LIMITED
99% confidenceAward ocds-b5fd17-54594555-093b-4c25-8e43-18d0471f24cf-1 · 900000 GBP · active award
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The award names I.F.F Research Limited as supplier; supplier verification confirms I.F.F RESEARCH LIMITED (company number 00849983). The single award value is £900,000.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice status
99% confidenceAwarded contract notice; award status active
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The source labels the record "Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder" and the award status is "active".
Award decision date
98% confidence29 September 2026
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Award record date: 2026-09-29.
Contract period
99% confidence28 September 2026 to 27 September 2030
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Published award and tender contractPeriod fields.
Contract signature
99% confidenceUnknown
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No explicit signature or execution field is supplied.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published award value
99% confidence£900,000
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Award value is GBP 900,000; tender value is also GBP 900,000.
VAT basis
94% confidenceNot stated in the award value field; narrative describes a maximum contract value of £750,000 excluding VAT
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The structured award value is £900,000, while the description states that £750,000 excluding VAT is the maximum contract value.
Extension value treatment
98% confidenceNo increase to the stated £750,000 excluding-VAT maximum
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Description states any extension is for time only and does not increase that maximum contract value.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Submission deadline
99% confidence10 August 2026, 12:00 BST
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Tender period endDate: 2026-08-10T12:00:00+01:00.
Contract start date
99% confidence28 September 2026
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Published contractPeriod startDate.
Award date
98% confidence29 September 2026
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Award date: 2026-09-29.
Notice publication date
99% confidence12 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished: 2026-10-12T09:37:23+01:00.
Contract end date
99% confidence27 September 2030
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Published contractPeriod endDate.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceIndustry Portfolio Research Tool (IPRT) for the Office for Product Safety and Standards
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Opportunity title and description.
Research activities
99% confidenceBusiness surveys, qualitative research and responsive research commissions
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Published description.
Policy purpose
99% confidenceEvidence on how businesses understand and manage product-safety responsibilities, supporting policy development, regulatory delivery and evaluation
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Published description.
Primary classification
99% confidenceCPV 73110000 — Research services
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Primary classification supplied in tender data.
Delivery location
88% confidenceLondon, United Kingdom
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Delivery-address data identifies London and the United Kingdom.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procurement method
99% confidenceSelective
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Published procurementMethod: selective.
Route to market
99% confidenceCall-off from Government Commercial Agency RM6126 Research & Insights Dynamic Purchasing System
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Published procurementMethodDetails and description.
SME and VCSE suitability
96% confidenceMarked suitable for SMEs and VCSEs
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Tender suitability fields set sme and vcse to true.
Bidder count and evaluation results
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Initial term
99% confidenceFour years
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Description states an initial four-year period; published dates run from 28 September 2026 to 27 September 2030.
Extension option
99% confidenceUp to six months, time only
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Published description.
Maximum value implication of extension
98% confidenceThe description states that an extension does not increase the £750,000 excluding-VAT maximum
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Published description.
Pricing and payment terms
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Research demand
88% confidenceThe scope combines recurring survey and qualitative-research capability with responsive commissions, indicating a need for flexible evidence-generation capacity.
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Published scope lists business surveys, qualitative research and responsive research commissions.
Commercial ceiling
94% confidenceThe description frames £750,000 excluding VAT as the maximum contract value, while the structured award is £900,000.
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Published narrative and structured award-value fields.
Market access route
88% confidenceSuppliers seeking comparable work may need access to the RM6126 Research & Insights Dynamic Purchasing System.
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The award is explicitly described as a call-off from RM6126.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Value presentation requires care
94% confidenceThe structured award and tender value is £900,000, while the narrative states a £750,000 maximum excluding VAT. These figures may be consistent if £900,000 includes VAT, but the award value field does not state its VAT basis.
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Structured value fields and published description.
No lot allocation published
98% confidenceNo lots are supplied; the £900,000 value is reported only at the single-award level.
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lots array and award lot_ids_json are empty/null; one award is supplied.
Award versus execution
99% confidenceThe notice records an active award and contract-period dates, but does not explicitly evidence signature or execution.
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Award status and contractPeriod are supplied; no signature field is supplied.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The published values use different presentations: £900,000 in structured award data and £750,000 excluding VAT in the narrative. The award-value VAT basis is not stated, so the analysis does not treat either figure as overriding the other.
- Information not supplied in the published notice includes bidder count, evaluation criteria or scores, pricing breakdown, payment terms, lot-level allocation and reasons for award.
- The notice does not explicitly confirm contract signature or execution; it supports an active award and published contract period only.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Industry Portfolio Research ToolIPRTI.F.F RESEARCH LIMITEDDepartment for Business and TradeOffice for Product Safety and StandardsOPSSRM6126research services
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the Industry Portfolio Research Tool contract?
I.F.F RESEARCH LIMITED, verified by company number 00849983.
What is the published contract value?
The structured award value is £900,000. The description separately states a maximum value of £750,000 excluding VAT.
When does the published contract period end?
27 September 2030, with an option to extend for up to six months.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.