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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Specialist Science and Contingency Services - Food Contingency Laboratory

Food Standards Agency · compiled

Tender information last checkedLast checked 29 Sept 2026, 22:50.

Opportunity overview

This notice is for information only and is not a call for competition. FSA would like to notify the intention to directly award a service contract for Food Contingency Laboratory Services as part of the Specialist Science and Contingency Services Agreement tendered by Defra. We have identified no alternative provider following extensive market engagement who have the capability and capacity to deliver the service.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

Fera

Matched by number
Contract value
£3.6m
Awarded
Not supplied
Contract signed
17 Mar 2025
Award ID
009941-2025-1
Status
active
Identifier
GB-COH 09413107
Location
York, UK, United Kingdom

Classification

  • CPV73000000 — Research and development services and related consultancy services
  • CPV73111000 — Research laboratory services

Lots

  • The existing Long Term Service Agreement under which these services are provided will expire on 31 March 2025. Defra as the commercial lead, sought a replacement commercial arrangement to provide critical scientific evidence and contingency services to support its policy making and operational responsibilities including emergency response capabilities in relation to the food and the environment. The overarching contract is also used by other Government Departments, including Food Standards Agency. This contract specifically covers FSA and Defra's food contingency requirements. The supplier has the ability to deliver reliable, high quality scientific services competitively; well-proven transition and transformational capabilities within challenging timeframes; and possesses a vision and commitment to enhance relevant scientific capability into the future. The seamless continuation of services is essential to maintain the governments food incident response capability. The contract is awarded for an initial five years and has an option to extend for an additional five years (+2+1+1+1).Value not stated

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-04ee8b
Status
complete
Procurement Method
limited
Main Procurement Category
services
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
Why this procedure was chosen
Detra intends to direct award a contract using the negotiated procedure without prior publication, in accordance with Regulation 32(2){b){ii) (competition absent for technical reasons) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The current contract will expire on 31 March 2025 and this contract must be made to ensure critical statutory specialist science and contingency services continue to be provided. This contract will be awarded to Fera Science Limited for the provision of specialist science and contingency services. To inform its decision-making, Detra has undertaken three rounds of market engagement with interested suppliers. Before each round, it has published a prior information notice (PIN), ensuring that all interested suppliers are aware of the re-procurement and have had the opportunity to express interest and provide evidence of their capacity and capabilities to perform all or part of the services. Three elements of the specification were identified: (a) those aspects where there is no competition, eg, those parts of the specification that relate to the required specialist facilities for this contract; {b) those parts where there may be genuine competition. (c) those parts where competitors have expressed an interest in supplying all or part of the requirement, but have not provided sufficient information when requested to establish that they have, or could develop in the time available, the necessary capacity or capability. In relation to {b) there are some services for Government Departments, FSA, HSE, Welsh Government and DAERA where reasonable alternatives in the market were identified, as such, those services have been disaggregated and those respective Departments will identify a route to market outside of this contract. Some research and development requirements that are not related to (a), will be procured through Detra's existing RDE Framework or such other route to market. As such these services no longer form part of the specification for this contract. In relation to (a) and (c), the market engagement has identified that currently there is no candidate who is able to deliver the requirements of the specification and competition is absent for technical reasons. As such this contract will be awarded by direct award in accordance with Regulation 32(2){b)(ii).

Covered By

GPA

Legal basis

Id
32014L0024
Scheme
CELEX

Classification

Id
73000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Research and development services and related consultancy services

Procedure reasons

Entry 1
Id
D_TECHNICAL
Scheme
TED_PT_AWARD_CONTRACT_WITHOUT_CALL
Description
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Has Options
No
Description
The existing Long Term Service Agreement under which these services are provided will expire on 31 March 2025. Defra as the commercial lead, sought a replacement commercial arrangement to provide critical scientific evidence and contingency services to support its policy making and operational responsibilities including emergency response capabilities in relation to the food and the environment. The overarching contract is also used by other Government Departments, including Food Standards Agency. This contract specifically covers FSA and Defra's food contingency requirements. The supplier has the ability to deliver reliable, high quality scientific services competitively; well-proven transition and transformational capabilities within challenging timeframes; and possesses a vision and commitment to enhance relevant scientific capability into the future. The seamless continuation of services is essential to maintain the governments food incident response capability. The contract is awarded for an initial five years and has an option to extend for an additional five years (+2+1+1+1).

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UK

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
73111000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Research laboratory services

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-FTS-141007
Name
Food Standards Agency

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UK
Locality
London
Postal Code
SW1H9EX
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Floors 6 and 7, Clive House, 70 Petty France

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
NATIONAL_AGENCY
Scheme
TED_CA_TYPE
Description
National or federal agency/office
Entry 2
Id
01
Scheme
COFOG
Description
General public services

Identifier

Legal Name
Food Standards Agency
No Identifier Rationale
notOnAnyRegister

Contact

Name
Mark Croft
Telephone
+44 1904232228-22228
Organisation 2
Id
GB-COH-09413107
Name
Fera

Roles

supplier

Address

Region
UK
Locality
York
Country Name
United Kingdom

Details

Scale
large

Identifier

Id
09413107
Scheme
GB-COH
Legal Name
Fera
Organisation 3
Id
GB-FTS-141008
Name
Public Procurement Review Body

Roles

reviewBody

Address

Locality
N/A
Postal Code
N/A
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Public Procurement Review Body

Identifier

Legal Name
Public Procurement Review Body

Contact

Telephone
+44 3450103503
Organisation 4
Id
GB-FTS-30346
Name
High Court Royal Courts of Justice

Roles

mediationBody

Address

Locality
London
Postal Code
WC2A 2LL
Country Name
United Kingdom

Identifier

Legal Name
High Court Royal Courts of Justice

Award information

Award 1
Id
009941-2025-1
Status
active

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-COH-09413107
Name
Fera

Related lots

1

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
009941-2025-1
Status
active
Award ID
009941-2025-1
Date Signed
17 Mar 2025, 00:00

Value

Amount
3,589,260.45
Currency
GBP

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · London · UK · SW1H9EX · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UK

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-04ee8b-2025-03-18T15:11:40Zcompiled ·