Official UK procurement notice
High geochemical lead survey
Authority: The Food Standards Agency (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSampling for lead in food produced or grown in high geochemical lead areas of the GB.
The levels of lead present in food can vary depending on several factors, one being the presence of (high) levels of geochemical lead in the location in which food products have or are being grown or reared.
There are maximum levels for lead in some foods and due to the variable nature of the presence of geochemical lead throughout the UK, it is necessary that the FSA has an understanding on the levels of lead in food products grown or reared in medium/high geochemical lead (ranges TBD from literature data).
The work is considered one of the FSA’s main areas of research interest (under chemical hazards; including nanomaterials and microplastics) and will be used to inform long-term policy and/or strategic decision making.
- No preliminary market engagement: Limited time to do preliminary notices.
CPV: Lead · Research and development services and related consultancy services · Survey analysis services · Survey services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£200,000
- Economic & financial standing
See PSQ in Atamis.
- Technical & professional ability
See Specification in Atamis.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Technical: 80%
- Commercial: 20%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical: Technical envelope (80% of overall value), in which applicants should detail the approach, the work plan and their ability to undertake the work. See Specification for further details.
- Commercial: Commercial envelope (20% of overall value), in which applicants should outline all costs to conduct the proposed work. See Specification for further details.
- Economic & financial standing
See PSQ in Atamis.
- Technical & professional ability
See Specification in Atamis.
- Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 26 Sept 2025, 08:34 BST
- Last source update
- 5 Dec 2025, 15:27 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 17 Nov 2025
- Authority reference
C390398- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-059931- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a2aaFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
Payment of valid and undisputed invoices will be made within 30 days of receipt of the invoice or, if later, the date by which the payment falls due in accordance with the invoice, which must be submitted promptly by the Supplier.
All invoices must be sent, quoting a valid Purchase Order Number (PO Number) and any other relevant details including the minimum required information set out in Section 68(9) of the Procurement Act 2023, to: [email protected].
Within 10 Working Days of receipt of your countersigned copy of this Order Form, we will send you a unique PO Number. You must be in receipt of a valid PO Number before submitting an invoice.
To avoid delay in payment it is important that the invoice is compliant and that it includes a valid PO Number, item number (if applicable) and the details (name, email, and telephone number) of your Buyer contact (i.e., Buyer Authorised Representative). Non-compliant invoices may be sent back to you, which may lead to a delay in payment.
- Risks
As this is an evolving research project risks are spread across the deliverables, including but not limited to, scope, timings, regulatory changes, new scientific ways of working.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 27 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 10 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Tenders for FSA funded projects must be submitted through the health-family single e-Commercial System (Atamis), using the following link: health-family.force.com/s/Welcome ↗. Failure to do so may result in the tender response not being processed by the system or the response being automatically disqualified during the evaluation stage of the tender process
Timeline
26 Sept 2025 → 5 Dec 2025 · 8 dates- Tender notice published391 days ago26 Sept 2025, 08:34 BST
- Clarification questions by377 days ago10 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline360 days ago27 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent345 days ago12 Nov 2025
- Award decision expected by339 days ago17 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Standstill ends335 days ago21 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts326 days ago1 Dec 2025
- Latest notice published321 days ago5 Dec 2025, 15:27 GMT
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 26 Sept 2025- Tender notice published26 Sept 2025, 08:34 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published12 Nov 2025, 11:09 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete12 Nov 2025, 11:09 GMT
- Contract signature expected25 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published5 Dec 2025, 15:27 GMTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fera Science Ltd1 Dec 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 30 Apr 2027Extensions: The Contract can be extended by 1 month, by giving no less than 10 working days notice. | £199,552same award published again · counted once | 12 Nov 2025standstill to 21 Nov 2025 | Standstill |
| Fera Science Ltd | £199,552 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
High geochemical lead survey · Fera Science Ltd
- Signed
- 4 Dec 2025
- Value
- £199,552
- Period
- 8 Dec 2025 – 31 Mar 2027
- Status
- active
1 agreed KPI: Skills for growth
- Skills for growth, Supporting Growth Sectors and addressing gaps. To be agreed at the initiation meeting
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice- Fera Science LtdAwarded supplier
- Fera Science LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender