Official UK procurement notice
Research and Development Framework
Authority: Health and Safety Executive (Central government)
What is being bought6 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) wishes to establish a new research and development (R&D) framework with six specific lots (A-F).
This framework will be structured into specialism based lots. Each lot is designed to hold more than one supplier to allow a varied skill set across each lot.
A specification will be written for each project and HSE will then consider the specification against each supplier to determine which supplier's expertise is best suited to the project. If more than one supplier has the relevant experience, a cab rank system will be used (further detail on this process is provided in section 4). Due to the nature of the type of R&D projects that will be brought forward, we are aware that not all suppliers in a lot may necessarily be able to undertake all the projects brought forward, so this approach ensures projects will be allocated to the most relevant supplier.
HSE reserve the right to allocate projects to other suppliers in the framework, outside of the specified lot, if all the suppliers allocated to a lot are not able to undertake the project.
This framework will be open to usage from all HSE teams. The framework will enable faster turnaround of R&D. It also provides a more cost effective and less burdensome way of commissioning research projects.
The framework is designed to be a 4 year contract.
We are unsure how many times we will use each individual Lot on the R&D Framework throughout the four year period. The award of each individual Lot does not guarantee any amount of work during the contract agreement period.
Whilst we anticipate using each individual Lot on the R&D Framework to fulfil our needs, we do reserve the right to choose to commission such work through other means and with other suppliers as we see fit.
SCOPE OF THE SERVICES REQUIRED
The R&D Framework will be structured into 6 specialism based lots:
- Lot A - Chemistry
- Lot B - Ecotoxicology
- Lot C - Efficacy
- Lot D - Fate and Behaviour
- Lot E - Residues
- Lot F - Toxicology
Suppliers may, apply for one, some or all of lots (A-F). We intend to appoint 4 suppliers for each lot.
THIS IS A CALL-OFF FRAMEWORK WITH A VALUE OF £2,000,000 ACROSS THE 4 YEARS. THE BUDGET WILL BE USED ACROSS A NUMBER OF PROJECTS ACROSS ALL LOTS. CONTRACT AWARDS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED ON THAT BASIS
CPV: Research and development services and related consultancy services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework · open framework scheme (admission reopens)
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Places
- up to 24 suppliers · 9 bids on the busiest of 6 lots (0.4 per place) · 5 appointed
- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 21 Aug 2025
- Scheme runs until
- 20 Aug 2029
- Electronic auction
- yes
Published description of the framework
See Details in the Governments e-tender portal Intend
Lots and requirements (6)Procurement structure
6 lots · all with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotEvery one of these 6 lots carries the same published figure, £277,777: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1ChemistryAwardedceiling above
Lot A - Chemistry
Primary quantitative research and analysis
All types of primary quantitative research. To exemplify, primary methods may include (but not be limited to):
- Method development
- Application and validation of methods and techniques
- Adaptation and extension of existing techniques
- Associated work such as: securing samples, interpreting data and results,
- Analyses, reporting and the generation of key scientific eoutcomes and recommendations from the work
To include, but not be limited to methods and approaches that enable the development of methods for the analysis of pesticide active substances, impurities and co-formulants in pesticide formulations, and of residues of pesticide active substances and metabolites in food and feeds
Lot #2EcotoxicologyAwardedceiling above
All types of secondary analysis. To exemplify, methods may include (but are not limited to):
- Desk research
- Literature reviews
- Quantitative summaries
- Systematic reviews
- Horizon scanning
- Plus analyses, reporting and the generation of key scientific evidence, regulatory developments and recommendations from the work.
Topics may include
- Birds
- Mammals
- Aquatic (including sediment) organisms
- Bees and other polinators
- Non-target arthropods
- Soil organsims
- Non-target plants
- Biopesticides
- Endocrine disruption
- Effect modelling
- Linking exposure and effects
- New technology
- Risk assessment for precision agriculture
- Climate change
- Bioaccumulation
- Biodiversity
- Protection Goals
- Risk mitigation
- Novel / alternative application methods
- Chemical mixtures and mulitple stressors
- Landscape scale assessment
- Sublethal effects
- Community and ecosytstems
Lot #3EfficacyAwardedceiling above
- Evidence on the impact of selection pressures exerted by the use of plant protection products on resistance development and the mechanisms of resistance. Informing the development of resistance management strategies to support sustainable crop production.
- Evidence on developing novel and integrated approaches for the control of pests, weeds and diseases, taking into account any adaptation and mitigation measures arising from climate change, and what impact this may have on efficacy regulatory requirements.
- Evidence on the impact of different application technologies on the efficacy of plant protection products, including impacts on resistance development, and what changes or adaptations to efficacy regulatory requirements may be needed.
- Evaluating the scope of new technologies for assessing biological parameters in efficacy field trials.
- Evaluating the current and changing status of target species, cropping practices and PPP availability to inform the assessment of the agronomic relevance of PPPs and establish future challenges for pest and resistance management.
- The impact of formulation chemistry on the biological efficacy of PPPs
Lot #4Fate and BehaviourAwardedceiling above
All types of secondary analysis. To exemplify, methods may include (but are not limited to):
- Desk research
- Literature reviews
- Quantitative summaries
- Systematic reviews
- Horizon scanning
- Model or software development
- Plus analyses, reporting and the generation of key scientific evidence, regulatory developments and recommendations from the work.
- Proactive secondary collection (e.g. contacting organisations via phone/web to gather evidence and examples of practice - which may include interviews)
Topics may include
- Degradation
- Sorption
- Environmental fate and behaviour in soil, water, sediment, air
- Routes of environmental exposure
- Spray drift
- Runoff
- Drainflow
- Groundwater leaching
- Long range transport
- Plant uptake
- POPs and PBTs
- Exposure modelling
- Scenario development
- Surrogate crops
- Linking exposure and effects
- New technology
- Drones
- Novel / alternative application methods
- Crop specific exposure assessments
- Hard surfaces
- Biopesticides
- Metals
- Metabolites
- Unextracted residues
- Climate change
- Risk mitigation
- Higher tier modelling
- Spatial assessments
- Landscape or catchment scale exposure assessments
- Water treatment processes
- Environmental monitoring
- Exposure assessment goals
Lot #5ResiduesAwardedceiling above
All types of secondary analysis. To exemplify, methods may include (but are not limited to):
- Desk research
- Literature reviews
- Quantitative summaries
- Systematic reviews
- Horizon scanning
- Plus analyses, reporting and the generation of key scientific evidence, regulatory developments and recommendations from the work.
Topics may include
- Impact of new application techniques, including drones on residue levels in crops
- Storage stability
- Metabolism in plants and animals, including fish
- Extraction efficiency
- Uncertainties within the residues assessment, MRL setting and consumer risk assessments
- Residue trial parameters, and their impact on residue levels
- Proportionaility/ scaling of residues
- Crop to crop extrapolations
- Impact of processing
- Residues in rotational crops
- Residues in honey and other bee products
- Residues in fish, including the diets of farmed fish
- Consumption data
- Approaches to consumer risk assessments
Lot #6Toxicology Secondary AnalysisAwardedceiling above
All types of secondary analysis. To exemplify, methods may include (but are not limited to):
- Desk research
- Literature reviews
- Quantitative summaries
- Systematic reviews
- Horizon scanning
- Plus analyses, reporting and the generation of key scientific evidence, regulatory developments and recommendations from the work.
Topics may include
- Acute toxicity
- Skin and eye irritation
- Skin sensitisation
- Phototoxicity
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genotoxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Reproductive toxicity
- Developmental neurotoxicity
- Endocrine disruption
- ADME and dermal absorption
- Modelling
- In silico tools
- TTC approach
- NAMs
- Epidemiology
- Uncertainty
- NGRA
- Protection Goals
- Risk mitigation
- Risk communication
- Co-formulants
- 3Rs
- Chemical mixtures
- Biopesticides
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Effects on the gut microbiome
- Dose setting and maximum tolerated dose
- Kinetically-informed maximum dose
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 (3)
- Quality: 60%
- Commercial: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Quality
- Social Value
- Commercial
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Research and Development Framework” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 24 suppliers, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
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
- Open framework scheme
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 21 May 2025, 14:32 BST
- Last source update
- 22 Aug 2025, 14:29 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 21 Aug 2025
- Authority reference
HSE T4779- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-033464- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-051b10Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
For Lots A - F an arbitrary spend amount per Lot has been input to allow the Notice to be published. There is no guarantee of any minimum/maximum amount of spend per Lot and spend will be allocated per project.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 14 Jul 2025, 13:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 25 Jun 2025, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
All tender documents are available via the HSE In-Tend supplier e-procurement portal. All responses and requests for clarification must be submitted via the portal. Registration is free of charge and can be completed via the following link:
Timeline
21 May 2025 → 3 Sept 2025 · 11 dates- Planning notice published21 May 2025, 14:32 BST
- Market engagement2 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
HSE is issuing this Pre-Market Engagement (PME) notice to identify potential suppliers for the Framework.
HSE will run a market engagement event via Microsoft teams on Monday 2nd June 2025 between 12:30 and 14:30 ahead of publishing the invitation to tender, expected W/C 16th June 2025. HSE therefore invites interested suppliers to contact [email protected] on or before 29th May 2025 to register their interest and receive the associated documents.
Interested parties that make contact will be sent a MS Teams invitation with the draft specification attached.
- Next notice expected16 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published18 Jun 2025, 16:26 BST
- Clarification questions by25 Jun 2025, 17:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown14 Jul 2025, 13:00 BST
- Contract starts21 Aug 2025, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by21 Aug 2025, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent22 Aug 2025, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published22 Aug 2025, 14:29 BST
- Standstill ends3 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST
Notice history
9 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 21 May 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published21 May 2025, 14:32 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published18 Jun 2025, 16:26 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active18 Jun 2025, 16:26 BST
- Procurement method changed18 Jun 2025, 16:26 BST
- Deadline published: 14 Jul 2025, 13:00 BST18 Jun 2025, 16:26 BST
- Tender notice published18 Jun 2025, 16:40 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published22 Aug 2025, 14:29 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete22 Aug 2025, 14:29 BST
- Contract signature expected5 Sept 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Published amendments (1)
Change from open to closed framework
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-05: 1 release · 21 May 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast£1,600,000 is the framework's published maximum, restated by the publisher on 5 award rows. It is one ceiling, not 5 separate sums, and no share per lot is published; those rows read “ceiling above”.
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 4 · Fate and Behaviour1 award | |||
| SILSOE SPRAY APPLICATIONS UNIT LIMITEDSME5 Sept 2025 – 4 Sept 2029 | ceiling above | 22 Aug 2025standstill to 3 Sept 2025 | Standstill |
| Across several lots4 awards | |||
| Fera Science Ltd5 Sept 2025 – 4 Sept 2029 | ceiling above | 22 Aug 2025standstill to 3 Sept 2025 | Standstill |
| RSK ADAS Limited5 Sept 2025 – 4 Sept 2029 | ceiling above | 22 Aug 2025standstill to 3 Sept 2025 | Standstill |
| Ricardo AEA Ltd5 Sept 2025 – 4 Sept 2029 | ceiling above | 22 Aug 2025standstill to 3 Sept 2025 | Standstill |
| ENVIRESEARCH LIMITED5 Sept 2025 – 4 Sept 2029 | ceiling above | 22 Aug 2025standstill to 3 Sept 2025 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Chemistry | 3final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Ecotoxicology | 7final-stage tenders | 3 | 0 | — |
| 3 · Efficacy | 3final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
| 4 · Fate and Behaviour | 9final-stage tenders | 4 | 0 | — |
| 5 · Residues | 2final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 6 · Toxicology Secondary Analysis | 4final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
5 commercial parties on the notice- ENVIRESEARCH LIMITEDFramework contractor
- FERA SCIENCE LIMITEDFramework contractor
- RICARDO-AEA LIMITEDFramework contractor
- RSK ADAS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- SILSOE SPRAY APPLICATIONS UNIT LIMITEDFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (8)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender