Official UK procurement notice
Determination of levels of PFAS in (+ migrating from) Food Contact Materials FCM
Authority: The Food Standards Agency (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis research project aims to develop analytical capabilities for measuring PFAS and to generate risk-assessment-ready data on PFAS occurrence in food packaging and other FCMs and their migration into food, enabling a better understanding of the extent to which these materials may contribute to PFAS detected in food relative to other sources of contamination. This information will help to reduce some of the current data gaps in the evidence base. This will therefore enable a more accurate assessment of the risk to human health as well as identify any issues to take through the FSA’s risk analysis process and support future policy requirements/decision making.
CPV: Laboratory services · Research and development services and related consultancy services · Research laboratory services · Research services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£270,000
- Economic & financial standing
Suppliers must meet the legal and financial standing requirements set out in the procurement documents and the Conditions of Participation (PSQ). Bidders may be required to provide information relating to their economic and financial standing, including financial accounts or equivalent evidence, to demonstrate their capacity to perform the contract.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers must demonstrate the technical and professional ability necessary to deliver the contract. This includes relevant experience, suitably qualified personnel, appropriate facilities and analytical capabilities, and the capacity to undertake the research and laboratory activities described in the Specification. Full details of the technical requirements and evaluation criteria are set out in the procurement documents.
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 Criteria including Social Value: 80%
- Commercial Criterion: 20%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical Criteria including Social Value: See the Specification and Tender Documents for full details. The technical evaluation criteria are divided into a number of sections and sub-criteria which assess the bidder's technical capability, methodology, experience, resources, and delivery approach. Social Value requirements are also included within the technical assessment and will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria set out in the procurement documents.
- Commercial Criterion: See the Specification and Tender Documents for full details. The Commercial evaluation criteria are divided into five sub-sections and will assess the bidder's pricing proposal and overall value for money in accordance with the published evaluation methodology.
- Economic & financial standing
Suppliers must meet the legal and financial standing requirements set out in the procurement documents and the Conditions of Participation (PSQ). Bidders may be required to provide information relating to their economic and financial standing, including financial accounts or equivalent evidence, to demonstrate their capacity to perform the contract.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers must demonstrate the technical and professional ability necessary to deliver the contract. This includes relevant experience, suitably qualified personnel, appropriate facilities and analytical capabilities, and the capacity to undertake the research and laboratory activities described in the Specification. Full details of the technical requirements and evaluation criteria are set out in the procurement documents.
- 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
- Closed
- 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
- 21 Sept 2026, 16:43 BST
- Last source update
- 21 Sept 2026, 16:43 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 18 Nov 2026
- Authority reference
C467717- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-089336- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0776d5Find 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: fsa.payments.
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
Risks associated with this research project may include delays in project delivery, changes in project scope or requirements, difficulties in obtaining representative food contact material samples, sample quality or availability issues, laboratory capacity constraints, analytical method development and validation challenges, equipment failure, data quality concerns, stakeholder availability, and delays in the provision of information, materials or approvals. There is also a risk that analytical testing and research findings may not produce the anticipated outcomes, requiring further investigation, testing, or refinement of the proposed approach. Suppliers will be expected to identify, manage, monitor, and mitigate risks throughout the contract term to ensure the successful delivery of the agreed objectives, outputs, and timescales.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 19 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 5 Oct 2026, 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 ↗
Timeline
21 Sept 2026 → 4 Jan 2027 · 5 dates- Tender notice published37 days ago21 Sept 2026, 16:43 BST
- Clarification questions by24 days ago5 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline10 days ago19 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today29 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 20 days18 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 66 days4 Jan 2027
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published21 Sept 2026, 16:43 BSTUK4
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Specification
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender