Official UK procurement notice
Extending the Cost of Food Crime Analysis: Additional Case Studies and Assessing the Impact of NFCU Activity
Authority: The Food Standards Agency (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionFood crime poses a significant cost to the UK economy, estimated to be between £410 million and £1.96 billion per year . Food crime encompasses a broad range of activities, including adulteration, substitution, misrepresentation, illegal processing and other forms of fraud that undermine food authenticity and integrity. The impacts of food crime extend beyond direct economic losses, affecting consumer confidence, public trust in the food system and the reputation of the UK food sector.
Tenderers are invited to submit proposals setting out how they would deliver research to develop a robust, evidence-based framework and methodology for assessing and communicating the impact of the NFCU on an ongoing basis.
The proposal should provide a detailed description of the proposed methodological approach and include a set of clearly defined deliverables comprising:
- A final research report, setting out a practical methodology for the ongoing assessment of NFCU impact;
- An updated and expanded methodological framework; and
- A suite of repeatable public-facing impact measures with practical implementation enabling communicable realised impacts.
CPV: Data analysis services · Research consultancy services · Research services · Social research services · Survey analysis services · Survey services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£100,000
- Condition of participation
See PSQ and Specification
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: 80%
- Commercial Criterion: 20%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical Criteria: 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.
- 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.
- Condition of participation
See PSQ and Specification
- Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £149,910 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How The Food Standards Agency buys Market research services (CPV 7931), and who usually turns up
The Food Standards Agency’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Market research services (CPV 7931) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in Yorkshire and the Humber (authority’s region).
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 30 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid55% / 17%
2–330% / 28%
4–610% / 17%
7+5% / 39%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate55% / 52%
Within ±2%32% / 24%
Above estimate14% / 24%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 7931Published estimate£100k
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid31%
2–325%
4–636%
7+8%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
Based on 14 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£93k–£100k
Estimate£100k
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLNWorked for this buyer | Effectiveness of interventions taken by UK slaughterhouses and cutting plants in response to unsatisfactory process hygiene criteria (PHC) resultsnotice published Sept 2026 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| University of SurreyWorked for this buyer | Investigating Legume Allergy in the UKnotice published Jun 2026 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1.6m16 awards in 36m · last this month | 9 live · £510k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 18% below n=3 | |
University of ExeterLarge | £3.5m30 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 16 live · £72m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 13% below n=2 |
University of SurreyLarge | £991k15 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 9 live · £714k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 2% below n=2 |
| £65k1 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=1 | |
| £2.1m12 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 1 live · £167k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=3 |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Below threshold - open competition
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 15 Oct 2026, 07:00 BST
- Last source update
- 15 Oct 2026, 07:00 BST
- Authority reference
C475058- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-097241- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078808Find a Tender
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Atamis legacy domain (health-family.force.com)- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 12 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 29 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
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
15 Oct 2026 → 1 Dec 2026 · 4 dates- Tender notice published12 days ago15 Oct 2026, 07:00 BST
- Today26 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 3 days29 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 17 days12 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Contract startsin 35 days1 Dec 2026
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published15 Oct 2026, 07:00 BSTUK4
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender