Tender

Purchase of International Specialist Courier Services for APHA

ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

13 Oct 2025 at 15:21

Planning

18 Jun 2025 at 14:35

Summary of the contracting process

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), together with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), is procuring international specialist courier services, focusing on safe and regulated transport of Category A and B consignments, including high-risk and infectious substances, across the UK and internationally. With an active tender phase beginning from 13th October 2025, the procurement process is open, employing a competitive flexible procedure. Bidders are encouraged to submit tenders by 14th November 2025, with evaluations possibly leading to a Best and Final Offer stage. The contract is structured to commence on 1st February 2026 for a term ending 31st March 2028, with the possibility of extensions based on demand and performance. This significant procurement, valued at £955,000, allows for electronic submission through the Defra portal, inviting entries especially from SMEs and VCSEs.

This tender presents lucrative opportunities for businesses operating in the courier and logistics sectors, particularly those equipped to handle specialized transportation of biological materials under stringent conditions, utilizing chilled and dry ice methodologies while managing complex customs procedures. Enterprises well-suited to compete include those proficient in multi-modal and international delivery services with adequate licensing for handling biohazardous materials. By participating, businesses can expand their footprint in governmental engagements, enhance their service portfolio, and potentially secure a stable revenue stream from a reputable public authority. Given the procurement’s allowances for an initial Best and Final Offer stage, enterprises are encouraged to prepare competitive bids that demonstrate both technical acumen and cost efficiency.

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Notice Title

Purchase of International Specialist Courier Services for APHA

Notice Description

Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) require a specialist courier supplier to manage the secure, time-critical collection and international delivery of approximately 2,000 consignments per year. While these volumes are indicative and cannot be guaranteed, the consignments include high-risk materials classified as Category A (UN2814 & UN2900) and Category B (UN3373), which must be transported both within the UK (including Northern Ireland) and globally, covering Europe, Non-EU countries, and other international destinations. Due to the specialist nature of the consignments, the suppliers must hold appropriate licenses for the transportation of infectious substances, manage chilled and dry ice shipments, provide import services, and navigate complex customs clearance procedures.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Extensions will be subject to service demand and satisfactory contract performance.

Planning Information

Defra Group Commercial on behalf of Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) intends to publish a tender opportunity for the provision of International Specialist Courier service, tentatively scheduled for August 2025. The successful supplier(s) will be required to collect and deliver Category A (UN2814 & UN2900) and/or Category B (UN3373) consignments to and from UK addresses and deliver them internationally, including to Northern Ireland, Europe, Non-EU countries, and worldwide destinations. Given the specialist nature of these consignments, suppliers must hold the appropriate licenses for transporting biological substances under chilled conditions using dry ice. Additionally, suppliers will need to provide import services and manage complex customs clearance process. The tender opportunity is expected to be divided into 2 lots: Lot 1 - Transportation of Category A samples Lot 2 - Transportation of Category B samples Suppliers will have the option to bid for one or both lots. Please note that this approach may be subject to change based on the outcome of our supplier engagement. An initial market engagement exercise took place in November 2024. This notice now serves to resume the procurement process ahead of the forthcoming tender. We are considering holding a virtual supplier engagement event, provisionally scheduled for 16th July 2025 via Microsoft Teams. This session will provide an overview of our requirements and invite supplier feedback. A Q&A session will follow, giving participants the opportunity to raise questions which will be addressed by our team. If your organisation is interested in this upcoming opportunity, please register your interest by emailing angelica.ho@defra.gov.uk. In your response, kindly confirm the following: 1) Whether your organisation intends to submit a tender. 2) Whether you would like to attend the supplier engagement event, if so, please provide the names and email addresses of the proposed attendees. We would appreciate receiving all expressions of interest by 12pm on 14th July 2025. Thank you for your time and interest. We look forward to hearing from you.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054f3f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064911-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

64 - Postal and telecommunications services


CPV Codes

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

60161000 - Parcel transport services

60400000 - Air transport services

60411000 - Scheduled airmail transport services

60421000 - Non-scheduled airmail transport services

64100000 - Post and courier services

64110000 - Postal services

64113000 - Postal services related to parcels

64120000 - Courier services

64121000 - Multi-modal courier services

64121100 - Mail delivery services

64121200 - Parcel delivery services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£955,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£955,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Oct 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
14 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
18 Aug 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Feb 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
2029-09-01

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY
Additional Buyers

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
network.procurement@defra.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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