Planning

High-Risk Foods for Listeria

FOOD STANDARDS SCOTLAND (FSS)

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

15 Oct 2025 at 15:20

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process initiated by Food Standards Scotland (FSS) involves a planned tender for research services titled "High-Risk Foods for Listeria". FSS, a national agency based in Aberdeen, Scotland, is looking to engage a contractor to perform an evidence review on foods that are considered high-risk for Listeria monocytogenes. This research will aid FSS in tailoring consumer messaging to protect vulnerable consumers from foodborne illnesses. The process is currently in the planning stage, with a future notice date set for 27 October 2025. The work aligns with procurement guidelines legislated under CELEX 32014L0024, focusing on research services within the UKM region.

This tender presents significant opportunities for research-oriented businesses, particularly those with expertise in food safety and risk analysis. The successful contractor will be responsible for providing an in-depth review and prioritised list of high-risk foods, leveraging international datasets alongside local Scottish data. Businesses with strong capabilities in analysing surveillance and outbreak data will find this procurement an excellent opportunity to contribute to public health initiatives while expanding their services within the public sector. The requirements point to a necessity for organisations that can handle comprehensive data analysis and evidence synthesis, thus offering potential growth and recognition in the governmental and research sectors.

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Notice Title

High-Risk Foods for Listeria

Notice Description

Food Standards Scotland require a Contractor to carry out an evidence review to identify the foods considered high-risk for Listeria monocytogenes, based on the latest evidence and surveillance data available from worldwide sources. The Contractor would then be required to develop a prioritised list of these foods, ranking them based on their risk to vulnerable consumers.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is seeking a Contractor to deliver: 1) an up-to-date, in-depth evidence review of the foods with a known association with L. monocytogenes to reflect the current evidence base, and 2) the development of a prioritised list of these high-risk foods, ranking them based on their risk to vulnerable consumers, based on the most appropriate evidence and legitimate factors identified in the evidence review. The Contractor must have an ability to review incidents, surveillance and outbreak data in the literature to analyse available evidence on the risk of L. monocytogenes in food products. FSS can provide food sampling data from Scotland from 2015 - 2025, but it is expected that the Contractor will source alternative, relevant published international datasets and literature to supplement this evidence review. Currently, named food groups of potential risk from L. monocytogenes, developed from previous evidence and reviews from several years ago, are wide-ranging (e.g. pre-cut fruits and vegetables), comprising of several different food products with potentially varying levels of risk. Therefore, a key outcome of this research would be to produce a list of foods that vulnerable consumers should be aware of that are specific food commodities where possible, rather than wide-ranging food groups, based on the evidence provided. It is expected that the outputs of this work will enable FSS to tailor its consumer messaging on L. monocytogenes to protect those consumers most at risk of food borne illness, as well identify areas which require further work or surveillance. This will ensure that these vulnerable groups have accurate information and are not avoiding foods of lower risk unnecessarily.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05cd86
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065694-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Oct 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
27 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FOOD STANDARDS SCOTLAND (FSS)
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
bethany.gold@gov.scot
Contact Phone
+44 1224285172

Buyer Location

Locality
ABERDEEN
Postcode
AB11 5RL
Post Town
Aberdeen
Country
Scotland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM5 North Eastern Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM50 Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland

Local Authority
Aberdeen City
Electoral Ward
Torry/Ferryhill
Westminster Constituency
Aberdeen South

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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