Tender

Additional analytical methods for NDNS biomonitoring

FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

01 Apr 2026 at 08:23

Summary of the contracting process

The Food Standards Agency is initiating a tender titled "Additional analytical methods for NDNS biomonitoring" under the industry category of research and development consultancy services, located in York, United Kingdom. This procurement process is currently in the tender stage, having been initiated on 1 April 2026, with the tender period ending on 1 May 2026. As a buyer classified within the central government sector, the Agency is seeking to commission a research partner to support the development of analytical methods for understanding UK consumer exposure to food additives and chemical contaminants. The procurement method is open, and tenders must be submitted via the health-family single e-Commercial System prior to the deadline. The award period is projected to conclude on 1 July 2026. Key dates for inquiries close on 17 April 2026.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in research and development services, specifically those with expertise in analytical chemistry and biomonitoring approaches. Ideal contenders are those businesses that can demonstrate capability in identifying suitable biomarkers and developing reliable analytical methods for measuring human exposure to chemicals of interest. The project offers a gross value of £240,000, with an award criteria weighted towards technical quality and commercial viability. SMEs and VCSEs are encouraged to participate, suggesting room for smaller entities leveraging niche expertise. With a potential contract period from 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, including an optional six-week extension, this tender not only fosters innovation but also crucial partnerships within the scientific community to advance public health objectives. Businesses should prepare to address potential risks related to scope and timelines, ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory standards.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Additional analytical methods for NDNS biomonitoring

Notice Description

Developing our understanding of UK consumers exposure to food additives, and other chemical contaminants, is broad and complex; an important starting point is to increase the evidence base through the investigation of novel approaches to assessing consumer exposure. The actual use levels of additives in foods may be below the maximum permitted levels and, therefore, accurate consumer exposures to additives in foods are not easy to estimate. Additionally, consumers may be exposed to additives or other chemical contaminants through different sources, and other factors such as dietary preferences, brand loyalty and variable occurrence levels of contaminants, can often make the estimation of actual consumer exposure challenging. This research project aims to develop analytical methods to support potential future projects aimed at better understanding actual UK consumer exposure to food additives and other chemical contaminants through biomonitoring. The aim is to develop a package of analytical methods designed for the measurement of biomarkers, and approaches to estimate dietary intakes, from the measurements, of exposure for chemicals of strategic interest to the FSA. The FSA is seeking to commission a research partner with the capability and capacity to research and define biomonitoring approaches, derive and validate suitable analytical chemistry methods and determine toxicological approaches for the estimation of intakes of chemicals. The FSA will require the research partner to identify suitable urinary biomarkers for the substances (of groups of substances) of interest to the FSA, and to develop and validate analytical methods that can reliably and quantitatively measure them in human urine. The FSA will further require, for each chemical of interest, an approach for estimating the systemic exposure and theoretical dietary intake of the relevant substances, from the urinary excretion of the corresponding biomarkers.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067a35
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030107-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£200,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£200,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Apr 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
1 May 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
YORK
Postcode
YO1 7PR
Post Town
York
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE2 North Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE21 York
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
York
Electoral Ward
Guildhall
Westminster Constituency
York Central

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-067a35-2026-04-01T09:23:46+01:00",
    "date": "2026-04-01T09:23:46+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-067a35",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PJRM-6866-LYYX",
            "name": "Food Standards Agency",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PJRM-6866-LYYX"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "YO1 7PR",
                "locality": "York",
                "postalCode": "YO1 7PR",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKE21"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "FSA Commercial",
                "email": "fsa.commercial@food.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.food.gov.uk/",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PJRM-6866-LYYX",
        "name": "Food Standards Agency"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "C435068",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Additional analytical methods for NDNS biomonitoring",
        "description": "Developing our understanding of UK consumers exposure to food additives, and other chemical contaminants, is broad and complex; an important starting point is to increase the evidence base through the investigation of novel approaches to assessing consumer exposure. The actual use levels of additives in foods may be below the maximum permitted levels and, therefore, accurate consumer exposures to additives in foods are not easy to estimate. Additionally, consumers may be exposed to additives or other chemical contaminants through different sources, and other factors such as dietary preferences, brand loyalty and variable occurrence levels of contaminants, can often make the estimation of actual consumer exposure challenging. This research project aims to develop analytical methods to support potential future projects aimed at better understanding actual UK consumer exposure to food additives and other chemical contaminants through biomonitoring. The aim is to develop a package of analytical methods designed for the measurement of biomarkers, and approaches to estimate dietary intakes, from the measurements, of exposure for chemicals of strategic interest to the FSA. The FSA is seeking to commission a research partner with the capability and capacity to research and define biomonitoring approaches, derive and validate suitable analytical chemistry methods and determine toxicological approaches for the estimation of intakes of chemicals. The FSA will require the research partner to identify suitable urinary biomarkers for the substances (of groups of substances) of interest to the FSA, and to develop and validate analytical methods that can reliably and quantitatively measure them in human urine. The FSA will further require, for each chemical of interest, an approach for estimating the systemic exposure and theoretical dietary intake of the relevant substances, from the urinary excretion of the corresponding biomarkers.",
        "status": "active",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "73200000",
                        "description": "Research and development consultancy services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "73000000",
                        "description": "Research and development services and related consultancy services"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 240000,
            "amount": 200000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procurementMethod": "open",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure",
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "submissionMethodDetails": "Tenders for FSA funded projects must be submitted through the health-family single e-Commercial System (Atamis), using the following link: https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome",
        "submissionTerms": {
            "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
            "languages": [
                "en"
            ]
        },
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-05-01T12:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "enquiryPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-04-17T12:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "awardPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-07-01T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "active",
                "value": {
                    "amountGross": 240000,
                    "amount": 200000,
                    "currency": "GBP"
                },
                "awardCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Technical",
                            "description": "See Specification for more details. The technical criteria is broken down into 7 sections.",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 80,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "cost",
                            "name": "Commercial",
                            "description": "See specification for more details. The Commercial section is split into 5 sub-sections.",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 20,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-07-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2027-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2027-05-12T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "renewal": {
                    "description": "A 6-week optional extension"
                }
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest"
            },
            {
                "id": "030107-2026",
                "documentType": "tenderNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK4",
                "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030107-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-04-01T09:23:46+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ],
        "contractTerms": {
            "financialTerms": "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@food.gov.uk. 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."
        },
        "riskDetails": "As this is an evolving research project risks are spread across the deliverables, including but not limited to, scope, timings, regulatory changes, new scientific ways of working. Delays in obtaining, analysing, or synthesising published material could also impact delivery timelines."
    },
    "language": "en"
}