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EU harmonised surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) E. coli and Salmonella found in fresh beef and pork meat on retail sale in the UK in 2027

Food Standards Agency

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

10 Sep 2026 at 08:51

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

12 Jun 2026 at 09:26

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Food Standards Agency is procuring services for EU-harmonised surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli and Salmonella found in fresh beef and pork sold at retail across the UK. The programme supports food-safety research by examining the presence and distribution of pathogens and their antimicrobial-resistance profiles, to inform action to reduce foodborne disease. It comprises two linked workstreams: survey design, retail sample collection and transport to a testing laboratory; and microbiological testing, data analysis, reporting and archiving of recovered bacteria and resistance data. The work is in the food microbiology, laboratory testing, research and data-analysis sectors. UK Health Security Agency is identified as the supplier for the testing and analysis workstream, while the Food Standards Agency is the buyer.

This procurement has been awarded and is marked complete. It used an above-threshold open procedure, with tenders evaluated on technical quality at 80% and commercial factors at 20%. The enquiry deadline was 6 July 2026 and the tender deadline was 31 July 2026; the award period ended on 1 September 2026. Lot 1 was valued at £50,000 excluding VAT (£60,000 including VAT), for work from 1 October 2026 to 29 February 2028, with a possible three-month extension. Lot 2 was awarded to UK Health Security Agency on 27 August 2026 at £134,038 excluding VAT (£160,845.60 including VAT), for work from 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2028, with a possible six-month extension. Lot 2 attracted two bids. Separate tenders were required for each lot, and suppliers could bid for one or both, subject to a maximum of one award.

This procurement demonstrates recurring public-sector demand for coordinated antimicrobial-resistance surveillance in retail meat, combining field sampling with specialist laboratory and analytical delivery. Suppliers suited to the requirement would need capability in food-chain survey design, representative retail sample collection, controlled sample transport and microbiological testing of beef and pork. Strong candidates would also need experience recovering and characterising E. coli and Salmonella, assessing antimicrobial-resistance profiles, managing laboratory data, producing robust technical reports and preserving samples or bacterial records for future reference. Credible delivery requires quality-focused scientific teams, suitable laboratory infrastructure, reliable data-management and archiving processes, and the capacity to coordinate interdependent field, testing and reporting activities. The buyer considered the opportunity suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises, and permitted collaborative or consortium approaches.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

EU harmonised surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) E. coli and Salmonella found in fresh beef and pork meat on retail sale in the UK in 2027

Notice Description

The objective of microbiological food safety research themes is to provide robust information on the presence, growth, survival, and elimination of pathogenic microorganisms throughout the food chain; the extent, distribution, causes, risks and burden of foodborne disease will also be considered where appropriate. The reduction of foodborne disease has been one of FSA's key objectives in ensuring food safety. The reduction of foodborne disease is a continuing priority, ensuring that food produced and sold in the UK is safe to eat. We are taking a targeted approach to the control and reduction of individual pathogens, with the aim of reducing the overall burden of foodborne disease in the UK. Lot 1. Survey design, sample collection at retail and transportation to the testing laboratory Lot 2. Microbiological testing, data analysis, reporting and archiving of recovered bacteria and their AMR profile

Lot Information

Lot 1. Survey design, sample collection at retail and transportation to the test

Renewal: October 2026 - February 2028. Sampling to be delivered January-December 2027, with an optional extension of up to 3 months.

Lot 2.Microbiological testing, data analysis, reporting and archiving of recove

Renewal: October 2026 - May 2028, with an optional extension of up to 6 months.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b3a6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085632-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

71900000 - Laboratory services

72314000 - Data collection and collation services

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

73110000 - Research services

73111000 - Research laboratory services

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

79310000 - Market research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£210,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£210,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£134,038 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
31 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
27 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 31 May 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

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
Postcode Area
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

UK Health Security Agency

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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