Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

CEFAS26-87 ITT for eDNA analysis of samples from Beyond the Reef survey

CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

01 Sep 2026 at 15:07

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

12 Aug 2026 at 09:39

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

17 Jun 2026 at 10:43

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) procured laboratory eDNA analysis for its Beyond the Reef marine survey in the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories. The work supports research into the composition and distribution of teleost fish and elasmobranchs around Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The requirement covers 417 water-sampling filters, comprising 348 samples and 69 field negatives. The supplier must extract DNA, amplify an approximately 170-base-pair fragment of the 12S rRNA region using MiFish-U and MiFish-E primer sets, index pooled PCR products, sequence the libraries on a suitable high-throughput platform, and provide demultiplexed paired-end raw sequence data. This is a specialist scientific analysis service, classified under CPV 71620000, delivered for Cefas in the United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through an above-threshold open procedure. Cefas received 11 bids, including seven from SMEs. One lot was evaluated on technical quality at 70%, social value at 10% and cost at 20%; economic and technical selection requirements were set out in the Bidder Pack, and the lot was identified as suitable for SMEs. Applied Genomics Ltd was awarded the contract on 12 August 2026. The award value was £153,150 excluding VAT, or £183,510 including VAT. The contract was signed on 1 September 2026, with a value of £153,150 excluding VAT, or £183,780 including VAT. The contract period runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027.

This award indicates demand from Cefas for end-to-end environmental DNA laboratory services supporting marine biodiversity research. A credible future competitor would need validated DNA extraction capability for Sterivex PES filters and field negatives, robust PCR expertise covering teleost and elasmobranch markers, library indexing and high-throughput sequencing capacity. It would also need to supply demultiplexed paired-end raw reads and provide transparent, well-documented laboratory procedures suitable for published research. Experience managing environmental samples is important because contamination, degradation, extraction or PCR failure and sequencing problems can affect delivery. Suppliers should be able to demonstrate quality controls, repeat-work capability and reliable handling of sample logistics. The evaluation shows that technical quality carried substantially more weight than cost, with social value also assessed.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

CEFAS26-87 ITT for eDNA analysis of samples from Beyond the Reef survey

Notice Description

The Blue Belt Programme is the UK Government's flagship marine conservation programme, working with a number of the UK Overseas Territories to safeguard more than four million square kilometres of the World's oceans. Earlier this year, the Blue Belt Programme conducted its first offshore research expedition 'Beyond the Reef' to the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. As a component of the 'Beyond the Reef' survey, Cefas undertook water sampling, yielding 417 filters (348 samples, 69 field negatives). Our overall aim is to identify the composition and distribution of teleost fishes and elasmobranchs around Anguilla, and the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. We require a Supplier to process these samples using a metabarcoding workflow and provide us with the raw sequence data. As we are aiming to publish this research, we require a high level of transparency on, and input into, the laboratory procedures used. Full specification details can be found in the Bidder Pack. Services required include: - Extract DNA from the Sterivex (0.22 um; PES) filters (348 total; triplicated per sampling station/depth; 4 L filtered total) and field negatives (69; one per station) provided by Cefas. - PCR amplify a ~170 bp fragment of the 12S rRNA region, with two primer sets: one targeting teleost fishes (MiFish-U) and another targeting elasmobranchs (MiFish-E). - Pooled PCR products will then be indexed. - Sequence the library(s) on a suitable High Throughput Sequencing Platform, e.g. NextSeq 1000 P1 XLEAP-SBS, to an appropriate level of sequence depth. - Provide Cefas with demultiplexed paired-end read sequence data.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b6b0
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082754-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71620000 - Analysis services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£180,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£180,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£153,150 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£153,150 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
17 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
12 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LOWESTOFT
Postcode
NR33 0HT
Postcode Area
Norwich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH63 East Suffolk
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
East Suffolk
Electoral Ward
Kirkley & Pakefield
Westminster Constituency
Lowestoft

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Applied Genomics

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...