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Provision of Contingency Official Veterinarians ("COV") Services in Scotland

Animal and Plant Health Agency

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

24 Sep 2026 at 15:14

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) intends to establish a framework with veterinary practices in Scotland to provide extra, locally based support during outbreaks of exotic notifiable and reportable animal diseases, including avian influenza and bluetongue. Work would include farm visits, clinical inspections, examinations and sampling to support disease control. APHA would contact practices in the relevant area when extra veterinary capacity is needed. The arrangement is intended to strengthen Scotland’s response and draw on practices’ local knowledge, including in remote farming communities. It is a veterinary services requirement, with related animal husbandry and agricultural services. Delivery is across Scotland.

This process is at the planning stage: APHA is seeking market feedback before designing the framework, and has not yet invited tenders. It expects to publish a further notice on 9 November 2026. The buyer requests written feedback by 16 October 2026 and proposes online engagement sessions on 28 or 30 October 2026, with the time to be agreed. The planned contract period is 16 December 2026 to 15 December 2028. The advertised maximum value is £1 million to allow for a major outbreak; APHA expects actual spend of around £25,000 per year. The framework is planned as one lot, and small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises are considered suitable. Pricing models and how best value will be assessed are still under discussion.

This is intended for veterinary practices operating in Scotland that can make suitably experienced vets available for field-based animal disease response in their local areas. Practices may choose which team members to put forward for training and deployment; all vets deployed will receive APHA-provided disease-specific training, briefing and ongoing support, with training time reimbursed. Participation is on a best-endeavours basis: practices retain priority for private work and are not obliged to release staff when operational pressures prevent it. Joining does not guarantee deployment or require a practice to accept every request. Deployed vets will need a valid UK driving licence and access to a practice or personal vehicle. APHA is considering practice-submitted prices, published OV19(S) hourly rates or other proposed pricing models, and is seeking practices’ views on how to work together.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Contingency Official Veterinarians ("COV") Services in Scotland

Notice Description

Supporting Scotland's Response to Exotic Animal Disease Outbreaks The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is seeking support from vet practices across Scotland to help respond to outbreaks of exotic notifiable and reportable animal diseases, including Avian Influenza (AI) and Bluetongue (BT). During disease outbreaks, APHA often requires additional veterinary capacity to undertake field-based disease control activities such as farm visits, clinical inspections, examinations and sampling. We recognise the invaluable local knowledge and expertise held by veterinary practices across Scotland and would like to work with practices to strengthen Scotland's ability to respond quickly and effectively when outbreaks occur. We intend to invite interested practices to join a framework that would allow APHA to call upon veterinary resource within your local area when additional support is needed. Before designing this framework, we are interested to hear from vet practices in Scotland about how you think we can best work together. We are inviting you to: 1. Submit written feedback to us by Fri 16th October. 2. Join one of our engagement sessions (via Microsoft Teams), during which we will present our draft plans for the framework. The time has yet to be agreed, but we propose either 7pm Wed 28th Oct or 12:30 pm Fri 30th Oct allowing you to engage with us over lunch or after practice hours. If you wish to attend, please let us know which time works best for you. Below, we provide further information regarding the services, and describe the areas on which we are keen to hear your thoughts about how we can best work together. Training and Support Any vets deployed through this arrangement will receive comprehensive training before undertaking outbreak work. Practices can decide which members of their team receive training and make themselves available for deployment; there is no requirement for all vets within a practice to participate. APHA will provide disease-specific training and ongoing support. Deployed vets will be briefed before each assignment and supported by experienced APHA colleagues throughout the process. Practice principals and senior vets will not be expected to supervise these visits or provide the training themselves. APHA will reimburse participating vets for the time spent completing the required training. Flexible Participation The framework will operate on a best endeavours basis, recognising that private veterinary work remains your priority and that staffing availability can vary significantly between practices. While we hope practices will support disease control activities wherever possible, there is no obligation to release staff when operational pressures make this difficult. Participation in the framework does not guarantee deployment, nor does it commit practices to providing resource on every occasion. When additional veterinary support is required, APHA will contact practices within the relevant geographical area to determine availability and arrange deployment. Contract and Payment We are open to considering a range of pricing models to provide these services. For example: (1) practices could submit pricing to us, we would then award work to practices that represent the best value for money for a specific requirement; (2) we could use the OV19(S) hourly rates; or (3) you could propose other models for our consideration. Travel and Expenses Deployed vets will be required to hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to a practice or personal vehicle. We propose that travel and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed in line with APHA's published rates. Working Together to Protect Scottish Livestock Scotland's geography presents unique challenges for animal health and disease control. The remote nature of many farming communities means that local veterinary practices play a vital role in protecting livestock health and supporting farmers. By working together, APHA and private veterinary practices can strengthen Scotland's disease response capability, helping to safeguard animal health, protect rural livelihoods, and support Scottish farming communities when they need it most. We hope you will consider joining this important initiative. If your practice would like to learn more, please contact Tom Redfearn, tom.redfearn@defra.gov.uk, provide feedback regarding how we can best work together, and join one of our online information sessions. NOTE ON VALUE: a PS 1mn contract value is advertised to allow for a large disease outbreak that would require significant resources to manage. We however expect to spend in the region of PS25,000 per year.

Planning Information

1. Submit written feedback to us by the Fri 16th October. 2. Join one of our engagement sessions (via Microsoft Teams), during which we will present our draft plans for the framework. The time has yet to be agreed, but we propose either 7pm Wed 28th Oct or 12:30 pm Fri 30th Oct allowing you to engage with us over lunch or after practice hours. If you wish to attend, please let us know which time works best for you.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0779bf
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090669-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

77 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

77000000 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services

77100000 - Agricultural services

77500000 - Animal husbandry services

85200000 - Veterinary services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
9 Nov 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
16 Dec 2026 - 15 Dec 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Animal and Plant Health 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
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Postcode Area
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
TLM Scotland
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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