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WP5 Social Science - The future of food regulation

Food Standards Agency

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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25 Sep 2026 at 11:50

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned social science research and consultancy to build the evidence base for its Future Food Regulation programme. The work reviews the programme’s case for intervention, examining its programme-wide and workstream-level problems, identifying evidence gaps, and assessing relevant market, behavioural, regulatory and government failures. The findings are intended to support policy development, economic appraisal, engagement with stakeholders and future business cases. The wider programme seeks a trusted, sustainable system that keeps food safe and accurately described. It includes a national approach to regulating large food retailers, improvements to local and online regulation, business registration, enforcement and the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, and a central guidance hub. The buyer is the Food Standards Agency; the work is research and research consultancy rather than operational regulation.

The procurement is complete and the contract is active. The FSA used a direct award without competition, calling off from an existing social science research arrangement. The Social Agency/Basis Social Limited was selected. The contract was signed on 18 September 2026 and runs from 21 September 2026 to 15 January 2027. Its value is £49,997.88 excluding VAT and £59,997.46 including VAT. There was one lot, covering the evidence review for the Future of Food Regulation programme’s rationale for intervention. The published award records the requirement as services, specifically research and related consultancy. No award scoring basis or supplier eligibility requirements are provided in the contracting data.

For suppliers interested in future work of this kind with the FSA, this award shows demand for focused social science research that can underpin regulatory policy and economic appraisal. A credible competitor would need to design a systematic evidence review, test programme-level and workstream-level problem statements, identify evidence gaps, and assess market, behavioural, regulatory and government failures. The work requires the ability to turn research into a clear, defensible case for government intervention and outputs useful to policy development, stakeholder engagement and business-case preparation. Experience spanning food regulation, regulatory policy and applied social science would be directly relevant to the programme’s scope, including national oversight of large retailers and local and online regulation. The award was made through a call-off without competition, so familiarity with the relevant research arrangement is commercially pertinent.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

WP5 Social Science - The future of food regulation

Notice Description

Calling off from C425727 Research: Social Science Call-Off. The Food Standards Agency (FSA)'s Future Food Regulation (FFR) programme aims to deliver a regulatory system that is effective, sustainable and trusted, ensuring food is safe and is what it says it is. The programme aims to establish a national approach to regulating large food retailers, rather than at a local level. Alongside this, the programme aims to implement improvements at the Local Regulation and Online Regulation level, as well as enhance and ensure food business Registration, Enforcement and the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) works alongside regulatory changes. A central Guidance hub is also being developed. A programme and workstream-level Theory of Change (ToC) has consequently been developed, which articulates the problems the programme seeks to address and the outcomes it intends to achieve. Following ToC development, the FSA now requires a comprehensive evidence review to establish a clear and defensible rationale for intervention across the programme. This should systematically evidence programme-level and workstream-level problem statements and identify any evidence gaps. Then identify relevant market, behavioural, regulatory and government failures, to assess whether government (FSA) intervention is justified. The outputs will directly support policy development, economic appraisal, stakeholder engagement, and future business case development.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077a62
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090930-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

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

73110000 - Research services

73210000 - Research consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£49,997 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
21 Sep 2026 - 15 Jan 2027 1-6 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
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

The Social Agency/Basis Social Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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.

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