Tender

An Assessment of the Risk Posed by Groundkeepers to the Virus Heath of Scottish Seed Potato Production

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

16 Jun 2025 at 00:00

PCS Notice - Website Contract Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Scottish Government has initiated a tender process titled "An Assessment of the Risk Posed by Groundkeepers to the Virus Health of Scottish Seed Potato Production," focusing on general public services within the UKM region, specifically Edinburgh. This procurement, using an open procedure, is currently at the tender stage, with crucial dates including a submission deadline by 10th July 2025 at 12:00 PM, and the procurement period expected to commence on 21st July 2025, with completion by 31st March 2027. This service category tender calls for electronic submissions through the Public Contracts Scotland website.

This tender presents an excellent opportunity for businesses specialising in agricultural research, specifically those with expertise in virus management and risk assessment in the agricultural sector. Companies capable of formulating management strategies for potato crop diseases, along with providing policy recommendations, would find this tender particularly relevant. Businesses are required to demonstrate robust economic credentials, including insurance coverages, to participate effectively. The project promises significant engagement, allowing specialists to contribute solutions to a critical issue in the seed potato industry, potentially enhancing their market standing and expertise.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

An Assessment of the Risk Posed by Groundkeepers to the Virus Heath of Scottish Seed Potato Production

Notice Description

2. Scotland is renowned worldwide for the quality of the seed potatoes it produces, underpinning the whole UK potato industry and exporting to over 30 countries outside of the EU. This reputation is primarily due to low levels of virus disease present in Scottish seed potatoes enabling production of high health seed by highly specialised growers. The most important potato viruses present in Scotland are spread by aphids moving from infected to healthy plants. Scotland's cool, maritime climate has historically kept aphid numbers, and therefore virus levels, low but factors including the changing climate and loss of effective insecticides have meant that virus levels have been increasing in recent years. Virus is managed through certification, crop inspections, and the industry. The Seed Potato Certification Scheme (SPCS) sets disease and quality tolerances, including tolerances for virus in seed potato crops, which limits the inoculum in crops and the risk of spread to other crops in the vicinity. Likewise statutory inspections of growing ware crops maintain limits on levels of virus. The industry face financial consequences if their crops do not meet tolerances required for certification and subsequently marketing; these include downgrading/no grading of seed crops, and potential destruction if ware or seed crops are above tolerances permitted. It is therefore of financial and reputational benefit for growers to take efforts to minimise the risk of virus to their crops. However, there is one potential source of virus inoculum that is neither controlled nor monitored, and whose importance is not quantified - Groundkeepers. Groundkeepers are 'volunteer' potato plants and therefore known hosts for potato viruses. 'Volunteers' are potato plants which usually grow from tubers that, at time of harvest during the previous season, were too small to be picked up by modern harvesters. Estimations of the number of tubers left on the soil surface or up to 20 cm underground varies widely throughout production areas. Some studies have reported an average tuber loss of 142 000 tubers per hectare, ranging from about 39 000 to 210 000 tubers. Consequently, volunteer potato plants are among the most important weeds in crops grown in rotation with potatoes. Incidence of groundkeepers is believed to have increased due to milder winters (with fewer ground frosts) and a loss of chemicals available to farmers. Groundkeepers are a known potential source of virus inoculum which currently sits outside the controls of both SPCS and potato producers, who often grow crops on rented ground. However, without fully understanding and quantifying the risk posed, it is impossible to justify policy changes or expensive mitigation/management processes.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Section 3 - Scope /Statement of Requirement 3. There are four key requirements in this commissioned research: 1) Determine the average occurrence of groundkeepers in fields on a national level following harvest of potato crops 2) Assess the associated risk of virus transmission from these groundkeepers present after harvest 3) A smaller, targeted (qualitative) assessment of how groundkeeper levels and virus risk may differ from these averages following potato production from fields considered 'higher risk' due to crop history 4) Formulate advice for growers for groundkeeper control and disease management practices, and policy recommendations to support Scotland's reputation.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000801768
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUN532594
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
PCS Notice - Website Contract Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
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

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Jun 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
10 Jul 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
21 Jul 2025 - 31 Mar 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
Not specified
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
EDINBURGH
Postcode
N/A
Post Town
Not specified
Country
Not specified
Major Region (ITL 1)
Not specified
Basic Region (ITL 2)
Not specified
Small Region (ITL 3)
Not specified
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland
Local Authority
Not specified
Electoral Ward
Not specified
Westminster Constituency
Not specified

Further Information

Notice Documents

  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUN532594
    An Assessment of the Risk Posed by Groundkeepers to the Virus Heath of Scottish Seed Potato Production - 2. Scotland is renowned worldwide for the quality of the seed potatoes it produces, underpinning the whole UK potato industry and exporting to over 30 countries outside of the EU. This reputation is primarily due to low levels of virus disease present in Scottish seed potatoes enabling production of high health seed by highly specialised growers. The most important potato viruses present in Scotland are spread by aphids moving from infected to healthy plants. Scotland's cool, maritime climate has historically kept aphid numbers, and therefore virus levels, low but factors including the changing climate and loss of effective insecticides have meant that virus levels have been increasing in recent years. Virus is managed through certification, crop inspections, and the industry. The Seed Potato Certification Scheme (SPCS) sets disease and quality tolerances, including tolerances for virus in seed potato crops, which limits the inoculum in crops and the risk of spread to other crops in the vicinity. Likewise statutory inspections of growing ware crops maintain limits on levels of virus. The industry face financial consequences if their crops do not meet tolerances required for certification and subsequently marketing; these include downgrading/no grading of seed crops, and potential destruction if ware or seed crops are above tolerances permitted. It is therefore of financial and reputational benefit for growers to take efforts to minimise the risk of virus to their crops. However, there is one potential source of virus inoculum that is neither controlled nor monitored, and whose importance is not quantified - Groundkeepers. Groundkeepers are 'volunteer' potato plants and therefore known hosts for potato viruses. 'Volunteers' are potato plants which usually grow from tubers that, at time of harvest during the previous season, were too small to be picked up by modern harvesters. Estimations of the number of tubers left on the soil surface or up to 20 cm underground varies widely throughout production areas. Some studies have reported an average tuber loss of 142 000 tubers per hectare, ranging from about 39 000 to 210 000 tubers. Consequently, volunteer potato plants are among the most important weeds in crops grown in rotation with potatoes. Incidence of groundkeepers is believed to have increased due to milder winters (with fewer ground frosts) and a loss of chemicals available to farmers. Groundkeepers are a known potential source of virus inoculum which currently sits outside the controls of both SPCS and potato producers, who often grow crops on rented ground. However, without fully understanding and quantifying the risk posed, it is impossible to justify policy changes or expensive mitigation/management processes.

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