---
title: "UK Farming Assurance schemes and foods produced to 'higher environmental production standards'"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-86562293-796a-439e-905d-b37286032579"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-86562293-796a-439e-905d-b37286032579"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-86562293-796a-439e-905d-b37286032579.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-86562293-796a-439e-905d-b37286032579.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEFRA"
published: "2023-03-30"
---

# UK Farming Assurance schemes and foods produced to 'higher environmental production standards'

Buyer: DEFRA  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-86562293-796a-439e-905d-b37286032579

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## Summary

Defra, the buying organisation, has awarded a contract for UK Farming Assurance schemes and food produced to higher environmental production standards. The procurement stage was selective, with a contract value of £44,423.97 in GBP. The contract was awarded to Cranfield University, and the tender period ended on 7th November 2022. The contract period is from 1st December 2022 to 31st March 2023.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses involved in research and development consultancy services, particularly those specialising in environmental sustainability in food production. SMEs and VCSEs are well-suited to compete for this contract. The procurement process aimed to map farming assurance schemes in the UK market and analyse their environmental sustainability impact, creating an opportunity for businesses to contribute to sustainable food systems in the public sector.

## Notice

Introduction UK public sector food and catering could be a powerful lever to support the transition to a more sustainable food system. There is an urgent requirement to understand the impact of different farming production methods and their role in environmental sustainability in order to inform future Defra policy on public sector food procurement. Defra requires evidence to explore what farming assurance schemes are present in the market that could be described as meeting "higher environmental production standards." There is also a need to understand the current supply and demand of food produced to higher environmental production standards (both under the current scope and wider), and what impact proposed changes in public procurement standards could have on the UK agri-food system. Aims and objectives 1. DEFRA wishes to understand the evidence relating to farming assurance schemes through: a. Mapping the farming assurance schemes available in the UK market, including retail-based schemes, and to include what standards and indicators they use that are relevant to higher environmental farming practices. b. An analysis based on the scheme's indicators and, whether it is likely that the investigated schemes result in higher environmental production standards c. An estimate of current coverage, in terms of number and type of farms signed up, for these schemes and volume of production by product category. d. An understanding of what data and tools are available that quantifies the environmental impact of the different assurance schemes and farming practices or improvements, both at a UK farm level and at a global level. 2. DEFRA wishes to understand the evidence relating to the effect of proposed procurement requirements on the supply of higher environmentally produced food and associated impacts, specifically: a. Market share and quantity of food currently produced to higher environmental production standards (of UK produced and globally imported food), and how this compares to the quantity required to fulfil proposed procurement requirements for a minimum of 20% of UK food spend to meet higher environmental production standards. This should include some modelling of the potential change in supply of food that meets required standards as a result of possible changes in government standards for food procurement b. Modelling of the potential scale of impact that this proposed policy may have on the makeup of UK domestic production, particularly the potential effects on environmental impact, reduced yields, resource efficiency, land use change and risk of importation.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ab5652eb-7a72-4273-a8fb-0445f60fe3ec |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Not specified |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 30 Mar 2023 |
| Submission deadline | 7 Nov 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 24 Nov 2022 |
| Contract period | 1 Dec 2022 - 31 Mar 2023 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £44,423 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £44,423 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEFRA |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS1 5AH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of |
| Local authority | Bristol, City of |
| Electoral ward | Hotwells and Harbourside |
| Westminster constituency | Bristol Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

## Release History

- 30 Mar 2023 at 07:56 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ab5652eb-7a72-4273-a8fb-0445f60fe3ec
- 29 Mar 2023 at 14:22 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/deb2b4b3-b60e-407b-925f-80eee4958a73

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ab5652eb-7a72-4273-a8fb-0445f60fe3ec
  30th March 2023 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/deb2b4b3-b60e-407b-925f-80eee4958a73
  29th March 2023 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-86562293-796a-439e-905d-b37286032579. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-86562293-796a-439e-905d-b37286032579.json.