---
title: "Purchase of International Specialist Courier Services for APHA"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-054f3f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-054f3f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-054f3f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-054f3f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY"
published: "2026-03-30"
---

# Purchase of International Specialist Courier Services for APHA

Buyer: ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-054f3f

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## Summary

The recent procurement process concerning the "Purchase of International Specialist Courier Services for APHA" by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), with assistance from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has undergone a significant update. Based in London, this procurement falls under the services sector and the process reached the tender cancellation stage as of 30 March 2026. Initially, this open procurement aimed to manage secure, time-critical deliveries internationally, including handling high-risk materials. A preliminary market engagement occurred in November 2024, and the tender was slated to close on 14 November 2025. However, due to an internal financial review, the tender was deemed unaffordable, leading to its cancellation, with an intent for re-tendering anticipated. 

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in international courier services, particularly those adept at handling biological substances. The procurement sought capabilities in managing chilled and dry ice shipments, navigating customs, and holding appropriate licenses for transporting infectious substances. The competitive flexible procedure involved a potential Best and Final Offer (BAFO) stage, promising a fair competition for capable businesses, including SMEs. With a projected contract value peaking at £1,146,000, the tender highlighted a clear opportunity for growth in the logistics sector, particularly for specialised courier services poised to meet the stringent requirements and strategic demands of international logistical operations. Interested enterprises should stay alert for the re-tender, ensuring readiness to navigate the complex procurement dynamics effectively.

## Notice

Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) require a specialist courier supplier to manage the secure, time-critical collection and international delivery of approximately 2,000 consignments per year. While these volumes are indicative and cannot be guaranteed, the consignments include high-risk materials classified as Category A (UN2814 & UN2900) and Category B (UN3373), which must be transported both within the UK (including Northern Ireland) and globally, covering Europe, Non-EU countries, and other international destinations. Due to the specialist nature of the consignments, the suppliers must hold appropriate licenses for the transportation of infectious substances, manage chilled and dry ice shipments, provide import services, and navigate complex customs clearance procedures.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Extensions will be subject to service demand and satisfactory contract performance.

### Planning Information

Defra Group Commercial on behalf of Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) intends to publish a tender opportunity for the provision of International Specialist Courier service, tentatively scheduled for August 2025. The successful supplier(s) will be required to collect and deliver Category A (UN2814 & UN2900) and/or Category B (UN3373) consignments to and from UK addresses and deliver them internationally, including to Northern Ireland, Europe, Non-EU countries, and worldwide destinations. Given the specialist nature of these consignments, suppliers must hold the appropriate licenses for transporting biological substances under chilled conditions using dry ice. Additionally, suppliers will need to provide import services and manage complex customs clearance process. The tender opportunity is expected to be divided into 2 lots: Lot 1 - Transportation of Category A samples Lot 2 - Transportation of Category B samples Suppliers will have the option to bid for one or both lots. Please note that this approach may be subject to change based on the outcome of our supplier engagement. An initial market engagement exercise took place in November 2024. This notice now serves to resume the procurement process ahead of the forthcoming tender. We are considering holding a virtual supplier engagement event, provisionally scheduled for 16th July 2025 via Microsoft Teams. This session will provide an overview of our requirements and invite supplier feedback. A Q&A session will follow, giving participants the opportunity to raise questions which will be addressed by our team. If your organisation is interested in this upcoming opportunity, please register your interest by emailing angelica.ho@defra.gov.uk. In your response, kindly confirm the following: 1) Whether your organisation intends to submit a tender. 2) Whether you would like to attend the supplier engagement event, if so, please provide the names and email addresses of the proposed attendees. We would appreciate receiving all expressions of interest by 12pm on 14th July 2025. Thank you for your time and interest. We look forward to hearing from you.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028911-2026 |
| Notice type | UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 30 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 14 Nov 2025 |
| Future notice date | 18 Aug 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Feb 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 |
| Recurrence | 2029-09-01 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £955,000 |
| Lots value | £955,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY |
| Additional buyers | DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS; Missing |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 4DF |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
- 64 - Postal and telecommunications services

### Codes

- 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
- 60161000 - Parcel transport services
- 60400000 - Air transport services
- 60411000 - Scheduled airmail transport services
- 60421000 - Non-scheduled airmail transport services
- 64100000 - Post and courier services
- 64110000 - Postal services
- 64113000 - Postal services related to parcels
- 64120000 - Courier services
- 64121000 - Multi-modal courier services
- 64121100 - Mail delivery services
- 64121200 - Parcel delivery services

## Release History

- 30 Mar 2026 at 09:23 - TenderCancellation - UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028911-2026
- 13 Oct 2025 at 15:21 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064911-2025
- 18 Jun 2025 at 14:35 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033409-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028911-2026
  30th March 2026 - Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064911-2025
  13th October 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033409-2025
  18th June 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-054f3f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-054f3f.json.