---
title: "FSS-2025-020 Online Guidance on Charcuterie Safety"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05596f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05596f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05596f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05596f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "FOOD STANDARDS SCOTLAND (FSS)"
published: "2025-10-08"
---

# FSS-2025-020 Online Guidance on Charcuterie Safety

Buyer: FOOD STANDARDS SCOTLAND (FSS)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05596f

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## Summary

Food Standards Scotland (FSS), a national agency responsible for food safety in Scotland, recently completed the procurement of a service titled "FSS-2025-020 Online Guidance on Charcuterie Safety." This project falls under the research services category, specifically focusing on developing a new online safety tool for meat charcuterie products. The procurement process, which was carried out through an open procedure, concluded with the award being granted to Hutchison Scientific Ltd on 25th August 2025. The location of the service delivery is within the UK, with the tool expected to aid businesses in assessing and improving their food safety practices by addressing both microbiological and relevant chemical hazards. The procurement was finalized with a contract value of £58,650, with the process presently marked as complete.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in research services, particularly those with expertise in food safety and assessment tools. The project allows companies to contribute to the development of innovative solutions that enhance safety standards in food production. The award criteria prioritised quality over price, reflecting the importance of technical expertise and content knowledge. SMEs, like Hutchison Scientific Ltd, exemplify the suitable candidates for such contracts, offering tailored and specialised services that meet the stringent requirements of national agencies like FSS. Furthermore, engaging in such projects aligns with broader goals of economic growth, by positioning businesses as key contributors to public health and safety initiatives.

## Notice

Technical content and assessment aspects of a new online safety tool.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

FSS is the public sector body responsible for ensuring food safety in Scotland, and producing guidance to support businesses to produce safe food is a core activity of the organisation. Businesses producing ready-to-eat (RTE) foods can experience problems in controlling microbiological risks, potentially leading to outbreaks and product recalls. The RTE foods most commonly contaminated with pathogenic bacteria are fresh produce (including salads and leafy greens), cooked sliced meats (cold cuts, charcuterie), soft cheeses and smoked fish. Recognising the higher risk of ready-to-eat foods, and the particular challenges faced by some types of RTE foods, FSS previously produced two online risk assessment tools to help businesses in Scotland to evaluate their processes and to promote best practice. The Safe Smoked Fish and Fresh Produce tools were well received by industry, and FSS received positive feedback for the provision of guidance in this interactive online format. The tools contain relevant scientific evidence and legal requirements to help FBOs assess their practices and provide clear and objective advice to reduce the risk of microbiological contamination of their product. FSS now wish to produce a new online risk assessment tool focused on the safe production and processing of meat charcuterie products (i.e. deli meats/cold cuts etc). This new tool will be of similar structure to the existing tools, containing an interactive risk assessment function to allow FBOs to review their practices, alongside useful resources, in an easy-to-use format. In contrast to the existing tools, this one will consider relevant chemical as well as microbiological hazards because these types of products often use chemical agents as part of their production. FSS require a Supplier to produce the technical content and assessment aspects of the tool.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063199-2025 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 4 Aug 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 24 Aug 2025 |
| Contract period | 24 Aug 2025 - 27 Feb 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £60,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £58,650 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | FOOD STANDARDS SCOTLAND (FSS) |
| Locality | ABERDEEN |
| Post town | Aberdeen |
| Postcode | AB11 5RL |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM5 North Eastern Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM50 Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire |
| Local authority | Aberdeen City |
| Electoral ward | Torry/Ferryhill |
| Westminster constituency | Aberdeen South |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | HUTCHISON SCIENTIFIC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73110000 - Research services

## Release History

- 8 Oct 2025 at 10:19 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063199-2025
- 4 Jul 2025 at 15:25 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037557-2025

## Notice URLs

- http://www.foodstandards.gov.scot
- http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000812493
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA24524
- https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/courts-and-tribunals/courts-tribunals-and-office-locations/find-us/edinburgh-sheriff-court-and-justice-of-the-peace-court/

## 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-05596f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05596f.json.