---
title: "Bioavailability of Food Supplements"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0663a1"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0663a1"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0663a1.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0663a1.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY"
published: "2026-06-04"
---

# Bioavailability of Food Supplements

Buyer: FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0663a1

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## Summary

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), located in York, United Kingdom, has awarded a contract to Camrosh Limited for a project titled "Bioavailability of Food Supplements." This procurement falls under the industry category of research and development services and will be conducted through an open procedure method. The contract commenced on 5th June 2026 and is expected to run until 31st March 2028, with a potential extension of up to three months. Worth approximately GBP 350,064 gross, the project aims to address the lack of robust data regarding the bioavailability and toxicological risks of novel food supplement formulations. The key focus areas include lipid-based systems and non-lipid approaches, where limited evidence currently clouds the understanding of absorption rates and risks.

This contract represents a substantial opportunity for businesses involved in providing research and consultancy services, particularly those specialising in the life sciences or food technology sectors. Companies with expertise in toxicokinetics, bioavailability analysis, and regulatory consultancy are well-equipped to support such projects. The procurement also encourages small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary community and social enterprises (VCSEs) to participate. The scale and scope of this tender could facilitate business growth by enabling conventional and innovative industry players to contribute to pivotal research that informs policy and regulatory frameworks within the FSA's domain.

## Notice

The Food Standards Agency is looking to appoint 1 supplier to deliver a systematic literature review project on 'Bioavailability of Food Supplements' on a contracted basis from June 2026 until March 2028. Consumer use of food supplements has increased in recent years, accompanied by a growing trend for manufacturers to market novel formulations that claim enhanced oral bioavailability compared to conventional forms. These formulations include lipid-based systems such as liposomes, micelles, emulsions, and nanoparticles, as well as non-lipid approaches like particle size reduction through micronisation and co-formulation with polysaccharides. Although these products are often promoted as improving absorption, the supporting evidence remains limited and uncertain. This uncertainty is further increased by the vast variety of formulation types and the lack of data characterising their physicochemical properties. Consequently, the potential impact of these formulations on bioavailability and on toxicological risk, remains unclear and may pose concerns, particularly for under-characterised active ingredients and vulnerable populations. The Chemical Risk Assessment Unit (CRAU), through its risk assessments and engagement with other regulators, has identified emerging risks from food supplements intake and has sought advice from the Committee on Toxicity (COT) on several actives. The lack of information on how different formulations influence the toxicological profile of active substances remains a significant data gap in the risk assessment of food supplements. Addressing this gap is critical for ensuring robust risk assessments and informed policy decisions. In their recent report on novel formulations designed to increase food supplement bioavailability, the COT recommended that novel formulations and their active agents should be assessed for toxicokinetics on a case by case basis, using model systems that account for species differences in metabolism (COT, 2025). The COT emphasised that the feeding state (fed versus fasted) is a key determinant of bioavailability and must be critically considered when comparing across formulations. Furthermore, the suitability of acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and other health based guidance values (HBGVs) for unformulated food supplements should always be reviewed when applied to formulations designed to increase bioavailability, and approaches for relating HBGVs to differences in bioavailability should be assessed and applied on a case by case basis (COT, 2025). The work proposed in the specification contributes to the FSA Corporate Priority EG1 - Risk Analysis informed by evidence and aligns with FSA Areas of Research Interest on novel approach methods to assess chemical hazards and impact on consumers.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: This contract will have an optional extension of 3 months from 31st March 2028

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053078-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 4 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 17 Apr 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 13 May 2026 |
| Contract period | 4 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £300,000 |
| Lots value | £300,000 |
| Awards value | £291,720 |
| Contracts value | £291,720 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active, Pending |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY |
| Locality | YORK |
| Post town | York |
| Postcode | YO1 7PR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber |
| ITL 2 | TLE2 North Yorkshire |
| ITL 3 | TLE21 York |
| Local authority | York |
| Electoral ward | Guildhall |
| Westminster constituency | York Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CAMROSH |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 71900000 - Laboratory services
- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 73110000 - Research services
- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
- 79310000 - Market research services
- 79315000 - Social research services

## Release History

- 4 Jun 2026 at 17:01 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053078-2026
- 14 May 2026 at 10:52 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044315-2026
- 6 Mar 2026 at 07:45 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020169-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053078-2026
  4th June 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044315-2026
  14th May 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020169-2026
  6th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.food.gov.uk/
- 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-0663a1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0663a1.json.