---
title: "Support for the SAFER Food Business Interests Technical Advisory Group"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067a5a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067a5a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067a5a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067a5a.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "FOOD STANDARDS SCOTLAND (FSS)"
published: "2026-04-01"
---

# Support for the SAFER Food Business Interests Technical Advisory Group

Buyer: FOOD STANDARDS SCOTLAND (FSS)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067a5a

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## Summary

The contract titled "Support for the SAFER Food Business Interests Technical Advisory Group" was awarded to Scotland Food & Drink by Food Standards Scotland (FSS). It focuses on supporting government services within the services category. The procurement paves a way for collaborative work on modernising the food law delivery in Scotland, aiming to ensure that food is safe and authentic for consumers. It covers areas such as sustainable resource delivery, data utilisation for compliance enhancement, and efficiency improvements. This contract, valued at £290,900, was signed on 31st March 2026, with the procurement conducted through a limited method due to technical reasons, bypassing a typical call for competition. The primary location for this initiative is Scotland (UKM region), aligning with FSS's strategic priorities.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses in the food industry, particularly those with expertise in regulatory frameworks and technological integrations within the food safety domain. Companies that focus on data-driven solutions, risk management, and public health outcomes could find significant growth potential in collaborating with the SAFER Programme. Large-scale organisations like Scotland Food & Drink, which successfully secured the contract, demonstrate the advantages of having specialised knowledge and a proven capability to co-design innovative regulatory strategies. Businesses in consultancy, strategic advisories, and those with a capacity for technical system design stand as strong contenders for similar future contracts.

## Notice

SAFER is one of FSS's key strategic priorities which aims to reform and modernise the delivery of food law in Scotland to ensure safe and authentic food for consumers by: - Creating a delivery system that is sustainably resourced. - Being intelligence-led, risk-focused and assurance-driven. - Harnessing data and digital technologies to improve compliance. - Driving efficiency and effectiveness across the system. SAFER objectives are to: 1. Review and reform the food law delivery model for Scotland, benchmarked against leading international approaches to ensure ambition and best practice. 2. Develop options to sustainably fund delivery of official controls and consider a transparent and proportionate cost recovery system. 3. Explore innovative regulatory strategies for reform, focused on risk, assurance, increased efficiency, and measurable public health outcomes. 4. Utilise new technologies to support food safety professionals, incentivise business compliance, and enhance consumer protection. The SAFER Programme Team will establish the Food Business Interests TAG (FBI TAG) which is needed to provide subject matter expertise from Scottish Food Industry in the co-design of a modernised food law delivery model and a sustainably funded Target Operating Model (TOM). The establishment of the FBI TAG is to ensure food businesses have a voice and play a key role in co-designing the new TOM and shaping any cost recovery options should they be introduced. In order to secure the FBI TAG's specialist expertise, a dedicated resource to lead the work of the TAG is required, ensuring subject matter expertise is available to the SAFER Programme Team in a timely manner so work can be delivered at pace.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

SAFER is one of FSS's key strategic priorities which aims to reform and modernise the delivery of food law in Scotland to ensure safe and authentic food for consumers by: - Creating a delivery system that is sustainably resourced. - Being intelligence-led, risk-focused and assurance-driven. - Harnessing data and digital technologies to improve compliance. - Driving efficiency and effectiveness across the system. SAFER objectives are to: 1. Review and reform the food law delivery model for Scotland, benchmarked against leading international approaches to ensure ambition and best practice. 2. Develop options to sustainably fund delivery of official controls and consider a transparent and proportionate cost recovery system. 3. Explore innovative regulatory strategies for reform, focused on risk, assurance, increased efficiency, and measurable public health outcomes. 4. Utilise new technologies to support food safety professionals, incentivise business compliance, and enhance consumer protection. The SAFER Programme Team will establish the Food Business Interests TAG (FBI TAG) which is needed to provide subject matter expertise from Scottish Food Industry in the co-design of a modernised food law delivery model and a sustainably funded Target Operating Model (TOM). The establishment of the FBI TAG is to ensure food businesses have a voice and play a key role in co-designing the new TOM and shaping any cost recovery options should they be introduced. In order to secure the FBI TAG's specialist expertise, a dedicated resource to lead the work of the TAG is required, ensuring subject matter expertise is available to the SAFER Programme Team in a timely manner so work can be delivered at pace.

Options: Option to extend for an additional 12 months at the sole discretion of FSS

### Procurement Information

The requirement is not generic stakeholder engagement or consultancy. It is technically specific and relates to the ability to provide whole system industry representation and legitimacy in the co design of a future food law delivery and charging model. In practice, this requires:

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030181-2026 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £290,900 |

## 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 | SCOTLAND FOOD & DRINK |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 75 - Administration, defence and social security services

### Codes

- 75130000 - Supporting services for the government

## Release History

- 1 Apr 2026 at 09:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030181-2026

## Notice URLs

- http://www.foodstandards.gov.scot
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000828236
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA24524

## 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-067a5a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067a5a.json.