---
title: "Effectiveness of interventions taken by UK slaughterhouses and meat cutting plants in response to unsatisfactory process hygiene criteria (PHC) results"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-069334"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069334"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069334.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069334.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY"
published: "2026-05-07"
---

# Effectiveness of interventions taken by UK slaughterhouses and meat cutting plants in response to unsatisfactory process hygiene criteria (PHC) results

Buyer: FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-069334

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## Summary

The Food Standards Agency, a central government public authority, is planning a procurement process titled "Effectiveness of interventions taken by UK slaughterhouses and meat cutting plants in response to unsatisfactory process hygiene criteria (PHC) results". This procurement falls under the Research and development services and related consultancy services category, market research services, and social research services. Located in York, United Kingdom, the procurement is currently in the planning stage with an open procedure. Key deadlines include the enquiry period ending on 23rd June 2026, and the tender submission deadline on 7th July 2026. The project is valued at £100,000 with a gross amount of £120,000, and involves an open competition below the threshold. This initiative aims to enhance regulatory compliance by assessing the effectiveness of corrective actions following unsatisfactory PHC results in meat processing establishments.

This tender provides significant opportunities for businesses specialising in qualitative research, critical literature review, and those with expertise in slaughterhouse hygiene processes and microbiological criteria. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are particularly encouraged to participate, as the project supports their participation. The contract period spans from 1st September 2026 to 28th February 2028, with potential renewals. Businesses offering consultancy services in this field can leverage this opportunity to expand their portfolio and contribute to enhancing food safety compliance across the UK meat industry.

## Notice

Regulation (EC) 2073/2005 on the microbiological criteria of foodstuffs sets rules for sampling frequencies for process hygiene criteria (PHC) in slaughterhouses and cutting plants. The regulation grants sampling exemptions for small meat processing establishments; however, it is poorly understood how these exemption may affect risk to consumers. The FSA therefore is proposing to commission a project to assess the effectiveness of corrective actions typically taken by meat processing establishments following unsatisfactory PHC findings. This knowledge will be used to inform the risk to consumers from PHC sampling exemptions for small meat processing establishments, and support the FSA in improving regulatory compliance. This project will consist of two phases: 1) semi-structured qualitative interviews of slaughterhouse and cutting plant stakeholders to determine which actions are taken by meat processing establishments in response to unsatisfactory PHC results; followed by 2) a critical literature review of the effectiveness of interventions identified in Phase 1 in correcting unsatisfactory PHC results. The final output of the project will be a technical report consisting of findings from Phases 1 and 2, for publication with the FSA. Tenderers should have expertise designing and conducting qualitative questionnaires and interviews, and experience conducting critical literature reviews. Experience of slaughterhouse and meat cutting plant hygiene processes and microbiological process hygiene criteria is highly desirable.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Authority reserves the right to extend procurement timelines by up to 4 weeks to account for any unforeseen delays.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041855-2026 |
| Notice type | UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 7 Jul 2026 |
| Future notice date | 1 Jun 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 28 Feb 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £100,000 |
| Lots value | £100,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## 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 |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79310000 - Market research services
- 79315000 - Social research services

## Release History

- 7 May 2026 at 11:18 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041855-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041855-2026
  7th May 2026 - Planned procurement 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-069334. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069334.json.