---
title: "RBGKEW1513 Cacao TEA and SIRA"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06a6ed"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06a6ed"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a6ed.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a6ed.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW"
published: "2026-05-28"
---

# RBGKEW1513 Cacao TEA and SIRA

Buyer: BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06a6ed

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## Summary

The contract "RBGKEW1513 Cacao TEA and SIRA" involves a direct award by the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, classified under the public authority central government. It focuses on conducting trace element analysis and stable isotope analysis of cacao samples originally sourced from South America. The contract was awarded to FERA SCIENCE LIMITED, indicating the completion of the award stage. The procurement was conducted without competition as it was below the threshold, following a direct procurement method. The contract commenced on 1st January 2026 and concluded on 31st March 2026, with analysis work completed by FERA at their York-based facility, covering an extensive range of regions across the United Kingdom.

This tender presents growth opportunities for businesses involved in research laboratory services, specifically those skilled in advanced spectroscopy and analytical services. Enterprises engaging in scientific research and possessing capabilities in mass spectrometry can find favourable prospects in similar future contracts with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew or other public organisations. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a focus on delivering specialised services without requiring competitive bids might find such direct award contracts advantageous for establishing a reputable portfolio in governmental scientific projects.

## Notice

Direct Award Trace element analysis (TEA) of approximately 100 cacao seed subsamples using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Stable Isotope Analysis (SIRA) of approximately 60 cacao samples (both fatted & defatted fractions) using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IR-MS). These samples were donated to Kew from various countries in South America (Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil) during the previous Defra-funded projects with World Forest ID. All samples will be sent to the supplier in January 2026 and would have to analysed and data returned by end of March 2026 following identical pipelines and MSAs/MTAs as a logical follow-on to those analysed by Fera during the previous WFID projects to maintain protection of sample and data chain of custody and continuity of data quality for standardised results and interpretation.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049995-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2026 - 31 Mar 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

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

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW |
| Locality | KEW GREEN |
| Post town | Twickenham |
| Postcode | TW9 3AE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI7 Outer London - West and North West |
| ITL 3 | TLI75 Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames |
| Local authority | Richmond upon Thames |
| Electoral ward | Kew |
| Westminster constituency | Richmond Park |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | FERA SCIENCE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73111000 - Research laboratory services

## Release History

- 28 May 2026 at 06:33 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049995-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049995-2026
  28th May 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-06a6ed. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a6ed.json.