---
title: "Badger Hair Genotyping (APHA)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ae"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ae"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ae.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ae.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY"
published: "2026-07-09"
---

# Badger Hair Genotyping (APHA)

Buyer: ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ae

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## Summary

The Animal and Plant Health Agency, in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has completed the direct award contract titled "Badger Hair Genotyping (APHA)". This procurement falls under the services category within the research laboratory services industry and is located in London, United Kingdom. The procurement process followed a direct award method due to technical reasons specified under the Procurement Act 2023. The contract, awarded to LGC Genomics Limited, commences on 27th July 2026 and will run until 31st March 2028, with a possible extension until 30th September 2028. The award process is currently in the pending stage, with the contract value set at £120,636 net of VAT, and the finalisation of the signature is scheduled by 24th July 2026.

This contract presents significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in DNA analysis and genotyping, particularly those capable of handling low-volume, poor-quality wildlife samples like badger hair. Companies with expertise in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology and experience with Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) identification will find this opportunity especially relevant. LGC Genomics Limited's role as the sole supplier underscores the niche technical expertise required for this contract, indicating that businesses looking to compete in similar tenders should focus on developing niche technical capabilities to meet specific procurement needs in wildlife research and analysis.

## Notice

This Contract is formed of two sampling requirements: Requirement 1: Single Badger Hair DNA extraction for the National Badger Sett Survey (25-28) Requirement 2: DNA extraction from clumps of badger hair. Requirement 1 requires the Supplier to extract DNA from single badger hairs and amplify using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology to identify sufficient material to determine which alleles are present at each pre defined Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP). The output data from this analysis will be used to determine the number of individual badgers. Requirement 2 requires the Supplier to extract DNA from clumps of Badger guard hairs (including roots); while samplers were asked to try to aim for a good number of hairs more than fifteen (number more than 15), this was not always feasible due to the nature of the work, and a minority of samples are of smaller size. The DNA should be processed to identify which specific SNP is present in the individual. The Buyer estimates that due to high rates of within-population homogeneity, and allelic drop out, the panel will need to include approximately five thousand five hundred (5,500) SNPs.

### Procurement Information

This Direct Award is proposed under Schedule 5, Paragraph 6(a) and (b) of the Procurement Act 2023, which permits a direct award where: (a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods or services required; and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods or services. Absence of Competition for Technical Reasons: The requirement is for the extraction and genotyping of DNA from badger hair samples, including samples comprising a single hair, using a methodology capable of generating reliable and reproducible data suitable for incorporation into APHA's existing population modelling and epidemiological analysis. LGC Genomics is the only UK supplier capable of providing all elements of the requirement, particularly the need to analyse low-volume and poor-quality wildlife samples. The technical characteristics of the requirement, particularly the need to process low-volume badger hair samples and generate compatible SNP genotyping data, mean that competition is absent for genuine technical reasons. No Reasonable Alternative: The Authority has identified a material risk of delays, additional administrative burdens, customs-related issues and potential loss or destruction of samples during transit. Given the specialist nature of the samples and the programme's dependency on a continuous and reliable flow of data, overseas providers do not represent a reasonable alternative.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064803-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 9 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 8 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 26 Jul 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £120,636 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH AGENCY |
| Additional buyers | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 4DF |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | LGC GENOMICS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73111000 - Research laboratory services

## Release History

- 9 Jul 2026 at 14:08 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064803-2026
- 9 Jul 2026 at 13:52 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064785-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064803-2026
  9th July 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064785-2026
  9th July 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.lgcgroup.com/

## 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-06c7ae. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ae.json.