---
title: "Care-full Synthesis"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e354"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e354"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e354.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e354.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "The University Of Kent"
published: "2026-08-13"
---

# Care-full Synthesis

Buyer: The University Of Kent  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e354

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e354)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e354.json)

## Summary

The University of Kent commissioned research consultancy services for the Care-full Synthesis project, funded by the Wellcome Trust. The work concerns public engagement around the large-scale synthesis of human genomes and is delivered in the UK and internationally. It covers recruiting participants and delivering focus groups in the UK, facilitating recruitment and groups in other countries, and providing expert consultation on data analysis, outputs and dissemination. The supplier is expected to co-design, co-organise and co-deliver focus groups with members of the public in three to four countries, including the UK. Activities also include preparing discussion guides and stimulus materials, facilitating discussions, synthesising findings, drafting reports and contributing to white papers, primers, policy papers and other project reports.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded on 5 August 2026 to Sense About Science. The University of Kent used a direct award because it considered that, for technical reasons and without reasonable alternatives, only a particular supplier could provide the required services. The award value is £261,960 gross, including the stated taxes, and the service category is research consultancy. The awarded contract period runs from 27 August 2026 to 1 September 2029. One lot was completed and the award is active. A contract signature was scheduled for 26 August 2026. The evaluation basis was the direct-award justification rather than a competitive tender, with the requirement linked to a single supplier for technical reasons.

This requirement demonstrates demand for specialist public-engagement and research-consultancy capability in sensitive, technically complex scientific subjects. A credible competitor would need to recruit and facilitate diverse public focus groups across several countries, work collaboratively with academic project teams, and turn discussions into clear, robust findings. Relevant strengths include co-designing engagement activity, preparing accessible discussion materials, managing participant recruitment, facilitating conversations where evidence may be misunderstood, and synthesising qualitative insights for researchers and policymakers. The work also favours organisations able to contribute to white papers, primers, policy papers and other dissemination outputs. Sense About Science’s stated experience spans more than 20 years and is grounded in a public-led, expert-fed approach, indicating the level of engagement expertise and mission alignment that satisfied this buyer.

## Notice

Sense about Science will be supporting the project by organising and delivering focus groups relating to the Wellcome Trust funded project Care-full Synthesis (370 28894). This includes: 1) lead focus group participant recruitment and focus group delivery in the UK, 2) facilitating focus group participant recruitment and focus group delivery in other countries, and 3) proving expert consultation on data analysis, output and dissemination. The work is in line with Sense about Science's charitable mission of promoting the public interest in sound science and evidence. Sense about Science is an independent charity that promotes the public interest in sound science and evidence. It works with decision-makers, world-leading researchers and community groups to raise the standard of evidence in public life. Sense about Science has over 20 years' experience in helping the public make sense of complex and challenging issues relating to evidence. It has pioneered a 'public-led, expert-fed' approach to public engagement, which involves engaging early and directly with the public's questions and concerns and meeting people where they are in the discussion. This approach helps to ensure that the public's questions are heard and answered. This experience will be particularly valuable when engaging the public on a topic as sensitive and potentially open to misunderstanding as the large-scale synthesis of human genomes. Sense about Science will be responsible for co-designing, co-organising and co-delivering a series of focus group discussions with members of the public in 3-4 countries, including the UK, in collaboration with other members of the project team. This will involve: identifying and organising the recruitment of focus group participants; co-drafting discussion guides and managing the preparation of stimulus and other materials; co-organising and facilitating the focus group discussions; and co-drafting reports of the discussions and synthesising key findings. Sense about Science will also provide input and insights, drawing on its public engagement experience, into key documents, including white papers, primers, policy papers and other reports that the project team will produce throughout the life of the project.

### Procurement Information

Due to an absence of competition for technical reasons and provided there are no reasonable alternatives, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077115-2026 |
| 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 | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 13 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 27 Aug 2026 - 1 Sep 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £261,960 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | The University Of Kent |
| Locality | CANTERBURY |
| Postcode area | Canterbury |
| Postcode | CT2 7NZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ44 East Kent |
| Local authority | Canterbury |
| Electoral ward | Blean Forest |
| Westminster constituency | Canterbury |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SENSE ABOUT SCIENCE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73210000 - Research consultancy services

## Release History

- 13 Aug 2026 at 10:58 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077115-2026
- 13 Aug 2026 at 10:42 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077101-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077115-2026
  13th August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077101-2026
  13th August 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.kent.ac.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-06e354. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e354.json.