---
title: "ES RDE 135 - Livestock Unit Update Project (LUUP) - updating the unit of measur"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078cc4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078cc4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cc4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cc4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# ES RDE 135 - Livestock Unit Update Project (LUUP) - updating the unit of measur

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078cc4

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## Summary

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) commissioned research and consultancy to update its livestock unit measurements. Livestock units are used by Defra and its related bodies, including for Environmental Land Management schemes, to estimate the grazing pressure associated with different livestock species and breeds. The project reviews the underlying data and calculations, which no longer reflect current livestock sizes, scientific advances or modern understanding of feed intake. The aim is to produce more accurate estimates of grazing pressure. The work is a research and development service (CPV 73000000) for Defra; the procurement does not identify a specific delivery location.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to WSP UK Limited, formerly Ricardo-AEA Limited. Defra used a selective, non-competitive direct award under a framework, below the applicable threshold. The contract was signed on 14 October 2026, with a period from 14 October 2026 to 26 March 2027. Its value is £74,699.72 excluding VAT (£89,639.66 including VAT). There was one lot, covering the livestock unit update project. The available process information gives no separate scored evaluation criteria; the award is recorded as a non-competitive framework award.

For suppliers seeking to compete for comparable work for Defra, this award demonstrates demand for applied research and consultancy that can review scientific evidence, update livestock-related datasets and methods, and improve estimates of grazing pressure. Credibility would depend on combining knowledge of livestock species and breeds with expertise in livestock size, feed intake and the assessment of grazing impacts. Suppliers would also need the research capability to examine existing input data and calculations and translate current evidence into robust, usable estimates for government programmes such as Environmental Land Management. The selected supplier is a large consultancy, showing that a sizeable organisation was appointed for this project, although the contract value indicates a relatively contained piece of work. Defra procured it through a framework direct award rather than an open competition. This is evidence of the buyer's route and requirements, not an invitation to bid on the completed contract.

## Notice

Defra Self-Service Direct Award. Livestock Units (LU) are used across Defra and its arms-length bodies, for example in the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, to estimate the grazing pressures different livestock species and breeds represent. The data underlying the LU estimates is no longer aligned with modern livestock sizes and scientific advances, as well as using outdated calculations of feed intake, both of which lead to inaccurate estimates of grazing pressure. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the input data and calculations used is necessary to ensure changes to livestock phenotypes over the last four decades and advances in our understanding of feed intake are captured accurately.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099443-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - award under framework |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 14 Oct 2026 - 26 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £74,699 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | 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 | WSP UK Limited (formerly Ricardo-AEA Limited) |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2026 at 12:44 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099443-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099443-2026
  21st October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-04ef64
- 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-078cc4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cc4.json.