---
title: "Understanding the UK markets for unlawfully imported products animal origin"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078f7e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078f7e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078f7e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078f7e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Food Standards Agency"
published: "2026-10-23"
---

# Understanding the UK markets for unlawfully imported products animal origin

Buyer: Food Standards Agency  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078f7e

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078f7e.json)

## Summary

The Food Standards Agency commissioned social research into the UK market for unlawfully imported products of animal origin, particularly meat. The work examines why consumers buy these products, how they are accessed and sold, and consumers’ awareness of food safety and animal health risks. Its purpose is to build evidence for action to reduce demand, disrupt supply routes, protect public health and animal biosecurity, and inform policy, communications and enforcement. This is a research and consultancy services requirement, covering both consumer behaviour and the routes through which unlawfully imported products reach UK buyers. The contracting process identifies the UK market as the subject of the research; it does not name a particular delivery town or region.

The procurement is complete and the contract is active. The Food Standards Agency awarded the work to The Social Agency/Basis Social Limited through a direct award without competition, below the applicable threshold, as a call-off from a social science research arrangement. There was one lot. The contract was signed on 19 October 2026 and runs from 19 October 2026 to 30 June 2027. Its value is £79,987.25 excluding VAT and £95,984.70 including VAT. The award is for social research services. No separate award date or evaluation criteria are stated in the process information.

For suppliers considering similar future research for the Food Standards Agency, this contract indicates demand for applied social science that can explain consumer motivations, awareness of food and animal health risks, purchasing behaviour and routes to market for illegally imported animal-origin products. A credible supplier would need to design research capable of producing useful evidence about both consumer demand and supply routes, then connect findings to practical policy, communications and enforcement responses. The work spans public health and animal biosecurity as well as consumer behaviour, so relevant multidisciplinary research capability would be valuable. The award went to a large supplier through a direct, non-competitive call-off from an existing social science research arrangement, indicating that access to the relevant route and the ability to deliver focused research are commercially important.

## Notice

Calling off from C425727 Research: Social Science Call-Off. Research to improve understanding of the drivers and enablers influencing the purchase of illegally imported products of animal origin (POAO) within the UK. The research will explore consumer behaviours, motivations, awareness of food safety and animal health risks, purchasing routes and routes to market for unlawfully imported meat products. Findings will provide an evidence base to support interventions aimed at reducing demand, disrupting supply routes, protecting public health and animal biosecurity, and informing future policy, communications and enforcement activity.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100700-2026 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 19 Oct 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £79,987 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Food Standards Agency |
| Locality | YORK |
| Postcode area | 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 |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | The Social Agency/Basis Social Limited |

## 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
- 73110000 - Research services
- 79315000 - Social research services

## Release History

- 23 Oct 2026 at 16:05 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100700-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100700-2026
  23rd October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-078f7e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078f7e.json.