Research procurement policy

The Food Standards Agency publishes its requirements for new research, surveys and programme advisers four times each year in the Research Requirements Document (RRD). This allows the Agency greater flexibility in commissioning work and speeds up the commissioning process.

This website will be updated as new tenders are issued. For the most recent research requirement document see link below. In addition, to receive direct e-mail notification when new requirements are published, researchers should send their e-mail address to:

MB-RCU@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk, quoting 'Research e-newsletter'.

Not all research areas will be covered in every Requirements Document. However, this does not mean that we will not commission further work in that area. The Agency may be awaiting the results of ongoing research or requirements for research and surveillance work are still being developed.

The Agency may also issue individual tenders ('ad hoc' calls for proposals) for specific work throughout the year. These will also be published on this web page and notified directly to those registered, by e-mail. For current ad hoc calls for proposals see link below.

The general commissioning timetable for the current rounds can be found at the link below along with a timetable for the following tender exercise. Timetables for future rounds will be published in advance in a similar manner, again on this web page.

Anyone wishing to apply for an Agency research contract should note:

• These are general timetables and will be followed unless otherwise specified. Requirements Documents are likely to contain tenders for both long-term and short-term research together with any tenders for surveys. Specific timetables for individual requirements may operate to a longer or shorter timescale than the general one.
• The purpose of this web page is to inform potential applicants of planned activities in this area. Information cannot, however, be released about the nature or content of the Requirements Document prior to publication to ensure that the commissioning process is an open competition and all applications are treated equally and fairly.

The Requirements Document itself is now only available on the internet; no printed copies are routinely distributed. However, a printed copy can be supplied to any prospective researcher who experiences difficulty in accessing the Document via the internet, by written application to the Research Co-ordination Unit at our Aviation House address.

All associated documents, including the Agency's contractual terms and conditions, that are necessary to make an application are available at the link below.

Please note that the Agency commissions research and survey work to develop and support its policies on a contract basis. The Agency does not provide research grants or support for basic academic research.