FS900109a Microbiological Testing for Northern Ireland 1-5

Food Standards Agency
London
1 April 2025 to 31 March 2029

Delivery of National Reference Laboratory (NRL) functions for Northern Ireland, covering antimicrobial resistance, foodborne viruses, and specific pathogens including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. The service involves aligning with EU Reference Laboratories work programmes, providing technical training and advice to official laboratories, and maintaining communication networks to support regulatory requirements.

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Awarded value: £535k; As published
Published: 16 May 2024
Awarded: 31 March 2025; Sciensano
Contract length: 48 months; Ends 31 March 2029

What the contract covers

Service contract

Provision of specialist microbiological testing and national reference laboratory services for food safety regulatory compliance and official laboratory support.

National Reference Laboratory services for antimicrobial resistance in Northern Ireland
Delivery of the OCR regulatory requirements for Northern Ireland, aligning with European Union Reference Laboratories work programmes wherever possible
Communication networks, support, training and advice for NI Official Laboratories
National Reference Laboratory services for Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in Northern Ireland
National Reference Laboratory services for coagulase positive Staphylococci, including Staphylococcus aureus, in Northern Ireland
National Reference Laboratory services for Escherichia coli, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), in Northern Ireland
National Reference Laboratory services for foodborne viruses, including bivalve molluscs, in Northern Ireland

Lot	Estimated value	SMEs
Lot 1	Not stated	Not stated
3. Lot 2 NRL for Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella	Not stated	Not stated
4. Lot 3 NRL for Coagulase positive Staphylococci (including Staphylococcus aure	Not stated	Not stated
5. Lot 4 NRL for Escherichia coli, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC	Not stated	Not stated
6. Lot 5 NRL for Foodborne Viruses (including bivalve molluscs)	Not stated	Not stated

Terms and requirements

Contract type: Service contract
Initial term: 48 months
Extensions: 24 months
Longest it can run: 72 months
Contract dates: 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2029
Certifications asked for: None stated
Lots: 5
Suitable for SMEs: Not stated
Category: Services
CPV codes: 71900000, 73111000, 73000000

Services in this contract

Public analyst and official food and feed laboratory servicesMain service£163k typicalNational reference laboratory services for food microbiology in Northern Ireland

Lifecycle

Published
16 May 2024
Contract awardedto Sciensano
31 March 2025
Contract starts
1 April 2025
Contract ends
31 March 2029

The buyer

Food Standards Agency

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The supplier

Sciensano

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Cite this contract

Link: https://bidskim.com/tender/843346/fs900109a-microbiological-testing-for-northern-ireland-1-5
Buyer reference: FS900109a / C285255
Last checked: 5 November 2026

Food Standards Agency. FS900109a Microbiological Testing for Northern Ireland 1-5. Contract award, 16 May 2024. BidSkim, https://bidskim.com/tender/843346/fs900109a-microbiological-testing-for-northern-ireland-1-5 (accessed 5 November 2026).