Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2016-06-16
Buyer: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Country: UK
Region: UNITED KINGDOM
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 72000000 | 77000000

Technical requirements: Different components of the work will have various locations. Some of the work can only be carried out in the UK or in England and Wales.
Defra are purchasing jointly or on behalf of: Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland.
This requirement is for the provision of technical services relating to EU and UK legislation for National Listing (official registration) of new varieties of the main agricultural and vegetable crop species, plant variety rights and certification of seed of agricultural species. For UK National Listing, this is testing for DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability) and for VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use). DUS is also part of testing for plant variety rights. The seed certification service is for England and Wales. The main components are the collation of data relating to seed crops and seed lots, pre control plots of seed used for further multiplication, inspection of seed crops, monitoring the quality of marketed seed, and monitoring the performance of licensed crop inspections and seed testing stations. The contracting authorities will also require advice on issues relating to the technical services. This contract is provisionally divided into the following lots: — Lot 1: DUS testing for wheat, barley, oats, winter oilseed rape, sugar beet, field beans, fodder kale and some ornamental plant species and other support services. — Lot 2: Design and Organisation of VCU trials for all agricultural species subject to applications for UK National Listing, except for potatoes and grasses and clovers. The main species are wheat, barley, winter oilseed rape, forage maize and sugar beet. — Lot 2A: Design and Organisation of VCU trials for grasses and clovers. — Lot 3: Testing new varieties for resistance to economically damaging diseases, to provide data for VCU decisions. — Lot 4: Independent review and reporting of VCU data and the disease resistance tests. — Lot 5: Seed certification service (England and Wales). — Lot 6: Seed testing service (England and Wales). National Listing is a statutory requirement before marketing seed or other reproductive material of varieties the main agricultural and vegetable species. Defra, Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and Welsh Government act jointly as the National Authorities for National Listing in the UK. The testing requirements are DUS for all of these species and VCU for agricultural species. DUS is also a requirement for plant variety rights and the same test may be used for both purposes subject to certain conditions. The new contract(s) is expected to commence from the 01/04/2017. A phased handover from the current contractor may be necessary. The duration of the contract(s) is likely to be 60 months with the option to extend for up to 36 months. Please note: EU and UK legislation specifies that most of the work must be performed without ‘private gain’, which the contracting authorities have interpreted to mean for ‘no profit’.
The required DUS testing is for wheat, barley, oats, winter oilseed rape, sugar beet, field beans, fodder kale and some ornamental plant species and other support services. Testing must be carried out in compliance with UK DUS test protocols and the quality requirements of the Community Plant Variety Office through its entrustment process. Tests for most species take two years. The contractor will also provide technical support and advice to Defra and if required to the other National Authorities. UK protocols and procedures for National Listing are at https://www.gov.uk/national-lists-of-agricultural-and-vegetable-crops. About 650 varieties are being DUS tested at any one time.
The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise and reserves the right to use a reverse auction.
VCU testing VCU testing must be carried out in compliance with UK VCU protocols and procedures. Testing takes two years for most species. VCU testing is integrated as far as possible with the various Recommended Lists, eg AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds, with National List data being used as the starting point for further testing. The contractor will be required to organise VCU trials and associated tests across the UK, with the number and location of trials depending on the importance of each crop, cooperating with the Recommended List organisations. Data from the trials will be summarised and sent to the contractor for independent review and reporting. Protocols and procedures for National Listing are at https://www.gov.uk/national-lists-of-agricultural-and-vegetable-crops. About 550 varieties are being VCU tested at any one time.
The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise and reserves the right to use a reverse auction.
VCU testing must be carried out in compliance with UK VCU protocols and procedures. Testing takes three to four years for these species. VCU testing is integrated as far as possible with the various Recommended Lists, with National List data being used as the starting point for further testing. The contractor will be required to organise VCU trials and associated tests across the UK, with the number and location of trials depending on the importance of each crop, cooperating with the Recommended List organisations. Data from the trials will be summarised and sent to the contractor for independent review and reporting. UK protocols and procedures for National Listing are at https://www.gov.uk/national-lists-of-agricultural-and-vegetable-crops. About 80 varieties of these species are being VCU tested at any one time.
The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise and reserves the right to use a reverse auction.
Independent review and reporting of VCU data Independent review and analysis of VCU data, including for disease resistance, is required to assure integrity of the data and to compare candidate varieties against those already on the UK National Lists. This requires a database of existing varieties and statistical analysis to make the comparison. Reports are prepared for the National Lists and Seeds Committee (with members from Defra, Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and Welsh Government) who make decisions and manage the testing system. The contractor will also provide technical support and advice to Defra and if required to the other National Authorities. UK protocols and procedures for National Listing are at https://www.gov.uk/national-lists-of-agricultural-and-vegetable-crops. About 650 varieties are being VCU tested at any one time.
The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise and reserves the right to use a reverse auction.
Seed certification and seed testing Seed certification is a statutory process assuring the quality of marketed seed of the main agricultural species. The main requirements for marketed seed are: The variety must be on the National List or EU Common Catalogue Seed must come from a crop which was inspected Seed must be sampled and tested Seed must be packaged, sealed and labelled. UK and EU legislation lays down quality standards and specifications for crop inspection, sampling, seed testing and labelling etc. The services for this lot and the seed testing lot are to manage seed certification and seed testing in England and Wales, except for seed potatoes, for Defra and the Welsh Government. Much of the crop inspection, seed sampling and testing work is licensed to seed companies and their employees, with the primary role of the contractor being to assure the process by collating all data relating to seed lots and to monitor licensed activities. There are about 100 companies producing and certifying seed in England and Wales, with about 12 000 seed lot and 8 000 crop applications each year. The contractors for seed certification and seed testing will work closely with each other and with Defra, APHA and the other UK seed certifying authorities. Seed certification For seed certification, the main work is: — Processing applications relating to seed crops and seed lots — Pre-control plots of seed used for further multiplication — Post-control plots of final generation seed marketed to farmers — Inspection of crops producing pre-basic and basic seed — Check inspection of a proportion of crops inspected by licensed personnel — Certification service for seed exported outside the EU under OECD schemes — Training and assessment of licensed crop inspectors — Technical support and advice to Defra A relational database is required to collate information and to ensure that marketed seed meets the standards in the legislation. Defra will provide resources from its Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI, part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency) for crop inspection. The contractor will have the primary technical expertise, maintained through directly carrying out part of the crop inspection programme, and will train Defra's inspectors.
The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise and reserves the right to use a reverse auction.
Seed certification and seed testing Seed certification is a statutory process assuring the quality of marketed seed of the main agricultural species. The main requirements for marketed seed are: The variety must be on the National List or EU Common Catalogue Seed must come from a crop which was inspected Seed must be sampled and tested Seed must be packaged, sealed and labelled. UK and EU legislation lays down quality standards and specifications for crop inspection, sampling, seed testing and labelling etc. The services for this lot and the seed certification lot are to manage seed certification and seed testing in England and Wales, except for seed potatoes, for Defra and the Welsh Government. Much of the crop inspection, seed sampling and testing work is licensed to seed companies and their employees, with the primary role of the contractor being to assure the process by collating all data relating to seed lots and to monitor licensed activities. There are about 100 companies producing and certifying seed in England and Wales, with about 12 000 seed lot and 8 000 crop applications each year. The contractors for seed certification and seed testing will work closely with each other and with Defra, APHA and the other UK seed certifying authorities. Seed testing For seed testing, the requirement is to provide the Official Seed Testing Station for England Wales, accredited by the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) for the relevant species. The components are: Testing for the issue of ISTA international certificates Training and assessment for seed samplers, including PHSI, and seed analysts Audits of Licensed Seed Testing Stations (LSTSs) Monitoring the performance of LSTSs and licensed samplers through check testing Monitoring the quality of final generation seed sold to farmers Technical support and advice to Defra.
The Contracting Authority intends to use an eTendering system in this procurement exercise and reserves the right to use a reverse auction.