UK Research & Innovation: UKRI-4491 ESRC-BBSRC Food Systems Commercialisation Catalyst

UK-Swindon: Business and management consultancy services.

Section I: Contracting Authority

   I.1) Name, Addresses and Contact Point(s):
       UK Research & Innovation
       Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1793867000, Email: corporateprocurement@ukri.org
       Main Address: www.ukri.org
       NUTS Code: UKK14

   I.2) Joint procurement:
      The contract involves joint procurement: No          
      In the case of joint procurement involving different countries, state applicable national procurement law: Not Provided
      The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body: No

   I.4)Type of the contracting authority:
      Body governed by public law

   I.5) Main activity:
      Other activity: Research

Section II: Object Of The Contract

   II.1) Scope of the procurement

      II.1.1) Title: UKRI-4491 ESRC-BBSRC Food Systems Commercialisation Catalyst            
      Reference number: Not Provided

      II.1.2) Main CPV code:
         79410000 - Business and management consultancy services.


      II.1.3) Type of contract: SERVICES

      II.1.4) Short description: UKRI requires a supplier to support the development and delivery of an early-stage mission-led commercialisation catalyst (The Programme).


The key aims for the Programme are to:
i.Enable collaboration between bioscience and social science researchers: recruiting researchers, building and supporting multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary teams to address an agreed team challenge.
ii.Support skills and capacity development: training, supporting and enabling the cohort of grant holders to grow and sustain positive social and/or environmental impact from their research in the mission area of healthy, sustainable and resilient food systems. This may include formal training, mentoring and peer support, networking, and facilitating connections with relevant expertise and national/international markets.
iii.Support grant holders to explore alternative (non-traditional commercial) enterprise models to create effective and self-sustaining impact. Grant administration will be managed by UKRI.
This requirement will be for initial period of 12 months with an optional extension of up to a further 6 months. The value of the requirement will be up to £500,000.00 for the initial period and £300,000.00 for the extension which will be subject to approval.

      II.1.6) Information about lots
         This contract is divided into lots: No
            
      II.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
          Value: 800,000
                  
         Currency:GBP            

   II.2) Description

      II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s):
      Not Provided

      II.2.3) Place of performance
      Nuts code:
      UK - UNITED KINGDOM
   
      Main site or place of performance:
      UNITED KINGDOM
             

      II.2.4) Description of the procurement: UKRI requires a supplier to support the development and delivery of an early-stage mission-led commercialisation catalyst (The Programme).


The key aims for the Programme are to:
i.Enable collaboration between bioscience and social science researchers: recruiting researchers, building and supporting multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary teams to address an agreed team challenge.
ii.Support skills and capacity development: training, supporting and enabling the cohort of grant holders to grow and sustain positive social and/or environmental impact from their research in the mission area of healthy, sustainable and resilient food systems. This may include formal training, mentoring and peer support, networking, and facilitating connections with relevant expertise and national/international markets.
iii.Support grant holders to explore alternative (non-traditional commercial) enterprise models to create effective and self-sustaining impact. Grant administration will be managed by UKRI.

This Programme is in response to both ESRC and BBSRC’s (two of UKRI’s component research councils) strategic aims to support commercialisation for social, economic, and environmental good. ESRC and BBSRC are investing:
•Up to £1m in maximum 10 grants within a single competition in 2025. The grant award facilitates researchers to develop their idea with a view to its eventual launch (10 awards at £100k each = £1m). The supplier will manage the grant competition; UKRI will administer the grants.
•Up to £500k (exc. VAT) for this ‘mission-led commercialisation catalyst support package’ as described in this scope of work. The overall project costs cannot exceed this amount.

To support delivery of this Programme, the supplier will be expected to recruit researchers, build and support multi/inter-disciplinary teams, where each award-holding team must have a mix of social science and bioscience expertise. The supplier will also be expected to train, support and enable these researchers to grow and sustain positive social / environmental impact from their research in the mission area of healthy, sustainable and resilient food systems. As such, the supplier must have expertise in social science commercialisation, commercialisation of bioscience innovations, as well as commercialisation of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research.
Duration of Initial period will be 12 months commencing in March 2025. there will be an optional extension period of up to a further 6 months subject to approval.

      II.2.5) Award criteria:
      Quality criterion - Name: Quaity / Weighting: 90
                  
      Cost criterion - Name: Price / Weighting: 10
            

      II.2.11) Information about options
         Options: No
         

      II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
         The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
         

      II.2.14) Additional information: Not Provided


Section IV: Procedure

IV.1) Description

   IV.1.1)Type of procedure: Open


   IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
      The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement: No       
      

   IV.1.6) Information about electronic auction
      An electronic auction has been used: No

   IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
      The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

IV.2) Administrative information

   IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
       Notice number in the OJEU: 2024/S 000-041050
      
   

   IV.2.9) Information about termination of call for competition in the form of a prior information notice
      The contracting authority will not award any further contracts based on the above prior information notice: No

Section V: Award of contract

Award Of Contract (No.1)

   Contract No: Not Provided    
   Lot Number: Not Provided    
   Title: Not Provided

   A contract/lot is awarded: Yes


   V.2) Award of contract

      V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract: 08/04/2025

      V.2.2) Information about tenders
         Number of tenders received: 3
         Number of tenders received from SMEs: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received by electronic means: Not Provided

      V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

      The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
         
         Contractor (No.1)
             Zinc Ventures Limited, 10796984
             24 Eversholt St,, London, United Kingdom
             NUTS Code: UKI
            The contractor is an SME: No

      V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
         Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: 800,000          
         Total value of the contract/lot: 800,000
         Currency: GBP

      V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
         The contract is likely to be subcontracted: No
         
Section VI: Complementary information

   VI.3) Additional information: To view this notice, please click here:
https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=946186734
   VI.4) Procedures for review

      VI.4.1) Review body
          United Kingdom Research & Innovation
          Swindon, SN2 1FL, United Kingdom

      VI.4.3) Review procedure
         Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures: Not Provided

      VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
         Not Provided

   VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice: 01/05/2025