Tender: Statutory Shellfish E. coli Monitoring and Laboratory Logistics Service — Shetland & Orkney

About

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is seeking a supplier for an integrated end-to-end service to provide laboratory analysis and manage logistics for statutory Escherichia coli monitoring of live bivalve molluscs from classified and new shellfish production areas in Shetland and Orkney. The contract will principally cover existing and new classified production areas with current planning assumptions of approximately 52 shellfish samples per month (around 624 per year), though volumes and locations may change and the geographical scope may be expanded to other Scottish areas. The supplier must coordinate sample movement from remote island locations to its laboratory in a condition and timeframe suitable for official control testing while sample collection is undertaken under separate arrangements; responsibilities include establishing reliable delivery arrangements from Shetland and Orkney, paying transport costs, providing and replenishing approved packing and transport equipment, coordinating with sampling contractors and FSS-approved industry collectors, monitoring weekly schedules, maintaining contingency arrangements and receiving samples Monday to Friday including early or late deliveries. Samples must reach the laboratory in time for analysis to begin within 48 hours of collection and sample temperature must remain within 1–10°C before the start of analysis. Laboratory duties include receipt, identification, assessment and logging of samples, checking submission information, rejecting unsuitable samples in accordance with agreed criteria, and analysing all programme samples using one approved UK National Reference Laboratory method for enumeration of E. coli in bivalve molluscan shellfish—either the 5-tube, 4-dilution MPN method derived from ISO 16649-3 or the colony count method based on ISO 16649-2—while meeting required turnaround times. Reporting and coordination obligations include uploading results, rejections and associated information to the FSS Shellfish Monitoring & Classification system (Dashboard) using agreed templates, supporting urgent follow-up and resampling, providing monthly and quarterly performance information, maintaining records and audit trails, and working with Cefas, FSS and sample collectors to resolve operational issues and improve delivery.