Badger Hair Genotyping (APHA)

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Description

This Contract is formed of two sampling requirements: Requirement 1: Single Badger Hair DNA extraction for the National Badger Sett Survey (25-28) Requirement 2: DNA extraction from clumps of badger hair.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• None found

Legal Justification

This Direct Award is compliant under Schedule 5, Paragraph 6(a) and (b) of the Procurement Act 2023, which permits a direct award where: (a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods or services required; and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods or services. Absence of Competition for Technical Reasons: The requirement is for the extraction and genotyping of DNA from badger hair samples, including samples comprising a single hair, using a methodology capable of generating reliable and reproducible data suitable for incorporation into APHA's existing population modelling and epidemiological analysis. LGC Genomics is the only UK supplier capable of providing all elements of the requirement, particularly the need to analyse low-volume and poor-quality wildlife samples. The technical characteristics of the requirement, particularly the need to process low-volume badger hair samples and generate compatible SNP genotyping data, mean that competition is absent for genuine technical reasons. No Reasonable Alternative: The Authority has identified a material risk of delays, additional administrative burdens, customs-related issues and potential loss or destruction of samples during transit. Given the specialist nature of the samples and the programme's dependency on a continuous and reliable flow of data, overseas providers do not represent a reasonable alternative.

Other Information

Requirement 1 requires the Supplier to extract DNA from single badger hairs and amplify using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology to identify sufficient material to determine which alleles are present at each pre defined Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP). The output data from this analysis will be used to determine the number of individual badgers. Requirement 2 requires the Supplier to extract DNA from clumps of Badger guard hairs (including roots); while samplers were asked to try to aim for a good number of hairs more than fifteen (number more than 15), this was not always feasible due to the nature of the work, and a minority of samples are of smaller size. The DNA should be processed to identify which specific SNP is present in the individual. The Buyer estimates that due to high rates of within-population homogeneity, and allelic drop out, the panel will need to include approximately five thousand five hundred (5,500) SNPs. ** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. **

Reference

• ocds-h6vhtk-06c7ae
• FTS 071159-2026

Domains

• defra.gov.uk
• legislation.gov.uk
• defra-family.force.com
• lgcgroup.com
• find-tender.service.gov.uk