QU569 - East Birmingham Food System Exploration: Qualitative Research COTP - AWARD

The Council requires an organisation with experience / expertise to undertake qualitative research on the food system to aid the creation of a healthy food economy. This tenderer will utilise paid community researchers as apprentices and train them in qualitative research (i.e. semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation) to upskill apprentices.

The successful organisation will deliver this project with community researchers, who will initially observe the lead researcher conducting focus groups and then lead at least one focus group under supervision of the lead researcher over the course of the study period. They can also undertake participant observation and semi-structured interviews with focus group participants following training by the lead researcher.

The provider will lead the delivery of 10 focus groups (see below) with food businesses in East Birmingham. These focus groups should aim to reach seldom heard voices and participants should be diverse in terms of age, ethnicity and cultural background, and socioeconomic demographics.

The 10 Focus groups should include representatives from:

• oSmall and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
• oIndependent businesses
• oA diverse range of culturally-specific food offers
• oFast food and hot food takeaway shops (this should include Indian, Chinese and pizza takeaways as a minimum as these are the three most popular takeaway providers in Birmingham, according to the Birmingham Food Survey. Fish and chips, fried chicken, and burger takeaways should also be included).
• oFood retail including local independent/franchise convenience stores, markets (if existing in location), large supermarkets, and cultural food retailers

The 10 Focus groups will explore:

• oBarriers to provision of healthy affordable food (examining topics such as supply chain, consumer demand, decision-makers in the business, beliefs, cost of food, perception of food etc.)
• oThe food system workforce to establish where people are recruited from and what skills, knowledge, and training they have/receive. This may involve asking whether the workforce would have the skills to deal with certain scenarios such as how to ensure a salad stays fresh (scenarios can be designed by the researcher).
• oPotential gaps in skills and knowledge that can be filled.
• oKey actions that can be co-produced to support food businesses to provide healthy, affordable food.

This contract will be for a period of up to 4 months commencing June 2022 until September 2022.

The Council will be using its free to use e-tendering system (in-tend) for the administration of this procurement process and potential suppliers must register with the system to be able to express an interest. If you wish to express an interest in this opportunity please click on the following link to access https://in-tendhost.co.uk/birminghamcc/ and submit your details...