Beef Improvement Research Programme

AHDB is inviting tenders for the provision of equipment for the measurement of individual feed intake in group-housed growing cattle on commercial farms. A minimum of forty eight individual feeding stations will be purchased by AHDB, and installed on two or more farms (ie 24 on each of two farms or equivalent).

Installation must take place by the end of June 2016.

This project aims to demonstrate the ability to measure and select for feed intake parameters in beef cattle on commercial farms, and establish a system for recording traits relevant to feed efficiency after the end of the funded project that can be extended across cattle breeds.

Its core objectives are to:

•Establish a consortium of stakeholders

•Undertake studies to devise, test and validate selection and breeding objectives •Develop protocols for use at national scale

•Establish a network of facilities

•Undertake genetic analysis

•Establish business model for on-going national programme

Additional information: Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender~: 1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once) - Browse to the eSourcing Portal: https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk and click the link to register - Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘continue’ - Enter your correct business and user details - Note the username you chose and click ‘Save’ when complete - You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure) 2. Express an Interest in the tender - Login to the portal with the username/password - Click the ‘PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers’ link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires or Invitations to Tender open to any registered supplier) - Click on the relevant PQQ/ ITT to access the content. - Click the ‘Express Interest’ button at the top of the page. - This will move the PQQ /ITT into your ‘My PQQs/ My ITTs’ page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only) -You can now access any attachments by clicking ‘Buyer Attachments’ in the ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’ box 3. Responding to the tender - Click ‘My Response’ under ‘PQQ/ ITT Details’, you can choose to ‘Create Response’ or to ‘Decline to Respond’ (please give a reason if declining) - You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification - Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ/ ITT - There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available) You must then submit your reply using the ‘Submit Response’ button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help.