ELM Social Research

The government is committed to involving a wide range of stakeholders in every stage of the process of designing the Environmental Land Management System (ELMS) to ensure that we form an agricultural policy which benefits British farmers, the environment, consumers, taxpayers and the wider rural community. We are, therefore, urgently seeking valuable subject-specific social science expertise to our evidence base and provide access to the most current co-design approaches to inform our programme of work.

The social science team within the ELM Programme aims to support agri-environment policy development and respond to the Secretary of State's requirement for the next generation of agri-environment instruments to be simple, "provide flexibility, putting more management decisions in the hands of farmers" and "deliver more for the environment" .

The provision of expert social science input must be delivered by a contractor with advanced qualifications in a relevant social science discipline; extensive experience of conducting research relating to farmer decision-making and stakeholder engagement in an agricultural context; and providing research findings relevant to and in collaboration with a government department. The contractor will follow the Government Social Research (GSR) Professional Guidance on ethical research conduct; meet the quality requirements outlined by the GSR; and have a clear protocol for collecting and storing data.

Additional information: Please note that Defra procurement uses an E-tendering system for Procurement activities. This is currently provided by Bravo Solutions. To access appropriate tendering and contractual documents, please access the E-Tendering portal at https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk", ensuring that your registration includes "Defra". If you have any problems with this system, please contact Bravo on their telephone helpline number 0800 368 4850 or by emailing them at help@bravosolution.co.uk. "