Scanners: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition

CPV 38520000Supplies · classin Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

Codes and neighbouring classes

The 8-digit CPV codes notices in this class actually use, and the other classes of the same division

Who buys

All notices carrying this code · official UK_CA_TYPE where published (NHS bodies are central government authorities), else derived from the authority name

Buyer type
  • Central government 35% (18 notices)
  • NHS & health 14% (7 notices)
  • Education & universities 14% (7 notices)
  • Local authorities 8% (4 notices)
  • Police, fire & emergency 4% (2 notices)
  • Not classified 25% (13 notices)
Contracting authorityTypeNoticesLast 12 monthsOpen now
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care acting as part of the Crown through UK Health Security AgencyCentral government520
UK Hydrographic OfficeCentral government440
British Library BoardCentral government310
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authoritynot classified300
West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustNHS & health300
Queen's University BelfastEducation & universities210
University of GlasgowEducation & universities200
West Yorkshire Combined AuthorityLocal authorities210
APUC LIMITEDnot classified110
AWE PLCnot classified100

38 distinct authorities in total · the ten most active shown.

Where the work is delivered

Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 30 of 54 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each · competition columns: contracts awarded in the last 36 months, lots delivered in the region

RegionNoticesBids / lotSME winsLocal wins
Scotland7 · 23%
South East England7 · 23%
South West England5 · 17%
Yorkshire and the Humber4 · 13%
Greater London3 · 10%
Northern Ireland3 · 10%
East of England2 · 7%
Wales (Cymru)2 · 7%
North East England2 · 7%
North West England2 · 7%
East Midlands1 · 3%
West Midlands1 · 3%

Local wins = the winner’s registered region is the delivery region. Dashes: fewer than ten observations.

How it is bought

Commercial tool, procedure route and threshold as published on the notice, not a legal-regime claim

Commercial tool
  • Contract 76% (41 notices)
  • Framework 24% (13 notices)
Procedure route
  • Open 54% (29 notices)
  • Route not published 28% (15 notices)
  • Limited / restricted 9% (5 notices)
  • Selective 6% (3 notices)
  • Direct award 4% (2 notices)
Threshold
  • Above threshold 61% (11 notices)
  • Below threshold 39% (7 notices)
Typical tender window33 daysrobust · n=7median, notice to deadline

Competition

Contracts published in the last 36 months (25) · bid counts per lot from award notices · values are net contract awards, framework and DPS ceilings excluded · SME and local status as declared

Bids per lot · n=11
  • 1 bid 45% (5)
  • 2–3 45% (5)
  • 4–6 9% (1)
  • 7 or more 0% (0)
Contract value, net
p25 £183,360median £265,910p75 £342,637
interquartile range of 14 awards · p90 £575,000
Typical bids per lot2robust · n=11middle half 1–3
Competed84%robust · n=25open or selective route, no direct-award transparency notice
Awards won by SMEs54%robust · n=13single-supplier awards with a declared scale
Won locally30%robust · n=10winner registered in the delivery region
Abandoned8%robust · n=25cancelled, unsuccessful or terminated without an award
Frameworks & DPS: bidders per lot8robust · n=611 vehicle procedures · admission to a panel, not a contest

Who wins

Single-supplier active awards with a canonical supplier on notices carrying this code · 29 awards to 29 suppliers

Where to submit

E-sourcing portals named in the submission address · 19 of 54 notices name one · each portal page explains registration

Method

What the numbers on this page are and are not

Which notices count?

Every Find a Tender notice that carries a CPV code starting 3852. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Earliest notice 2021; latest 7 Sept 2026.

Competition figures

From the 36-month lot-grain contest statistics: a lot counts where its own CPV codes (or, for single-class notices, the procedure’s) start 3852. Bids per lot come from the award notice’s bid statistics; “competed” means an open or selective route with no direct-award transparency notice; contract values are net, on single-supplier awards, with framework and DPS ceilings excluded. Frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems are reported separately because their “bids” are admissions to a panel.

Why no total value or month-by-month chart?

Sums of notice estimates repeat framework ceilings and mix net with gross. Monthly volumes per sector are not shown yet: the catalogue’s CPV coverage per notice changed in May 2026 (compiled records carry every lot’s codes), so a curve would show the catalogue, not the market.