Official UK procurement notice
ID 6676734 - DOJ – FSNI - DNA Unit: Supply, Installation and Maintenance of DNA Thermocyclers
Authority: Forensic Science Northern Ireland (Central government)·On behalf of: CPD
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionForensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI) (the Buyer) is seeking to establish a contract for the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of new Thermocyclers. The contract is for an initial period of five years, followed by an optional extension period of five years. The extension will be to cover ongoing servicing and maintenance. Suppliers should refer to the Specification for full detail of the requirement.
- How the procedure runs: The competitive flexible procurement process comprises of up to five stages and suppliers must pass each stage to remain in the competition. At Stage 1, suppliers will be assessed against the Conditions of Participation criteria. At Stages 2 and 3, suppliers will be assessed against the Minimum Functional Requirements. At Stage 4, suppliers will be assessed against Qualitative and Quantitative Criteria. The final stage, Stage 5, will comprise of a due diligence exercise with the first ranked supplier only. Suppliers should refer to the Instructions to Tender (ITT) document for detailed information on the procurement procedure.
CPV: Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£353,000
- Value
- £353,000 exc. VAT · £423,600 inc. VAT
- Extensions
- The initial five year contract period will be followed by one optional extension period of up to five years.
- Technical & professional abilityAs per the tender documentation.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- AC1 - Contract Management and Reactive Repairs Strategy — 10%
- AC2 - Engineer Experience — 10%
- AC3 - Price — 80%
Published award criteria (3)
- AC1 - Contract Management and Reactive Repairs Strategy — As per tender documentation
- AC2 - Engineer Experience — As per tender documentation
- AC3 - Price — As per tender documentation
- Technical & professional abilityAs per the tender documentation.
- Price carries 80 of 100 points — a 10% discount moves about 8 points. This one is won on the number — sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £117,559 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring — the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Forensic Science Northern Ireland buys Laboratory, optical and precision (CPV 38) — and who usually turns up
Forensic Science Northern Ireland’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Laboratory, optical and precision (CPV 38) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No winner size data published for this authority.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means registered in Northern Ireland.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Northern Ireland.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 44 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The buyer’s share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid0% / 37%
2–30% / 31%
4–60% / 6%
7+100% / 27%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate0% / 46%
Within ±2%100% / 38%
Above estimate0% / 17%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors — from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Published estimate£353k
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid12%
2–313%
4–67%
7+67%
i
Where the winning price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
Based on 43 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A guide, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£313k–£353k
Estimate£353k
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information withheld for security reasonsWorked for this buyer | ID 5087997 - DoJ - FSNI - Supply and Delivery of Laboratory Consumablesnotice published Sept 2024 | Lot 5 – Packaging | — | 85% match |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £165m118 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 43 live · £477m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=77 | |
| £38m66 awards in 36m · last this month | 26 live · £29m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=11 | |
| £6.6m21 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 11 live · £4.1m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 6% below n=9 | |
| £22m34 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 10 live · £9.5m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 3% above n=3 | |
| £152m48 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=49 |
Coverage and what to read with care
- Each figure explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two sides are never blended. A lot’s own market is read at its delivery region where the lot names one; where it names several, or none that can be resolved, the chart falls back to the UK-wide record for the same category and says so under the bar. An empty cell means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
- When we call out a difference. A buyer figure is only flagged against the market when the sample is large enough that the gap is unlikely to be chance; at most two callouts appear, always phrased as a comparison with both numbers and the sample size.
- Coverage (re-measured 5 Oct on the live record, 94,497 awarded procedures of the last three years). 51 % publish a bid count and 72 % a delivery region, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice names none, labelled. Of the 17,687 award-vs-estimate pairs, 34 % sit exactly on the estimate — the buyer published the award at the figure it advertised. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden, and a distribution is not drawn as percentages below ten observations.
- “Match”, text similarity, the expected-bid figure and the distribution drawn beneath it are model outputs, not published facts or win probabilities. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Requests to participate open
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BST
- Last source update
- 12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end — 23 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
6676734- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-096219- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0785e1Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
- For further details on invoicing procedures please see : https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/ar ticles/account-ni-good-invoicing-practice Contract Value The estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation or increases to charges due to increases in the Real Living Wage. Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority.
- How it runs
- The competitive flexible procurement process comprises of up to five stages and suppliers must pass each stage to remain in the competition. At Stage 1, suppliers will be assessed against the Conditions of Participation criteria. At Stages 2 and 3, suppliers will be assessed against the Minimum Functional Requirements. At Stage 4, suppliers will be assessed against Qualitative and Quantitative Criteria. The final stage, Stage 5, will comprise of a due diligence exercise with the first ranked supplier only. Suppliers should refer to the Instructions to Tender (ITT) document for detailed information on the procurement procedure.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via eTendersNI- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 11 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 30 Oct 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
5 published dates · Europe/London- Tender notice published1 day ago12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BST
- Clarification questions byin 18 days30 Oct 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 30 days11 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 72 days23 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 111 days1 Feb 2027
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 12 Oct 2026- Tender notice published12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BSTUK4
- First tender notice published12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
3 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- CPDBeneficiary authority
- CPD - Supplies & Service DivisionProcess contact pointProcuring entityConstruction and Procurement Delivery – Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender