Find a TenderAwarded

Published 8 Dec 2022, 15:29 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

International Courier Contract For NEQAS/WBMDR

Authority: NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust) (Central government)·Consortium: 2 public authorities

2 lotsServicesOpen procedureSME suitable

Sectors: Postal and telecommunications services (64) Delivery: UKWales (UKL)

Published estimate£420,000total for 2 lots · 1 value update

Submissions closed 13 Jan 2025awarded 13 Feb 2026

Awarded to PRIORITY EXPRESS (COURIERS) LTD, DHL3 awards

What is being bought2 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

The Welsh Blood Service (WBS), operating under Velindre University NHS Trust, invites tenders for the provision of transport services for biological samples. These services are required to support the operations of two key programmes:

UK National External Quality Assessment Service for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (UK NEQAS for H&I), which distributes blood samples to medical laboratories globally as part of its External Quality Assessment (EQA) schemes.

Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (WBMDR), which facilitates the transport of donor samples to laboratories worldwide as well as the transport of samples from GPs/Hospitals/Donors addresses within the UK to WBS.

NEQAS offer 19 different EQA Schemes, which are available to laboratories or appropriate companies in the UK and internationally (our customers). The EQA service necessitates the regular distribution of blood samples to our customers to allow us to check the quality of their medical tests. Some of the samples sent deteriorate quickly; therefore, delivery to destinations must be ASAP to ensure samples are suitable for testing.

The successful provider will be required to Ensure timely and reliable distribution of biological samples, including perishable samples that must be delivered to UK and international destinations as quickly as possible to maintain suitability for testing and non-perishable samples, which can be dispatched via courier or post based on customer preferences.

The successful supplier must also be able to provide transport solutions for donor samples originating from GPs, hospitals, or donor addresses within the UK to the WBS, as well as outgoing shipments from WBS to laboratories worldwide.

Recurrence: 3 years

CPV: Courier services

Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure

2 lots · 1 with a published value · evaluation weights differ by lot

Lot #1International Courier Contract For NEQASAwardedRenewal UK, WalesPublished value£375,000

Delivery: UK, Wales

Extensions: Optional Extension Period of 12 MonthsVariant bids: not allowed

64120000 Courier services

Lot #2International Courier Contract For WBMDRAwarded WalesLot estimate not published

NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership – Procurement Services on behalf of The Welsh Blood Service (WBS), operating under Velindre University NHS Trust required an experienced supplier provision of transport services for biological samples. These services are required to support the operations of two key programmes:

Delivery: Wales

64120000 Courier services

What it takes to win
i
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 more

How bids were scored

Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.

Lot	Quality	Price	Split
1 · International Courier Contract For NEQAS	40	120
2 · International Courier Contract For WBMDR	40	60

What this means for your bid

Price carries 60–120 points depending on the lot. Read the split per lot below.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached

Procedure method: Open procedure
Legal basis: CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category: Services
Notice status: Awarded
Procurement threshold: Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered: Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement: Yes · 3 years
First published: 8 Dec 2022, 15:29 GMT
Last source update: 23 Feb 2026, 09:47 GMT
Award evaluation window: 14 Jan 2025 – …
Authority reference: WBS-ITT-57986
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-015907
Classification (CPV): Courier services
Delivery area: UKWales (UKL)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-038bf8 Find a Tender

Contract terms

Electronic trading: e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment

Publisher note: (WA Ref:161915)

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: Jaggaer · Who buys & how to bid on Sell2Wales

Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN, CY

Access & registration note: Free; latest Chrome/Edge/Firefox only — corporate browsers fail

Tender documents are also served through a separate tool: https://etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk/home.html ↗

Submission deadline: 13 Jan 2025, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel: {"electronicSubmission"}
Accepted languages: en, cy
Participation fee: document
Bid validity: 90 days from the deadline
Bids opened: 14 Jan 2025, 12:00 GMT

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

etenderwales.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml ↗

Timeline

13 Jan 2025 → 23 Feb 2026 · 3 dates

Submission deadline
13 Jan 2025, 12:00 GMT
Bids opened
14 Jan 2025, 12:00 GMT
Notice published245 days ago
23 Feb 2026, 09:47 GMT

Notice history

6 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 14 Feb 2023

Status changed to complete
14 Feb 2023, 13:44 GMT
Published value updated to £375,000
10 Dec 2024, 13:32 GMT
was £420,000
Status changed to active
10 Dec 2024, 13:32 GMT
Deadline moved to 13 Jan 2025, 12:00 GMT
10 Dec 2024, 13:32 GMT
+732 days · was 12 Jan 2023, 12:00 GMT
Status changed to complete
23 Feb 2026, 09:47 GMT
Buyer details updated
23 Feb 2026, 09:47 GMT

Routine re-releases (4)

2022-12: 1 release · 8 Dec 2022

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 3

Awarded value £380,0003 contracts exc. VAT

Bids received 44 from SMEs

Contracts signed 3latest 13 Feb 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Lot 1 · International Courier Contract For NEQAS2 awards
PRIORITY EXPRESS (COURIERS) LTDSME	£315,000 †	—	Awarded
DHL	£40,000 †	—	Awarded
Lot 2 · International Courier Contract For WBMDR1 award
PRIORITY EXPRESS (COURIERS) LTDSME	£25,000 †	—	Awarded

Contracts

International Courier Contract For NEQAS · DHL
Signed
13 Feb 2026
Value
£40,000
Status
active
International Courier Contract For WBMDR · PRIORITY EXPRESS (COURIERS) LTDSME
Signed
23 Dec 2025
Value
£25,000
Status
active
Contract 004508-2023-WBS-OJEU-51760 - International Courier Contract for NEQAS/WBMDR-1 · PRIORITY EXPRESS (COURIERS) LTDSME
Signed
13 Feb 2023
Value
£315,000
Status
active

Bid statistics published by the authority

Lot	Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
1 · International Courier Contract For NEQAS	2bids · 2 electronic	2	—	—
2 · International Courier Contract For WBMDR	2bids · 2 electronic	2	—	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership-Procurement Services (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust)

Contracting authorityCentral GovernmentBody governed by public lawHealth Alder House, St Asaph, UK, LL17 0JLContact name, email Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

High CourtReview body LondonContact phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

2 commercial parties on the notice

DHLAwarded supplier SLOUGH, UK
PRIORITY EXPRESS (COURIERS) LTDAwarded supplier PRIORITY EXPRESS (COURIERS) LTD, Unit 11 Regents Trade Park, Cardiff, UK, CF245PFContact phone

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Economic and financial selection criteriatenderEconomic and financial selection criteria
Technical selection criteriatenderTechnical selection criteria