Official UK procurement notice
Laboratory Consumables and Chemicals
Authority: APUC Ltd (Public body)
What is being bought9 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of those laboratory consumables and chemicals required for the efficient functioning of laboratories in the Scottish HE/FE sector, NHS Scotland and other Scottish public sector organisations. For the purposes of this exercise, consumables and chemicals include but are not limited to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), glassware, filtration plastics, molecular biology plastics, tissue culture plastics, pipette tips and pipettors, gloves, solvents, fine chemicals, alcohol and acids, bio-chemicals, inorganic chemicals and salts and green chemicals. The supply of all products should include a provision for take-back schemes where possible.
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of supply of laboratory consumables and chemicals required for the efficient functioning of laboratories across the further and higher education sector, NHS Scotland and other public bodies in Scotland. This includes Full and Associate Members, and future members of APUC Ltd.(Advanced Procurement for Universities & Colleges): www.apuc-scot.ac.uk ↗. Other participating bodies include:
- NHS National Procurement and its members
- East Dunbartonshire Council
- Fife Council,
- East Ayrshire Council,
- City of Edinburgh Council
- Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture – SASA
- National Galleries of Scotland
- National Records of Scotland
- Marine Directorate.
- Recurrence: November 2029
CPV: Alcohol · Basic inorganic and organic chemicals · Basic inorganic chemicals · Basic organic chemicals · Chemical elements, inorganic acids and compounds · Disposable gloves · Gloves · Laboratory glassware · Laboratory pipettes and accessories · Laboratory reagents · Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) · Miscellaneous inorganic chemicals · +7 more
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 54 suppliers · 16 bids on the busiest of 9 lots (0.3 per place) · 13 appointed
Lots and requirements (9)Procurement structure
9 lots · no lot values published · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1GlasswareAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of laboratory glassware including, but not limited to: autoclavable accessories, beakers, centrifuge tubes, microscope slides, flasks, funnels, petri dishes, test tubes.
Lot #2Filtration PlasticsAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of filtration plastics including, but not limited to: bottle top filters, cell strainers, vacuum filters, funnels.
Lot #3Molecular Biology and Tissue Culture PlasticsAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of plastic consumables including, but not limited to: bacteria testing supplies, microcentrifuge tubes, test tubes, culture tubes, vacutainers, cell scrapers, tubes, dishes, plates, media bottles, inserts.
Lot #4Pipettes and TipsAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of Pipettes and Tips including, but not limited to: filter membranes, micropipettes, pipettor controllers, mechanical pipettors.
Lot #5Solvents, Alcohol and AcidsAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of a variety of standard solvents, alcohols and acids suitable for a range of laboratory applications.
Lot #6Fine Chemicals and Deuterated SolventsAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of fine chemicals including, but not limited to: chemical substances prepared to a high degree of purity for use in research. The lot is including chemicals such as 4-fluorophenylacetylene and Dess-Martin Periodinane, and a variety of deuterated solvents suitable for a range of laboratory applications.
Lot #7Bio-ChemicalsAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of Bio-chemicals including, but not limited to: a variety of bio-chemicals such as Organic Compounds, Alkane, Antibiotics, Buffers and Supplements suitable for a range of laboratory applications.
Lot #8Inorganic Chemicals and SaltsAwardedRenewal
The Authority was seeking Contractor(s) for the supply of inorganic chemicals and salts including, but not limited to: a variety of in-organic chemicals and salts such as Ammonium Nitrate, Magnesium Sulfate and Sodium Chloride suitable for a range of laboratory applications.
Lot #9One-Stop Shop Consumables and ChemicalsAwardedRenewal
This lot covers all types of consumables and chemicals commonly used in laboratories including those detailed in the Lot descriptions for Lots 1-8. This lot also includes laboratory PPE products (lab coats, sleeve protectors, eye care supplies, head protection, safety glasses and eye protection, protective aprons, respirators, face masks, footwear), gloves (nitrile, vinyl, latex, rubber, neoprene, safety) and general laboratory consumables (cleaning cloths, wipes, lab trays, spatulas, histological blades, tools, stir bars, syringes, labels, racks, stoppers, tubing, vial caps).
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 award criteria (2)
- Quality: 40%
- Price: 60%
- Condition of participationno text publishedMinimum: Please refer to Question 4B.5 of the SPD and Economic and Financial Standing section of the Contract Notice. Tenderers must confirm that they can provide the following supporting evidence prior to award: Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = 5 Million GBP Public Liability…
- Price carries 60 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 6 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Laboratory Consumables and Chemicals” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 54 suppliers, not a single contract.
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
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · November 2029
- First published
- 16 Jan 2025, 09:53 GMT
- Last source update
- 13 May 2026, 15:52 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 19 Dec 2025 – …
- Authority reference
LAB1034 AP- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-044079- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04d071Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
Submission of Management Information Following commencement of the Framework Agreement, the Contractor will provide a performance report to the Authority on a quarterly basis to include spend by Institution under the Framework Agreement for the reporting period. Contractors must provide the information on a quarterly basis, within 10 working days following the start of each quarter. Data must be uploaded to the website: ucsp.ac.uk ↗.
Publisher note: Economic operators may have been excluded from this competition if they were in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Suppliers were asked to confirm they will be in a position to complete (at point of award) the following: Appendix A Form of Tender Appendix B Freedom of Information Appendix D APUC Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct Appendix H Declaration of Non-involvement in Serious Organised Crime Appendix I Declaration of Non- Involvement in Human Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Tenderers were asked to supply, as a minimum, 50% of the core basket of goods per each lot they are bidding for. Where a Tenderer was not able to supply a minimum of 50% of the core basket of goods, the Authority reserves the right not to award a Tenderer a place on the Framework Agreement. WHERE TENDERER’S TECHNICAL RESPONSE ACHIEVES LESS THAN 50% OF FULL MARKS AVAILABLE FOR THE TECHNICAL ENVELOPE/QUESTIONNAIRE (TECHNICAL ENVELOPE’S FULL MARKS = 40), THEN THE AUTHORITY RESERVES THE RIGHT NOT TO AWARD A TENDERER A PLACE ON THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT.DETAILED EVALUATION CRITERIA AND THEIR WEIGHTINGS WITHIN THE TECHNICAL ENVELOPE, ARE INCLUDED IN THE SECTION 1 OF THE ITT (PAGES 11-12). (SC Ref:831152)
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 5 Jan 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 180 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 19 Dec 2025, 15:00 GMT
Timeline
1 May 2025 → 13 May 2026 · 4 dates- Next notice expected1 May 2025, 00:00 BST
- Bids opened309 days ago19 Dec 2025, 15:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends293 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown5 Jan 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Notice published164 days ago13 May 2026, 15:52 BST
Notice history
6 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 3 Nov 2025- Published value updated to £40,000,0003 Nov 2025, 13:56 GMTwas £25,000,000
- Status changed to active3 Nov 2025, 13:56 GMT
- Procurement method changed3 Nov 2025, 13:56 GMT
- Deadline published: 19 Dec 2025, 14:00 GMT3 Nov 2025, 13:56 GMT
- Deadline moved to 5 Jan 2026, 14:00 GMT17 Nov 2025, 14:35 GMT+17 days · was 19 Dec 2025, 14:00 GMT
- Status changed to complete13 May 2026, 15:52 BST
Published amendments (1 · 1 deadline change)
| When | What | Before | After | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DeadlineTime limit · IV.2.2 | 19 Dec 2025 | 5 Jan 2026 | +17 d |
| — | Bid openingConditions for opening of tenders · IV.2.7 | 19 Dec 2025 | 5 Jan 2026 | +17 d |
Extended as per bidders request.
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-01: 1 release · 16 Jan 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast9 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
All 8 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £3,750,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Glassware
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Filtration Plastics
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Molecular Biology and Tissue Culture Plastics
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Pipettes and Tips
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Solvents, Alcohol and Acids
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Fine Chemicals and Deuterated Solvents
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Bio-Chemicals
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Inorganic Chemicals and Salts
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
One-Stop Shop Consumables and Chemicals
- Signed
- 27 Mar 2026
- Value
- £10,000,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Glassware | 10bids · 10 electronic · 10 from abroad | 6 | — | — |
| 2 · Filtration Plastics | 9bids · 9 electronic · 9 from abroad | 5 | — | — |
| 3 · Molecular Biology and Tissue Culture Plastics | 11bids · 11 electronic · 11 from abroad | 7 | — | — |
| 4 · Pipettes and Tips | 16bids · 0 electronic · 16 from abroad | 12 | — | — |
| 5 · Solvents, Alcohol and Acids | 9bids · 9 electronic · 9 from abroad | 4 | — | — |
| 6 · Fine Chemicals and Deuterated Solvents | 6bids · 6 electronic · 6 from abroad | 2 | — | — |
| 7 · Bio-Chemicals | 9bids · 9 electronic · 9 from abroad | 4 | — | — |
| 8 · Inorganic Chemicals and Salts | 8bids · 8 electronic · 8 from abroad | 3 | — | — |
| 9 · One-Stop Shop Consumables and Chemicals | 5bids · 5 electronic · 5 from abroad | 1 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- European UnionFunder
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Sheriff Court HouseReview body
Framework contractors & participating bidders
13 commercial parties on the notice- Apollo Scientific Ltd.Framework contractor
- Be Scientific LtdFramework contractor
- Camlab LimitedFramework contractor
- Dixon Glass Ltd (T/A Dixon Science)Framework contractor
- Findel Education LtdFramework contractor
- Fisher Scientific UKFramework contractor
- Greiner Bio-One tdFramework contractor
- LS Scientific LimitedFramework contractor
- Merck Life Science UK LimitedFramework contractor
- Scientific Laboratory Supplies LimitedFramework contractor
Show 3 more suppliers
- StarLabFramework contractor
- VWR International LtdFramework contractor
- fluorochemFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.