Official UK procurement notice
Medical and Industrial Gases Including Cylinders and Bulk Liquid Oxygen
Authority: NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS & healthcare)
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNHS Shared Business Services act in an Agency capacity for and on behalf of its customers (Approved Organisations) - existing and new. These comprise of NHS and Social Care organisations (whether acting individually, or on behalf of, or together as members of any consortia) along with any other public or private sector bodies which NHS SBS authorises to use the resulting Framework.
This framework is for the provision of a wide range of Medical and Industrial Gases. The lotting structure is as follows:
Lot 1 - Medical Gases in Cylinders
Supply of cylinders containing a range of Medical Gases.
Lot 2 - Bulk Liquid Oxygen
Provision and installation of vacuum insulated evaporators (VIE), including back-up facilities, rental and maintenance of the VIE and back-up, and the supply of liquid oxygen.
Lot 3 - Industrial Gases
Supply of a range of Industrial Gases.
Lot 4 - Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and Services
Provision of sustainable medical gas solutions including sustainable medical gas products/alternatives, technology and products/solutions to reduce the environmental impact of medical gases and services to support the delivery of sustainable solutions to Approved Organisations.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 13 Jan 2029, 23:59 GMT.
- No preliminary market engagement: The Authority has carried out preliminary market engagement. A Prior Information Notice (P.I.N.) under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 was published on 06/01/2025 on the Find a Tender Service https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000217-2025 and a formal Request for Information (RFI) issued. Meetings with potential suppliers were subsequently held. In carrying out preliminary market engagement the Authority is satisfied that: (a) suppliers who participated in the preliminary market engagement have not been put at an unfair advantage, and (b) competition in relation to the award of the public contract is not otherwise distorted.
CPV: Industrial gases · Medical gases
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Open framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Bids received
- 3 bids on the busiest of 4 lots · 5 suppliers appointed
- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 14 Jan 2026
- Buyer regions
- GG, IM, JE, UK
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
1.50% of call-off value · We apply an NCIS (NHS Contracted Income Stream) levy to all sales under our Frameworks, which underpins the funding and investment for our contracting routes and category support to the NHS. This levy is applied as a percentage fee within the Frameworks between the Authority and the Supplier.
Please see the Corporate Requirements document within the Key Attachments section of the SAP Ariba Souring Event for further details.
Who may buy through it
NHS Shared Business Services act in an Agency capacity for and on behalf of its customers (Approved Organisations) - existing and new. These comprise of NHS and Social Care organisations (whether acting individually, or on behalf of, or together as members of any consortia) along with any other public or private sector bodies which NHS SBS authorises to use the resulting Framework.
Our Approved Organisation list can be found on:
Published description of the framework
There are two procurement routes for an Approved Organisation that wishes to use this Framework. A competitive process between the Suppliers in the relevant Lot, which may be preceded by a capability assessment, or an award without a competitive process to particular Supplier(s)
Schedule 7 of the Framework explains the rules for both a competitive selection process and an award without a competitive process.
A competitive selection process is the default ordering procedure under this Framework.
- Medical Gases · Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire · 12 Aug 2026
- Y&S Medical Gas Cylinders · York Teaching Hospital Facilities Management LLP · 18 Jun 2026
- Medical Gases in Cylinders · Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority · 21 May 2026
Notices that name this framework as their framework in the official record. Many call-offs are never published, so this is a floor, not utilisation.
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotEvery one of these 4 lots carries the same published figure, £70,000,000: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1Medical Gases in CylindersAwardedceiling above
Supply of cylinders containing a range of Medical Gases.
- Economic & financial standing
Please see the procurement documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Please see the procurement documentation
Lot #2Bulk Liquid OxygenAwardedceiling above
Provision and installation of vacuum insulated evaporators (VIE), including back-up facilities, rental and maintenance of the VIE and back-up, and the supply of liquid oxygen.
- Economic & financial standing
Please see the procurement documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Please see the procurement documentation
Lot #3Supply of Industrial GasesAwardedceiling above
Supply of a range of Industrial Gases.
- Economic & financial standing
Please see the procurement documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Please see the procurement documentation
Lot #4Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and ServicesAwardedceiling above
Provision of sustainable medical gas solutions including sustainable medical gas products/alternatives, technology and products/solutions to reduce the environmental impact of medical gases and services to support the delivery of sustainable solutions to Approved Organisations.
- Economic & financial standing
Please see the procurement documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Please see the procurement 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)
- Quality: 60%
- Commercial: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Quality
- Social Value
- Commercial
- Economic & financial standing
Please see the procurement documentation
- Technical & professional ability
Please see the procurement documentation
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Medical and Industrial Gases Including Cylinders and Bulk Liquid Oxygen” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- NHS Shared Business Services act in an Agency capacity for and on behalf of its customers (Approved Organisations) - existing and new. These comprise of NHS and Social Care organisations (whether acting individually, or on behalf of, or together as members of any consortia) along with any other public or private sector bodies which NHS SBS authorises to use the resulting Framework. Our Approved Organisation list can be found on: https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-agreements-categories/
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA, CPTPP)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 13 Jan 2029
- First published
- 30 Apr 2025, 10:07 BST
- Last source update
- 19 Feb 2026, 12:53 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 21 Nov 2025
- Authority reference
SBS10526- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-017836- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0509c7Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 1 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 22 May 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
call-off levy · 1.50% of call-off value · We apply an NCIS (NHS Contracted Income Stream) levy to all sales under our Frameworks, which underpins the funding and investment for our contracting routes and category support to the NHS. This levy is applied as a percentage fee within the Frameworks between the Authority and the Supplier.
Please see the Corporate Requirements document within the Key Attachments section of the SAP Ariba Souring Event for further details.
Tenders must be submitted via SAP Ariba via the following link:
discovery.ariba.com/rfx/23055791 ↗
To access all information and submit a response in relation to this opportunity, please click the 'Respond to Posting' button on the Discovery Posting link above. Potential bidders will then be asked to either login or register for an Ariba Network account. Once registration has been completed, potential bidders will be directed to the Event Page.
Timeline
30 Apr 2025 → 19 Feb 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published30 Apr 2025, 10:07 BST
- Clarification questions by22 May 2025, 12:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown1 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent353 days ago4 Nov 2025
- Standstill ends343 days ago13 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected by335 days ago21 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts282 days ago14 Jan 2026
- Latest notice published245 days ago19 Feb 2026, 12:53 GMT
Notice history
7 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 30 Apr 2025- Tender notice published30 Apr 2025, 10:07 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published4 Jun 2025, 11:12 BSTUK4
- Deadline moved to 1 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST4 Jun 2025, 11:12 BST+14 days · was 17 Jun 2025, 12:00 BST
- Contract award notice published4 Nov 2025, 09:53 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete4 Nov 2025, 09:53 GMT
- Contract signature expected16 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published19 Feb 2026, 12:53 GMTUK7
Published amendments (1)
Tender submission deadline amended from 13/06/25 to 01/07/25
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-04: 1 release · 30 Apr 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast£70,000,000 is the framework's published maximum, restated by the publisher on 4 award rows. It is one ceiling, not 4 separate sums, and no share per lot is published; those rows read “ceiling above”.
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · Medical Gases in Cylinders1 award | |||
| AIR LIQUIDE LIMITED, BOC Ltd, Speciality Oxygen Service14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030 | ceiling above | 28 Oct 2025 | Awarded |
| Lot 2 · Bulk Liquid Oxygen1 award | |||
| AIR PRODUCTS PLC, BOC Ltd14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030 | ceiling above | 28 Oct 2025 | Awarded |
| Lot 3 · Supply of Industrial Gases1 award | |||
| AIR LIQUIDE LIMITED, BOC Ltd14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030 | ceiling above | 28 Oct 2025 | Awarded |
| Lot 4 · Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and Services1 award | |||
| AIR LIQUIDE LIMITED, Agile Medical LtdSME, BOC Ltd14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030 | ceiling above | 28 Oct 2025 | Awarded |
Contracts
All 4 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £70,000,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Medical Gases in Cylinders · AIR LIQUIDE LIMITED, BOC Ltd, Speciality Oxygen Service
- Signed
- 13 Jan 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030
- Status
- active
Bulk Liquid Oxygen · AIR PRODUCTS PLC, BOC Ltd
- Signed
- 13 Jan 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030
- Status
- active
Industrial Gases · AIR LIQUIDE LIMITED, BOC Ltd
- Signed
- 13 Jan 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030
- Status
- active
Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and Services · AIR LIQUIDE LIMITED, Agile Medical LtdSME, BOC Ltd
- Signed
- 13 Jan 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 14 Jan 2026 – 13 Jan 2030
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Medical Gases in Cylinders | 3final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Bulk Liquid Oxygen | 2final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 · Supply of Industrial Gases | 2final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
| 4 · Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and Services | 3final-stage tenders | 2 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonAIR LIQUIDE LIMITED · West Midlands · 1, 3, 4
- wonBOC LIMITED · South East England · all lots
- wonSPECIALITY OXYGEN SERVICE LIMITED · North West England · 1
- wonAIR PRODUCTS PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY · South East England · 2
- wonAGILE MEDICAL LTDSME · Yorkshire and the Humber · 4
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
5 commercial parties on the notice- AGILE MEDICAL LTDFramework contractor
- AIR LIQUIDE LIMITEDFramework contractor
- AIR PRODUCTS PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANYFramework contractor
- BOC LIMITEDFramework contractor
- SPECIALITY OXYGEN SERVICE LIMITEDFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (14)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
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