Official UK procurement notice
Microbiology Services Managed Service Contract
Authority: Lothian Health Board
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNHS Lothian seeks next-generation automated laboratory solution delivered on a managed services basis for diagnostic and laboratory services at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The scope of the contract is an integrated Microbiology laboratory managed Services contract (“MSC”) providing service management to meet all regulatory requirements, integrated IT firmware, major analysers, reagents and consumables to deliver the majority of the test repertoire.
CPV: Laboratory services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1NHS Lothian seeks the provision of integrated Microbiology laboratory managed services…Renewal
NHS Lothian seeks the provision of integrated Microbiology laboratory managed services to deliver the Core Services, including integrated MALDI ToF and advanced digital automation, for laboratory located at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The scope of the MSC will include the provision of optional Conventional Microbiology laboratory and antimicrobial susceptibility testing services. The procurement documents will detail the basis on which these optional services may be instructed by NHS Lothian.
The successful economic operator will be responsible for the provision, implementation, calibration, commissioning and maintenance of all equipment necessary to deliver the MSC and for provision of all consumables used in connection therewith. It is intended an award will be made to one successful economic operator who will assume full responsibility for provision of all the managed services to NHS Lothian. The successful economic operator shall be solely responsible for effecting any sub-contracting or collaborative arrangements required with other suppliers to allow the successful economic operator to meet this commitment. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
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 (2)
- Technical: 80%
- price: 20%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical: 80
- Price: 20
- Suitability
If required by the member state, Economic Operators are required to be enrolled in the relevant professional or trade registers within the country in which they are established.
- Economic & financial standing
This section refers to Part 4B of the SPD and covers questions 4B.1.1– 4B.6 of the SPD:
4B.1.2 Economic operators will be required to have an average yearly turnover of a minimum of 6 million GBP for the last 3 years.
4B.2.2 Economic operators will be required to have an average yearly turnover of a minimum of 4 million GBP in the business area covered by the contract for the last 3 years.
4B.4 Economic operators will be required to provide the following financial ratios for the same 3 year period as 4B.1.2.:
- Current Ratio (>1 expected)
This ratio is requested for information only and will be used to compare finances across the sector as well as to assess the economic operators’ financial strength and security. In some cases this review may lead to an additional request for further financial information to help clarify any potential issues raised.
4B.5 It is a requirement of this contract that economic operators hold, or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of any subsequently awarded contract, the types and levels of insurance indicated below:
Professional Risk Indemnity: 6 million GBP
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability: 5 million GBP
Public Liability: 6 million GBP
Product Liability: 6 million GBP
For further guidance on Employers (Compulsory) Liability Insurance see
- Technical & professional ability
Economic operators will be required to provide examples of similar services carried out during the past three years that demonstrate experience to deliver the services described in the Section II.2.4 of this Contract Notice which are similar in size, value and complexity.
Economic operator’s examples should include but are not limited to the following details in their service provision examples:
- Detailed description of the services delivered;
- Contract value
- Contract period
- Complexity of the managed services contract
- Contact details of a reference (this may be used for information purposes only)
Economic operators are required to provide details of the technicians or technical bodies the economic operator can call upon, especially those responsible for quality control, and demonstrate that they have sufficient service engineers, technical support, IT and contract managers to oversee and maintain quality standards and KPIs to perform the contract as described in Section II.2.4 of this contract notice.
Economic operators are required to provide examples of the supply chain management and supplies tracking systems likely to be utilised in the supply of the services, e.g. with 3rd party supplier, stock/IT systems utilised, logistics arrangements, and average lead times, used by them to deliver the types of requirements detailed in Section II.2.4 of this Contract Notice.
- Staff
- Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
- Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £6,000,000 (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 Lothian Health Board buys Laboratory services (CPV 7190), and who usually turns up
Lothian Health Board’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 services (CPV 7190) →
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.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
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 the winner is registered in the region where that contract was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Scotland.
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 62 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 market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
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 bid39%
2–337%
4–621%
7+3%
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 estimate61%
Within ±2%26%
Above estimate13%
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 #1NHS Lothian seeks the provision of integrated Microbiology laboratory managed services…CPV 7190Published estimate£3.0m
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 bid29%
2–341%
4–619%
7+10%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
Based on 4 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£2.7m–£3.0m
Estimate£3.0m
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 | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbott Laboratories LimitedWorked for this buyer | Core Molecular Testingnotice published Apr 2026 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £546m18 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 6 live · £122m 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=1 | |
| £6.2m22 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 6 live · £528k 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. | 24% below n=10 | |
| £448m46 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 11 live · £48m 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. | 21% below n=5 | |
| £6.4m21 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 9 live · £7.3m 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=14 | |
| £490k3 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 1 live · £21k 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. | no comparable pairs |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
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
- Open for tender
- 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
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 23 Jul 2026, 08:35 BST
- Last source update
- 9 Oct 2026, 09:44 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 11 Dec 2026 – …
- Authority reference
LR3-208-2026- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-095482- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d162Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
Publisher note: (SC Ref:845266)
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Public Contracts Scotland- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 11 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 300 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 11 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
Timeline
9 Oct 2026 → 11 Jan 2027 · 4 dates- Notice published11 days ago9 Oct 2026, 09:44 BST
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Submission deadlinein 52 days11 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Bids openedin 52 days11 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Next notice expectedin 82 days11 Jan 2027
Notice history
7 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 1 Sept 2026- Status changed to active1 Sept 2026, 10:29 BST
- Procurement method changed1 Sept 2026, 10:29 BST
- Deadline published: 30 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST1 Sept 2026, 10:29 BST
- Status changed to cancelled2 Sept 2026, 10:03 BST
- Status changed to active8 Oct 2026, 15:04 BST
- Deadline moved to 23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST8 Oct 2026, 15:04 BST+23 days · was 30 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Deadline moved to 11 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT9 Oct 2026, 09:44 BST+49 days · was 23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Published amendments (1 · 1 deadline change)
| When | What | Before | After | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DeadlineTime limit · IV.2.2 | 23 Oct 2026 | 11 Dec 2026 | +49 d |
Date amended
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-09: 1 release · 1 Sept 2026
- 2026-07: 1 release · 23 Jul 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awardsAwards so far
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast1 further award records carry no date or value.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace CourtReview body
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.