Find a TenderPlanned procurement
Published 4 Aug 2026, 11:59 BST

Official UK procurement notice

National Framework Agreement for Teledermatology and Telemicrobiology Services

Authority: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)

Framework agreement2 lotsServices
Planned pipeline value£49,000,000total for 2 lots · pipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 6 Oct 2026from the planned procurement notice
Lots 2see the lot list below

What is being bought2 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

The proposed framework will provide access to specialist teledermatology and telemicrobiology services to support the delivery of timely, high-quality clinical care across the health sector.

Teledermatology services enable the remote assessment, triage and diagnosis of skin conditions through the secure exchange of clinical images and virtual consultation technologies, supporting earlier clinical decision-making, improved patient access to specialist expertise and reduced waiting times.

Telemicrobiology services provide remote specialist clinical microbiology support, including the interpretation of microbiological investigations, clinical advice, infection diagnosis and management, antimicrobial stewardship, reporting support and second opinions across a range of clinically relevant specimen types.

CPV: Health services

Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure

2 lots · no lot values published

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
What this means for your bid
  • “National Framework Agreement for Teledermatology and Telemicrobiology…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust buys Health services (CPV 8510), and who usually turns up

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Health services (CPV 8510) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bidWhat to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 142 of 167 known-size awards · market: no supplier sizes published
85%—

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 158 of 195 known-location awards · market: no winner locations published
81%—

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in the delivery region.

How long to a decision?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 10 decided notices · market: no decision dates published
44 days—

Half of these awards were announced within 44 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 15 procurements with awards; rival share unknown · market: no bid counts or routes published
——

Awards are recorded, but published direct routes and bid counts do not establish this buyer’s share.

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyer12 lots with bid counts · broad CPV 85
0% had one bid
The marketNo bid counts published
Buyer · select a colour for counts
1 bid0%
Buyer: 0 of 12 lots with published bid counts.
2–38%
Buyer: 1 of 12 lots with published bid counts.
4–625%
Buyer: 3 of 12 lots with published bid counts.
7+67%
Buyer: 8 of 12 lots with published bid counts.

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.

On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.

2

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.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Our matching links this notice to “National Framework Agreement for the provision of Mental Health and Wellbeing Services” and “National Framework Agreement for Teleradiology, Telepathology and Telemedicine Services” and “National Framework Agreement for the provision of Secure Patient Transport Services” of this authority, but none of the 15 panel members sit in a category matching this notice.

Lot #1Teledermatology ServicesCPV 85100000Estimate not published
Expected competition
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. The bar shows 75 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet3% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 75 similar lots
1 bid3%
2 of 75 similar past lots received 1 bid (3%).
2–320%
15 of 75 similar past lots received 2–3 (20%).
4–621%
16 of 75 similar past lots received 4–6 (21%).
7+56%
42 of 75 similar past lots received 7+ (56%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 7 bids.
Commercial price forecast
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.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—Priced at call-off
On a framework or DPS the price is agreed on each call-off, so there is no award price to forecast here: the published figure is a ceiling.

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.

SupplierThis buyer’s earlier contractLotAward valueWhy listed
CHUMS Social Enterprise CICEarlier contractNational Framework Agreement for the provision of Mental Health and Wellbeing Servicesnotice published Sept 2026——Matched as the earlier contract

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.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

Lot #2Telemicrobiology ServicesCPV 85100000Estimate not published
Expected competition
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. The bar shows 75 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet3% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 75 similar lots
1 bid3%
2 of 75 similar past lots received 1 bid (3%).
2–320%
15 of 75 similar past lots received 2–3 (20%).
4–621%
16 of 75 similar past lots received 4–6 (21%).
7+56%
42 of 75 similar past lots received 7+ (56%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 7 bids.
Commercial price forecast
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.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—Priced at call-off
On a framework or DPS the price is agreed on each call-off, so there is no award price to forecast here: the published figure is a ceiling.

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.

SupplierThis buyer’s earlier contractLotAward valueWhy listed
CHUMS Social Enterprise CICEarlier contractNational Framework Agreement for the provision of Mental Health and Wellbeing Servicesnotice published Sept 2026——Matched as the earlier contract

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.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

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.

What this replaces
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

41% title match.

A past supplier may not bid again.

The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (41% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid

National Framework Agreement for the provision of Secure Patient Transport Services — held by Amvale Medical Transport Ltd and LSA Secure Ltd trading as LSE Secure Medical Services (+1 more); no contract end date published.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Planned procurement
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
Unspecified in notice
First published
4 Aug 2026, 11:59 BST
Last source update
4 Aug 2026, 11:59 BST
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-073629
Classification (CPV)
Health services
Delivery area
North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)
+2 moreSouth West (UKK)Wales (UKL)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06db09 Find a Tender

Publisher note: The purpose of this engagement notice is to invite suppliers to participate in preliminary market engagement with a view to developing the authority's requirements and preparing tender documents. Suppliers participating in this market consultation are not guaranteed to receive either an Invitation to Tender (if Invitations to Tender are issued), or a place on any framework agreement which may be awarded following an Invitation to Tender. Please email [email protected] to express interest in taking part in this market engagement process. We will then be in contact to arrange the next steps. Engagement deadline: Tuesday 18th August

How it was run

Official notice
Appointment period ends
—

Timeline

4 Aug 2026 → 6 Oct 2026 · 2 dates
  1. Notice published79 days ago
    4 Aug 2026, 11:59 BST
  2. Tender notice expected17 days ago
    6 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Contracting authorityCentral GovernmentBody governed by public lawHealth GB-NHS: PGCG-2135-TXWL Liverpool Road, Chester, North West, CH21ULContact email

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.