Official UK procurement notice
Pharmacy Services Physical Health
Authority: Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)·On behalf of: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionGloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust ("the Authority") is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced provider for the delivery of Physical Pharmacy Services across its Physical Health services within Gloucestershire.
The Authority delivers a diverse range of community-based, outpatient, rehabilitation, intermediate care, and inpatient physical healthcare services. The successful contractor will be required to provide a comprehensive, safe, effective, and patient-centred pharmacy service that supports the delivery of high-quality clinical care, medicines optimisation, and statutory compliance across the Trust's physical health portfolio.
The service will be expected to provide expert pharmacy support, including but not limited to medicines management, medicines optimisation, clinical pharmacy input, governance and assurance activities, medicines reconciliation, prescribing support, staff training and education, audit and quality improvement activities, and specialist pharmaceutical advice to multidisciplinary teams.
The Authority is seeking a provider that can demonstrate:
Extensive experience in delivering pharmacy services within NHS and/or comparable healthcare environments;
Strong clinical governance and medicines safety arrangements;
- A skilled and resilient workforce capable of supporting services across multiple care settings;
- The ability to work collaboratively with clinical teams and system partners;
- Innovative approaches to medicines optimisation and service improvement;
- Robust digital capabilities, reporting arrangements, and data management processes; and
- A commitment to delivering high-quality patient outcomes, value for money, sustainability, and social value.
The contract will support the Authority's strategic objectives by ensuring that patients receive safe, effective, and timely pharmaceutical care, while promoting the appropriate use of medicines and supporting service efficiency across physical healthcare pathways.
The procurement will be conducted through an open and transparent competitive process. Tender submissions will be evaluated on the basis of the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT), taking into account quality, service delivery, clinical governance, social value, and commercial considerations. Full details of the evaluation methodology and award criteria will be provided within the procurement documentation.
The successful provider will be expected to mobilise and maintain a service model that is responsive to changing patient needs, workforce challenges, regulatory requirements, and developments in pharmacy practice throughout the contract term.
Further information relating to the scope of services, contract requirements, performance standards, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and contractual arrangements will be included within the Invitation to Tender documentation.
Registration and documentation will be available for suppliers on Monday 21st September 2026.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 29 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Pharmacy services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£36,103,000
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: 50%
- Commerical: 40%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Quality: Criteria to be assessed: Patient Access and Specialist Sexual Health & HIV Dispensing Service Clinical Pharmacy Services Medicines Supply, Dispensing and Stock Management Delivery, Logistics, and IUCS Medicines Management Service Resilience, Capacity and Continuous Improvement
- Social Value: Social Value Offer assessed in accordance with the TOMs Methodology.
- Commerical: Criteria to be assessed: Commercial Questions Pricing Schedule Total Core Service Cost Dispensing and Activity Costs Out of Hours Mobilisation Costs
No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £14,425,391 (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 Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust buys Miscellaneous health services (CPV 8514), and who usually turns up
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust’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: Miscellaneous health services (CPV 8514) →
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 registered in South West England.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in South West England.
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 41 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.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
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 bid13%
2–340%
4–620%
7+27%
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 estimate44%
Within ±2%56%
Above estimate0%
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 #1CPV 8514Published estimate£36m
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 bid10%
2–352%
4–628%
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 10 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%£33m–£36m
Estimate£36m
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAIRVIEW HEALTH LIMITEDWorked for this buyer | Pharmacy Services - Extensionnotice published Mar 2026 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| Cygnet Health Care LtdWorked for this buyer | Provision of Out of Area Placementsnotice 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1.7bn24 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 6 live · £1.8m 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=3 | |
| £209m37 awards in 36m · last this month | 1 live · £850k 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=1 | |
| £378m56 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 11 live · £244m 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=9 | |
| £175m81 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 3 live · £15m 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. | 3% above n=1 | |
| £419m24 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 2 live · £44m 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=6 |
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- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Light touch regime
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 29 Jan 2027
- First published
- 13 Mar 2026, 16:31 GMT
- Last source update
- 17 Sept 2026, 14:16 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 28 Jan 2027
- Authority reference
C448040- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-088273- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066a52Find a Tender
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Atamis legacy domain (health-family.force.com)- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 2 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 16 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
13 Mar 2026 → 1 Nov 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published223 days ago13 Mar 2026, 16:31 GMT
- Market engagement185 days ago20 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
The market engagement documentation is available for unrestricted and direct access, free of charge, via the Health Family e-Sourcing portal (Atamis) at: health-family.force.com/s/Welcome ↗.
Suppliers interested in this opportunity are invited to register their interest by accessing the Atamis e-Sourcing portal and searching for Atamis Reference: C422448.
Requests to participate must be submitted electronically via Atamis. Upon registration, suppliers will be granted access to the published materials, which include the Market Engagement Questionnaire. Respondents are encouraged to review and complete this questionnaire as part of the engagement process.
The Trust will contact all suppliers who participated once the pre‑market engagement has closed, to arrange a supplier feedback meeting. We expect these meetings to take place before 1 May 2026.
- Next notice expected63 days ago20 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published36 days ago17 Sept 2026, 14:16 BST
- Clarification questions by6 days ago16 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
- Today23 Oct 2026
- Submission deadlinein 10 days2 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 98 days28 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 374 days1 Nov 2027
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 13 Mar 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published13 Mar 2026, 16:31 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published17 Sept 2026, 14:16 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £36,103,00017 Sept 2026, 14:16 BSTwas £48,000,000
- Status changed to active17 Sept 2026, 14:16 BST
- Procurement method changed17 Sept 2026, 14:16 BST
- Deadline published: 2 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT17 Sept 2026, 14:16 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustProcuring entityProcurement Shared Services are managing this project.
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender