Official UK procurement notice
Provision of a deep geothermal solution
Authority: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Countess of Chester Hospital is working to meet its statutory net zero requirements in a number of ways. A partner has already been secured to address energy generation and usage on the site using the Carbon and Energy Fund framework. That partner is addressing energy infrastructure on the site, and included in that requirement is to provide an interface with the successful tenderer from this procurement (Deep Geothermal Solution Reference G1065). The Trust has also won a Public Sector Decarbonisation grant to assist with the geothermal installation.
Under this geothermal procurement the Trust is seeking a development partner (The awarded supplier from this procurement) who will design a Salix compliant process to investigate and develop a geothermal supply for the hospital.
It is envisaged that the successful Tenderer will propose a series of development stages or gateways. At the end of every gateway that meets Salix PSDS grant requirements the Trust intends to allow the development partner to draw down available PSDS funding. This way the Trust looks to minimise the development cost risks for the development partner, and to minimise the eventual unit cost of heat.
Should the gateways all complete successfully, suggesting that there is a commercial opportunity to heat the hospital from geothermal energy, it is proposed that the parties will enter into a long-term Energy Services Agreement (ESA), that will become active as soon as the geothermal energy installation is complete and ready to supply heat to the hospital. The ESA will be subject to periodic reviews through the term. The estimated review period is 7 yearly.
Under the potential Energy Services Agreement (Document 5, supplied under NDA as part of the tender pack) it is intended that any Energy Services Provider will own and maintain the installation for the contract term, and they may choose to enter into offtake agreements with other users so as to minimise the energy service cost to the hospital.
- How the procedure runs: This procurement process is following a competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 and comprises: • a conditions of participation stage requiring suppliers to complete a Procurement Specific Questionnaire and enabling the Authority to identify a shortlist of suppliers to be invited to a technical presentation stage; • a technical presentation stage requiring suppliers to present their proposed approach to delivering the proposed contract which will be scored, enabling the Authority to further shortlist to a maximum of four (4) suppliers who will be invited to submit written tenders; and • a tender stage which is intended to be a single stage submission followed by an interview. The Authority reserves the right to include further stages including a best and final offer stage. The Contracting Authority may refine any Award Criteria and/or refine the weighting of any Award Criteria: prior to inviting eligible Tenderers to submit a Full Tender Response following assessment of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaires and Technical Presentations; and/or prior to inviting eligible Tenderers to submit a Full Tender Response following Intermediate Assessment. The competitive flexible procedure is fully described in the contract documentation.
CPV: Construction work · Downhole equipment · Drilling mud · Drilling rig · Drilling services · Drilling-mud engineering services · Drills · Energy-efficiency consultancy services · Engineering design services · Geological, geophysical and other scientific prospecting services · Geotechnical engineering services · Mudlogging services · +10 more
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Published value£30,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
As stated in the procurement documents
- Technical & professional ability
As stated in the procurement documents
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).
- Quality: Refer to the procurement documents.
- Social Value: Refer to the procurement documents.
- Commercial: Refer to the procurement documents.
- Economic & financial standing
As stated in the procurement documents
- Technical & professional ability
As stated in the procurement documents
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £19,981,752 (twice the annual value).
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 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust buys Drilling equipment (CPV 4313), 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. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Drilling equipment (CPV 4313) →
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 North West England.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in North 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 44 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 bid0%
2–338%
4–663%
7+0%
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 estimate40%
Within ±2%40%
Above estimate20%
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 4313Published estimate£30m
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 bid23%
2–343%
4–620%
7+14%
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 5 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%£30m
Estimate£30m
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.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
Sunbelt Rentals LtdLarge | £16m35 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 4 live · £1.1m 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=4 |
GAP Group LimitedLarge | £13m18 awards in 36m · last 7 months ago | 3 live · £177k 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. | 41% below n=1 |
Balmers GMSME | £329k8 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 2 live · £50k 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 |
| £5.1m5 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 2 live · £5.2m 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. | 8% below n=2 | |
| £255k3 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | None on file | 34% below n=1 |
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
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Works
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA, CPTPP)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 12 May 2026, 14:30 BST
- Last source update
- 28 Aug 2026, 17:21 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 16 Feb 2027
- Authority reference
G/1065- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-082373- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0696c9Find a Tender
- How it runs
This procurement process is following a competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 and comprises:
- a conditions of participation stage requiring suppliers to complete a Procurement Specific Questionnaire and enabling the Authority to identify a shortlist of suppliers to be invited to a technical presentation stage;
- a technical presentation stage requiring suppliers to present their proposed approach to delivering the proposed contract which will be scored, enabling the Authority to further shortlist to a maximum of four (4) suppliers who will be invited to submit written tenders; and
- a tender stage which is intended to be a single stage submission followed by an interview. The Authority reserves the right to include further stages including a best and final offer stage.
The Contracting Authority may refine any Award Criteria and/or refine the weighting of any Award Criteria:
prior to inviting eligible Tenderers to submit a Full Tender Response following assessment of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaires and Technical Presentations; and/or
prior to inviting eligible Tenderers to submit a Full Tender Response following Intermediate Assessment.
The competitive flexible procedure is fully described in the contract documentation.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Atamis legacy domain (health-family.force.com)- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 9 Dec 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Offers must be written in English and submitted via the Contracting Authority's e-Tendering Portal at:
health-family.force.com/s/Welcome ↗
User Guide:
Timeline
12 May 2026 → 2 Mar 2027 · 6 dates- Planning notice published162 days ago12 May 2026, 14:30 BST
- Market engagement147 days ago26 May 2026, 23:59 BST
The purpose of this engagement notice is to invite suppliers to participate in preliminary market engagement with a view to understanding the market, 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).
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.
- Tender notice published53 days ago28 Aug 2026, 17:21 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Submission deadlinein 50 days9 Dec 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 119 days16 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 132 days2 Mar 2027
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 12 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published12 May 2026, 14:30 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published28 Aug 2026, 17:21 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £30,000,00028 Aug 2026, 17:21 BST
- Status changed to active28 Aug 2026, 17:21 BST
- Procurement method changed28 Aug 2026, 17:21 BST
- Deadline published: 9 Dec 2026, 17:00 GMT28 Aug 2026, 17:21 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
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: In order to receive the template Energy Services Agreement, which forms Document 5 of the ITT Pack Tenderers must complete and return a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) by no later than 17:00 on 25 September 2026 Document 6 - Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is included with the contract documents on the Contracting Authority's E-Tendering Portal at https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome and is attached to this notice. It is essential that a signed NDA is submitted to enable Tenderers to have access to all of the information required to submit a Full Tender Response. To get the the template Energy Services Agreement, which forms Document 5 of the ITT Pack, Tenderers must return a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement to view the terms and conditions that will apply to the Order Contract Document 5 - Energy Services Agreement. Tenderers must sign, upload and submit the signed NDA with their Stage 1 response (Questionnaire 1 - Procurement Specific Questionnaire and Questionnaire 2 - Financial Viability Risk Assessment (FVRA) Tool. Tenderers may attach a signed NDA to a message in the E-Tendering Portal at any time before the Deadline for submission by Tenderers of responses to the Stage 1 - Pre-Qualification Questionnaires and NDA.
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender