Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Professional Interpreting and Translation Services
Authority: Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)·On behalf of: KCH Interventional Facilities Management LLP
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionKing’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (the “Contracting Authority”), acting through its wholly owned subsidiary King’s Facilities Management (KFM), invites suitably qualified and experienced providers to participate in a Competitive Flexible Procedure for the Provision of Interpretation and Translation Services across all King’s sites, including King’s College Hospital (Denmark Hill), Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington Hospital, Beckenham Beacon, Queen Mary’s Sidcup, and associated community locations.
The Trust serves a highly diverse population, representing over 120 languages, and seeks to procure a comprehensive, responsive, and technology-enabled language support service to ensure equitable access to healthcare. The service will include:
Face-to-face, telephone, video, and AI-assisted interpretation (including British Sign Language and non-spoken communication support).
Translation services for clinical and non-clinical documents in multiple formats, with appropriate human verification of AI-assisted outputs.
Real-time digital booking and reporting systems, capable of integration with NHS systems and compliant with NHS Information Governance and the Data Security and Protection Toolkit.
Performance monitoring against defined KPIs, including minimum 95–98% fill rates, rapid response to urgent requests, and at least 90% patient satisfaction.
The service aims to deliver cost-effective, high-quality, and inclusive communication support aligned with the Trust’s equality, diversity, and digital transformation objectives. Providers will be expected to demonstrate innovation, use of AI and automation responsibly, and capacity to deliver across a multi-site NHS environment.
This opportunity will follow a multi-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Stage 1 and 2 will involve assessment of Supplier Information Questionnaires (SIQs) and tender submission. Upon evaluation, shortlisted suppliers will be invited to demonstration, negotiation and BAFO - Stage 3.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 2 Jul 2029, 23:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: This opportunity will follow a multi-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Stage 1 and 2 will involve assessment of Supplier Information Questionnaires (SIQs) and tender submission. Upon evaluation, shortlisted suppliers will be invited to demonstration, negotiation and BAFO.
CPV: Interpretation services · Translation services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1CancelledRenewalPublished value£1,200,000
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 (2)
- Technical and Social Value: 70%
- Commercial: 30%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical and Social Value: Technical and Social Value - 70%
- Commercial: Pricing - 30%
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Cancelled
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 2 Jul 2029
- First published
- 8 Aug 2025, 15:32 BST
- Last source update
- 6 Aug 2026, 14:06 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Apr 2026
- Authority reference
W192454- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-006414- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05846eFind a Tender
- How it runs
This opportunity will follow a multi-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Stage 1 and 2 will involve assessment of Supplier Information Questionnaires (SIQs) and tender submission. Upon evaluation, shortlisted suppliers will be invited to demonstration, negotiation and BAFO.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 6 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadline
- 6 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
8 Aug 2025 → 6 Aug 2026 · 8 dates- Planning notice published8 Aug 2025, 15:32 BST
- Next notice expected352 days ago3 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Market engagement352 days ago3 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
This engagement will focus on engagement with prospective suppliers on high-quality Translation and Interpretation Service to support the communication needs of patients across King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. As part of this process, a Request for Information (RFI) will be issued in August 2025 to the market to gain insight into current industry trends, innovative service delivery models, and potential efficiencies. The RFI will enable the Trust to better understand supplier capabilities and market direction, helping to shape a well-informed tender specification.
The ultimate objective is to ensure the successful implementation of a service model underpinned by the appropriate tools, systems, and expertise to provide consistent, reliable, and compliant translation and interpretation support. The selected supplier will be expected to meet NHS standards while facilitating equitable access to healthcare services for all patients, regardless of language or communication needs.
- Tender notice published270 days ago25 Jan 2026, 12:27 GMT
- Submission deadline258 days ago6 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by203 days ago1 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts80 days ago3 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published77 days ago6 Aug 2026, 14:06 BST
Notice history
7 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 8 Aug 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published8 Aug 2025, 15:32 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published25 Jan 2026, 12:27 GMTUK4
- Published value updated to £1,200,00025 Jan 2026, 12:27 GMTwas £2,150,000
- Status changed to active25 Jan 2026, 12:27 GMT
- Procurement method changed25 Jan 2026, 12:27 GMT
- Procurement termination notice published6 Aug 2026, 14:06 BSTUK12
- Status changed to cancelled6 Aug 2026, 14:06 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| supplier not published | — | 6 Aug 2026 | Cancelled |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- KCH Interventional Facilities Management LLPProcuring entityOverseeing and delivering end-to-end procurement services on behalf of the Trust. In this capacity, KFM\'s primary role is to ensure that all procurement activities are conducted in a compliant, transparent, and commercially effective manner, aligned with both NHS procurement regulations and the Trust\'s strategic objectives.
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender