Official UK procurement notice
Services-Framework-Lab Sample Couriers Service
Authority: United Utilities Water Limited (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionUnited Utilities Laboratory Services require a courier service for the transportation of samples from sites across the Company to the central Laboratory at Lingley Mere (Warrington) on a daily basis. It is a requirement of OFWAT (The Water Services Regulation Authority) that the Company constantly undertakes analysis of water/waste water samples from various sample points throughout the North-West Region. Water Quality Officers, Network Owners, Wastewater Operatives, Trade Effluent Officers, Agricultural Advisors and Project Staff obtain the samples requiring analysis. Samples are left at drop off points for collection by the dedicated courier in a refrigerated van. Samples need to be transported under refrigerated conditions to ensure that they are maintained at a temperature of between 2 and 7 degrees centigrade. It is a requirement to maintain evidence that this has been achieved to enable United Utilities to adhere to regulatory requirements with respect to the transportation of accredited samples under the Environment Agency's Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTs), Drinking Water Test Specifications (DWTS) and ISO 17025. On collection, the courier takes the samples to a Sample Registration Centre (SRC) or directly to Lingley Mere Laboratories Sample Reception. An additional dedicated courier service is then required to operate between the SRC's and the Laboratories at Lingley Mere, where required. Consignment Notes or Delivery Notes detailing the sample load carried and all other required information to the Laboratory at Lingley Mere are part of the hand-over procedure at the SRCs and the Laboratory. These are currently in paper form, the Company would like to move this to an electronic format, where reports should consist of (minimum requirement):
- Sample bottle barcode number
- crate barcode number
- vehicle registration
- collection date and time
- collection location
- time samples dropped off
- location of sample drop off Route optimisation will also be a requirement of the tender, with bidders expected to demonstrate how routes will be optimised to ensure efficiency, reliability, and timely delivery of samples while maintaining required temperature controls. Detailed dates and milestones will be share in the tender documentation. Deadline for CoPQ submission: 10/03/2026
- How the procedure runs: United Utilities Laboratory Services requires a courier service for the transportation of samples from sites across the Company to the central Laboratory at Lingley Mere (Warrington) on a daily basis. The new contract will transition from the current arrangements of United Utilities owned fleet to a fully managed service model, including supplier-provided refrigerated vehicles, drivers, route management, and reporting. Samples need to be transported under refrigerated conditions to ensure that they are maintained at a temperature of between 2 and 7 degrees centigrade. It is a requirement to maintain evidence that this has been achieved to enable United Utilities to adhere to regulatory requirements with respect to the transportation of accredited samples under the Environment Agency's Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTs), Drinking Water Test Specifications (DWTS) and ISO 17025. The tender will look to award to a sole supplier to provide the service.
CPV: Courier services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 8 yrs from 6 Jul 2026
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£9,600,000
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: 60%
- Commercial: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical
- Commercial
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Services-Framework-Lab Sample Couriers Service” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
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
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 13 Feb 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Last source update
- 22 Oct 2026, 18:03 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 30 Jun 2026
- Authority reference
PRO005040- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-013630- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06545fFind a Tender
- How it runs
United Utilities Laboratory Services requires a courier service for the transportation of samples from sites across the Company to the central Laboratory at Lingley Mere (Warrington) on a daily basis. The new contract will transition from the current arrangements of United Utilities owned fleet to a fully managed service model, including supplier-provided refrigerated vehicles, drivers, route management, and reporting. Samples need to be transported under refrigerated conditions to ensure that they are maintained at a temperature of between 2 and 7 degrees centigrade. It is a requirement to maintain evidence that this has been achieved to enable United Utilities to adhere to regulatory requirements with respect to the transportation of accredited samples under the Environment Agency's Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTs), Drinking Water Test Specifications (DWTS) and ISO 17025. The tender will look to award to a sole supplier to provide the service.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 12 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 27 Feb 2026
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
13 Feb 2026 → 2 Nov 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published253 days ago13 Feb 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Clarification questions by240 days ago27 Feb 2026
- Admission / appointment period ends134 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown12 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Award decision expected by116 days ago30 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts111 days ago6 Jul 2026
- Assessment summaries sent3 days ago22 Oct 2026
- Latest notice published2 days ago22 Oct 2026, 18:03 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Standstill endsin 9 days2 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 13 Feb 2026- Tender notice published13 Feb 2026, 17:00 GMTUK4
- Tender notice published17 Feb 2026, 10:24 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published22 Oct 2026, 18:03 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete22 Oct 2026, 18:03 BST
- Contract signature expected5 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Direct Logistics LimitedSME1 Feb 2027 – 31 Jan 2033 · up to 31 Jan 2035Extensions: United Utilities may extend the Framework Agreement by up to two further periods of 12 months each, at its discretion, giving a maximum total term of eight years (6+1+1) | £9,600,000 | 22 Oct 2026standstill to 2 Nov 2026 | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
1 commercial party on the notice- Delivery Direct LogisticsFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender