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AwardedFind a Tender · award

Provision of Toxicology Services

Buyer: Essex County Council →

View official notice ↗Official source

BuyerEssex County Council
StatusAwarded
Deadline8 Feb 2026
Value£838,000
Published31 Mar 2026

What is being bought

Essex Coroner Service has procured a contract for the provision of toxicology services on behalf of his Majesty's Coroner. The contract requirement includes; 1. Collection of samples from Coroners approved Mortuaries 2. Testing of samples 3. Production of a report to support the pathologist in determining the cause of death Contract will run from April 2026 for an initial period of 3 years with possible extensions of 24 months

Lot details

Lot 1

No lot description published.

Statuscomplete

Comparable-procurement analytics

No usable CPV category has been published, so a comparable market set cannot yet be built.

Procurement strategy & market signals

Framework agreementNot published
Dynamic purchasing systemNot published
Competitive procurementNot published
Recurring requirementNot published
Procurement method rationaleNot published
Rationale classificationsNot published
Special regimeNot published
Covered byNot published
Submission policyNot published
Selection criteriaNot published
Risk detailsNot published

Planning & early market engagement

BudgetNot published
No-engagement rationaleNot published
Planning documents0
Planning milestones0

No planning milestones published.

Related procurements

No linked framework, prior procurement or reprocurement published.

Awards

Contracts

Provision of Toxicology Services

Statusactive
Value£838,000

Documents & submission route

  • Not published

Source data inventory

Diagnostic view. “Not published” means this current release does not provide a value.

OCIDocds-h6vhtk-056bf3
Latest release ID029740-2026
Latest release timestampTue Mar 31 2026 13:22:28 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Sourcefind-a-tender
Official notice URLhttps://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001640-2026
Tender statuscomplete
Procurement methodopen
Procurement method detailsOpen procedure
Main procurement categoryNot published
Above thresholdNot published
Legal basis2023/54
Tender period: startNot published
Tender period: endNot published
Expression of interest deadlineNot published
Enquiry deadlineNot published
Award period: startNot published
Award period: endNot published
Submission method detailsNot published
Submission languagesNot published
Electronic catalogue policyNot published
Total tender valueNot published
Tender lots in source1
Tender items in source0
Tender documents in source1
Awards in latest release1
Contracts in latest release1
Parties in latest release2

Notice history

DateEventReference
31 Mar 2026award, contract029740-2026
20 Feb 2026award, contract015472-2026
8 Jan 2026tenderUpdate001640-2026
8 Jan 2026tender001637-2026
8 Jan 2026planningUpdate001635-2026
4 Aug 2025planning045488-2025

All source data

Unmodified official OCDS data retained by Tenderline for this procurement process.

Complete current OCDS release JSON
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Complete JSON history (6 releases)
31 Mar 2026 · 029740-2026 · award, contract
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20 Feb 2026 · 015472-2026 · award, contract
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8 Jan 2026 · 001640-2026 · tenderUpdate
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    "title": "Provision of Toxicology Services",
    "value": {
      "amount": 838000,
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      "amountGross": 1005600
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    "status": "active",
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "conflictOfInterest",
        "description": "Not published",
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      {
        "id": "001640-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001640-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
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    "submissionMethodDetails": "The Tender Pack for this opportunity is available via the Proactis ProContract web portal. Interested parties must first register as a supplier by visiting: https://procontract.due-north.com/register\nOnce registered, bidders can access this contract opportunity by following these steps:\n1. Go to: https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities\n2. Search for Essex County Council from the organisation list\n3. Search for Project ref: DN801926 or title C014PA Provision of Toxicology Services\n4. Select \"express interest\" in this opportunity\n5. Download the Tender Pack and complete your bid submission by the deadline date (12pm 8th of February 2026).",
    "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure"
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  "parties": [
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  "initiationType": "tender"
}
8 Jan 2026 · 001637-2026 · tender
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  "date": "2026-01-08T17:26:19Z",
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8 Jan 2026 · 001635-2026 · planningUpdate
{
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  "date": "2026-01-08T17:24:56Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3",
  "buyer": {
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    "title": "C014PA Provision of Toxicology Services",
    "value": {
      "amount": 1100000,
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    "status": "planning",
    "amendments": [
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    "legalBasis": {
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      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "description": "Essex County Council (ECC) is responsible for providing the coroner services for the Essex Jurisdiction.\nHM Senior Coroner for Essex is an independent Judicial Officer whose costs are met by the Council. The Senior Coroner is supported on a full-time basis by the Area Coroner.\nWhere a death occurs within the Essex Jurisdiction and:\na.\tthat death is unexpected or violent; or\nb.\tthe cause of death is not known; or\nc.\tthe death has occurred in custody,\nHM Senior Coroner for Essex has a duty to investigate the death.  Where such a death occurs, part of this responsibility is to instruct that Post Mortems and additional testing in the form of toxicology and / or histology are undertaken to assist with HM Coroner's investigation.\nThe provision of an effective toxicology service shall support HM Senior Coroner for Essex's compliance with the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, and the Council's continual commitment to the bereaved families of Essex.\nHM Senior Coroner for Essex also has a responsibility to act in incidents resulting in mass fatalities.  In such cases the Service Provider must be able to respond and support high volume processing in emergency situations. The Service Provider shall support any out of hours processing in urgent situations.\nSamples for testing will be coordinated and logistically planned in collaboration with the five Hospital Mortuaries across Essex and one public mortuary in London at:\na.\tColchester General Hospital.\nb.\tBasildon and Thurrock University Hospital.\nc.\tBroomfield Hospital.\nd.\tPrincess Alexandra Hospital.\ne.\tSouthend University Hospital.\nf.\tEast London Forensic Centre.\nThe location of each of the 5 hospitals listed above are detailed in Appendix 1  Map of Hospitals and Mortuaries which can be accessed from the ProContract Sourcing portal. More information on ProContract is provided below.\nREQUIREMENTS OF THE SERVICE\nThe Service Provider shall undertake the following tests upon request by HM Senior Coroner for Essex;\na.\tStandard Drug Testing;\nb.\tAlcohol Only Testing;\nc.\tStandard Drug Testing + Alcohol Testing;\nd.\tFull Screening\nThe Service Provider shall also undertake special analytical tests, to test for substances not covered by the tests above.\nThe Service Provider shall undertake the relevant test and submit the Toxicology Report to HM Senior Coroner within the timescales for Standard Processing or Urgent Processing as indicated by the contract.\nThe Service will need to be available during Working Hours.\nThere will be a requirement that samples are collected by a courier from the relevant Mortuary and transported to the Service Provider's Premises.\nThe forecast and the number of tests required may differ; the number of requests may fluctuate due to the nature and circumstances of the individual case. There is seasonal variation in demand with more toxicology required during the winter, November to February. The Service Provider will support the capacity of request by HM Senior Coroner for Essex.  Based on historical data, it is estimated that these will be between 20 and 40 requests per month.\nNumber of toxicology tests for 2023 - 281 tests\nNumber of toxicology tests for 2024 - 317 tests\nThe current contract expires in March 2026 and the estimated planned tender issue date will be around November / December 2025.\nThe Authority wishes to invite interested parties to complete a market engagement questionnaire using Microsoft forms. A link will be included within the information published on Procontract, the Councils e-tendering system. Responses to this market engagement can only be submitted via ProContract. Further information regarding ProContract is provided below.\nECC uses an e-tendering system, ProContract and you will need to create an account on ProContract to access and respond to both this market engagement exercise and to bid for any future opportunities issued by ECC, including this Toxicology Contract. Please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Register to register an account.  It is free to register and use the system.\nIf you have any questions regarding this exercise, please submit them via the ProContract Portal and we will reply to your questions as soon as possible.\nYou are also advised to ensure your data on the Central Digital Platform is maintained up to date. Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK\nThe closing date for responses is 5pm on 1st September 2025.\nThis notice is intended as an awareness, communication and information gathering exercise. Participation is no indication of a commitment to partake in any future tendering process, nor does it infer any preferential or special status on those individuals and organisations who participate.\nPlease also note that this notice is not intended as a call for competition and as such you will need to express your interest in any future tender opportunity once the tender notice is published.\nWe look forward to your participation and contributions.\nPlease also note the following regarding the potential impact of Local Government Reform (LGR) and Devolution to this project.\nThe contracting authority is Essex County Council and any Successor Body meaning one or more entities which assumes any of the Council's functions (as applicable) as a result of Local Government Reform (LGR). Such successor body or bodies may be, without limitation, a local authority, a combined authority, a combined county authority, a strategic authority or any other status determined pursuant to the Devolution and LGR Legislation.",
    "aboveThreshold": true,
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  "language": "en",
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        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
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        "datePublished": "2026-01-08T17:24:56Z"
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        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2025-09-01T23:59:59+01:00",
        "description": "The current contract expires in March 2026 and the estimated planned tender issue date will be around November / December 2025.\nThe Authority wishes to invite interested parties to complete a market engagement questionnaire using Microsoft forms. A link will be included within the information published on Procontract, the Councils e-tendering system. Responses to this market engagement can only be submitted via ProContract. Further information regarding ProContract is provided below.\nECC uses an e-tendering system, ProContract and you will need to create an account on ProContract to access and respond to both this market engagement exercise and to bid for any future opportunities issued by ECC, including this Toxicology Contract. Please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Register to register an account.  It is free to register and use the system.\nIf you have any questions regarding this exercise, please submit them via the ProContract Portal and we will reply to your questions as soon as possible.\nYou are also advised to ensure your data on the Central Digital Platform is maintained up to date. Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK.\nThe closing date for responses is 5pm on 01 September 2025."
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}
4 Aug 2025 · 045488-2025 · planning
{
  "id": "045488-2025",
  "tag": [
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  "date": "2025-08-04T09:33:36+01:00",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-PPON-PWVM-4844-NRQH",
    "name": "Essex County Council"
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  "tender": {
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        ]
      }
    ],
    "title": "C014PA Toxicology Contract",
    "value": {
      "amount": 1100000,
      "currency": "GBP",
      "amountGross": 1100000
    },
    "status": "planning",
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "description": "Essex County Council (ECC) is responsible for providing the coroner services for the Essex Jurisdiction. \nHM Senior Coroner for Essex is an independent Judicial Officer whose costs are met by the Council. The Senior Coroner is supported on a full-time basis by the Area Coroner. \nWhere a death occurs within the Essex Jurisdiction and: \na.\tthat death is unexpected or violent; or \nb.\tthe cause of death is not known; or \nc.\tthe death has occurred in custody,\nHM Senior Coroner for Essex has a duty to investigate the death.  Where such a death occurs, part of this responsibility is to instruct that Post Mortems and additional testing in the form of toxicology and / or histology are undertaken to assist with HM Coroner's investigation. \nThe provision of an effective toxicology service shall support HM Senior Coroner for Essex's compliance with the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, and the Council's continual commitment to the bereaved families of Essex. \nHM Senior Coroner for Essex also has a responsibility to act in incidents resulting in mass fatalities.  In such cases the Service Provider must be able to respond and support high volume processing in emergency situations. The Service Provider shall support any out of hours processing in urgent situations. \nSamples for testing will be coordinated and logistically planned in collaboration with the five Hospital Mortuaries across Essex and one public mortuary in London at: \na.\tColchester General Hospital. \nb.\tBasildon and Thurrock University Hospital.\nc.\tBroomfield Hospital.\nd.\tPrincess Alexandra Hospital.\ne.\tSouthend University Hospital.  \nf.\tEast London Forensic Centre.\nThe location of each of the 5 hospitals listed above are detailed in Appendix 1  Map of Hospitals and Mortuaries which can be accessed from the ProContract Sourcing portal. More information on ProContract is provided below. \nREQUIREMENTS OF THE SERVICE \nThe Service Provider shall undertake the following tests upon request by HM Senior Coroner for Essex; \na.\tStandard Drug Testing; \nb.\tAlcohol Only Testing; \nc.\tStandard Drug Testing + Alcohol Testing; \nd.\tFull Screening \nThe Service Provider shall also undertake special analytical tests, to test for substances not covered by the tests above.  \nThe Service Provider shall undertake the relevant test and submit the Toxicology Report to HM Senior Coroner within the timescales for Standard Processing or Urgent Processing as indicated by the contract. \n The Service will need to be available during Working Hours.  \nThere will be a requirement that samples are collected by a courier from the relevant Mortuary and transported to the Service Provider's Premises.  \n The forecast and the number of tests required may differ; the number of requests may fluctuate due to the nature and circumstances of the individual case. There is seasonal variation in demand with more toxicology required during the winter, November to February. The Service Provider will support the capacity of request by HM Senior Coroner for Essex.  Based on historical data, it is estimated that these will be between 20 and 40 requests per month. \nNumber of toxicology tests for 2023 - 281 tests \nNumber of toxicology tests for 2024 - 317 tests\nThe current contract expires in March 2026 and the estimated planned tender issue date will be around November / December 2025.\nThe Authority wishes to invite interested parties to complete a market engagement questionnaire using Microsoft forms. A link will be included within the information published on Procontract, the Councils e-tendering system. Responses to this market engagement can only be submitted via ProContract. Further information regarding ProContract is provided below.\nECC uses an e-tendering system, ProContract and you will need to create an account on ProContract to access and respond to both this market engagement exercise and to bid for any future opportunities issued by ECC, including this Toxicology Contract. Please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Register to register an account.  It is free to register and use the system.\nIf you have any questions regarding this exercise, please submit them via the ProContract Portal and we will reply to your questions as soon as possible.\nYou are also advised to ensure your data on the Central Digital Platform is maintained up to date. Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK\nThe closing date for responses is 5pm on 1st September 2025.\nThis notice is intended as an awareness, communication and information gathering exercise. Participation is no indication of a commitment to partake in any future tendering process, nor does it infer any preferential or special status on those individuals and organisations who participate. \nPlease also note that this notice is not intended as a call for competition and as such you will need to express your interest in any future tender opportunity once the tender notice is published.\nWe look forward to your participation and contributions.\nPlease also note the following regarding the potential impact of Local Government Reform (LGR) and Devolution to this project. \nThe contracting authority is Essex County Council and any Successor Body meaning one or more entities which assumes any of the Council's functions (as applicable) as a result of Local Government Reform (LGR). Such successor body or bodies may be, without limitation, a local authority, a combined authority, a combined county authority, a strategic authority or any other status determined pursuant to the Devolution and LGR Legislation.",
    "communication": {
      "futureNoticeDate": "2025-11-01T23:59:59Z"
    },
    "aboveThreshold": true,
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-PPON-PWVM-4844-NRQH",
      "name": "Essex County Council",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ],
      "address": {
        "region": "UKH36",
        "country": "GB",
        "locality": "Chelmsford",
        "postalCode": "CM1 1QH",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "County Hall, Market Road"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
            "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
          }
        ]
      },
      "identifier": {
        "id": "PWVM-4844-NRQH",
        "scheme": "GB-PPON"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "ProcurementSandA@essex.gov.uk"
      }
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "045488-2025",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045488-2025",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2025-08-04T09:33:36+01:00"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2025-09-01T23:59:59+01:00",
        "description": "The current contract expires in March 2026 and the estimated planned tender issue date will be around November / December 2025.\nThe Authority wishes to invite interested parties to complete a market engagement questionnaire using Microsoft forms. A link will be included within the information published on Procontract, the Councils e-tendering system. Responses to this market engagement can only be submitted via ProContract. Further information regarding ProContract is provided below.\nECC uses an e-tendering system, ProContract and you will need to create an account on ProContract to access and respond to both this market engagement exercise and to bid for any future opportunities issued by ECC, including this Toxicology Contract. Please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Register to register an account.  It is free to register and use the system.\nIf you have any questions regarding this exercise, please submit them via the ProContract Portal and we will reply to your questions as soon as possible.\nYou are also advised to ensure your data on the Central Digital Platform is maintained up to date. Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK.\nThe closing date for responses is 5pm on 01 September 2025."
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}