Sample Tubes

About the buyer

NHS Blood and Transplant runs the UK's blood and organ donation services, and buys as a national healthcare organisation with its own procurement team. Every tender is advertised through Atamis, the e-tendering platform used across the NHS. Much of its buying flows through framework agreements with the Crown Commercial Service, NHS Supply Chain and NHS Shared Business Services. Four internal teams commission separately, covering Operations, Information Technology, Strategic Goods and Estates and Services. Strategic Goods sources blood bags and testing equipment through collaborative agreements with Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

UK health spending has nearly quadrupled to £241.8bn in 2024/25, £20bn up on the year before. £140.6bn of that went to procurement, the biggest sector of UK public spending and the fastest-growing.

Over the past 5 years, most of NHS Blood and Transplant's contract awards have been in medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, IT services and business services.