Laboratory Tenders and Contracts

Equipment supply such as analysers, incubators and pipettes, ongoing consumables and chemicals contracts, and outsourced testing services such as water and drinking water sampling, microbiology managed services and forensic laboratory work for police forces. Universities, NHS trusts, environmental agencies and nuclear sites are regular buyers.

Both appear in volume. Equipment purchases are often mini-competitions run through a wider laboratory equipment framework, while testing and consumables contracts tend to run for several years as standing arrangements.

The main codes observed are 38000000 (Laboratory, optical and precision equipments) and 85145000 (Services provided by medical laboratories).

University purchasing consortia run the laboratory equipment frameworks. The Northwestern Universities Purchasing Consortium high value laboratory equipment framework covers instruments such as electron microscopes, spectrometers, MRI scanners and X-ray diffractometers, together with servicing. Universities, UK Research and Innovation and museums call off from it by further competition and direct award.

The London Universities Purchasing Consortium laboratory equipment (general) and associated services framework covers everyday items such as incubators and microtomes, split into lots by equipment type.

Consumables and chemicals are called off from a separate laboratory consumables and chemicals framework, used by a university and the National Nuclear Laboratory.

Read equipment replacement plans, asset registers, framework renewal dates and expiry dates for existing supply contracts, which show laboratory work coming due ahead of a notice. On Stotles you can track those signals and the buyers behind them, then follow a notice from pre-tender through to award.