AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
UK Health Security Agency awarded a contract for surge PCR laboratory diagnostic testing capacity to Randox Clinical Laboratory Services Ltd. The signed contract runs from 14 July 2026 to 13 July 2029 and includes a readiness model that can be activated during a health emergency.
Published outcomeAward 1 is active and names Randox Clinical Laboratory Services Ltd as the sole supplier for lot 1. The contract record explicitly reports a signature date of 14 July 2026.
Market significanceThis is a £331.205m net (£397.446m gross) public-health laboratory-services contract. Its value may rise significantly if the buyer activates the contracted hot-state service during a pandemic or other relevant emergency.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
RANDOX CLINICAL LABORATORY SERVICES LTD
99% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · £331.205m net; £397.446m gross contract value GBP · verified; award and associated contract active
View supporting evidence
Award 1 names the supplier and relates to lot 1. Supplier verification reports an exact-name match to active Companies House company NI069073. Contract 1, associated with award 1, reports GBP 331,205,000 amount and GBP 397,446,000 amountGross.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Preliminary market engagement published
98% confidence9 January 2026
View supporting evidence
Release history records a preliminary market engagement notice dated 2026-01-09.
Tender notice published
98% confidence5 March 2026
View supporting evidence
Release history records a tender notice dated 2026-03-05.
Award notice published
98% confidence12 June 2026
View supporting evidence
Release history records contract award notices dated 2026-06-12.
Contract signed
99% confidence14 July 2026
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 gives dateSigned as 2026-07-14 and includes a document classified as contractSigned.
Contract start
99% confidence14 July 2026
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 period startDate is 2026-07-14.
Contract details updated
98% confidence20 October 2026
View supporting evidence
The latest contract details notice was published on 2026-10-20; the amendment says it added payment-mechanism detail.
Contract end
99% confidence13 July 2029
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 period endDate is 2029-07-13.
VALUES
Published values explained
Contract value (net)
99% confidence£331,205,000
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 value.amount is 331205000 GBP.
Contract value (gross)
99% confidence£397,446,000
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 value.amountGross is 397446000 GBP.
Value allocation
98% confidenceThe published contract value is associated with the single contract and award; no separate lot value is published.
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 provides the value; lot 1 has no value_amount in the supplied data.
Activation-value exposure
98% confidenceThe value may increase significantly when hot state is activated; the amount is not specified and partly depends on decisions made during a pandemic.
View supporting evidence
Contract options description states that activation of hot state will increase contract value significantly, with the increase partly determined by decisions in the event of a pandemic.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Published contract details notice
99% confidence20 October 2026
View supporting evidence
Document 098887-2026 and source_updated_at are dated 2026-10-20.
Initial contract details notice
98% confidence14 August 2026
View supporting evidence
Process published_at and release 077679-2026 are dated 2026-08-14.
Term
99% confidence14 July 2026 to 13 July 2029
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 period gives these start and end dates.
Duration
99% confidence3 years
View supporting evidence
Calculated from the explicit contract period, 14 July 2026 to 13 July 2029.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Service
98% confidenceSurge laboratory diagnostic testing capacity for national public-health emergency responses.
View supporting evidence
Tender description states that UKHSA seeks surge laboratory diagnostic testing capacity for future public-health emergencies.
Testing model
98% confidenceExternally contracted PCR testing capability supplementing UKHSA's internal laboratory network.
View supporting evidence
Tender description describes a scalable surge model using externally contracted PCR testing capability.
Operational states
90% confidenceCold state readiness, with capability to ramp up to hot state; the supplied description is truncated before the stated ramp-up timeframe.
View supporting evidence
Tender description explicitly describes cold and hot states but ends at 'withi'.
Category
99% confidenceLaboratory services (CPV 71900000).
View supporting evidence
Award item additional classification is CPV 71900000, Laboratory services.
Delivery geography
98% confidenceUnited Kingdom.
View supporting evidence
Award item delivery address specifies UK, GB.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceOpen procedure.
View supporting evidence
Process procurementMethodDetails is 'Open procedure'.
Regime
99% confidenceLight-touch regime.
View supporting evidence
Tender specialRegime lists lightTouch.
Lots
99% confidenceOne published lot (lot 1), marked complete.
View supporting evidence
Tender lists lot 1 only; it is complete and is related to award 1.
Bidder count and evaluation outcome
99% confidenceUnknown.
View supporting evidence
Information not supplied in the published notice data.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Contract status
99% confidenceActive.
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 status is active.
Award status
99% confidenceActive.
View supporting evidence
Award 1 status is active.
Signature evidence
99% confidenceThe contract record gives a signature date and links an updated redacted document classified as contractSigned.
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 has dateSigned 2026-07-14 and document A-24381 has documentType contractSigned.
Options
99% confidenceYes. The primary option is activation of hot-state service.
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 hasOptions is true and its options description identifies hot-state activation as the primary option.
Payment-mechanism update
98% confidencePublished contract details were updated to provide further detail on payment mechanisms.
View supporting evidence
Contract amendment 098887-2026 states this description.
Extension terms
99% confidenceUnknown.
View supporting evidence
Information not supplied in the published notice data.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Readiness-led commercial structure
94% confidenceThe contract combines baseline readiness with contingent emergency activation, creating material variable demand exposure.
View supporting evidence
The tender describes cold-state readiness and hot-state ramp-up; the options description says hot-state activation significantly increases contract value.
Demand and value uncertainty
98% confidenceThe additional value on emergency activation is not fixed in the supplied data and depends partly on decisions during a pandemic.
View supporting evidence
Contract options description explicitly says the increase is partly determined by decisions in the event of the pandemic.
Market route
98% confidenceThe buyer used an open procedure after preliminary market engagement.
View supporting evidence
The process is labelled open procedure; release history shows preliminary market engagement before the tender notice.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Contract conclusion evidence
99% confidenceHigh quality: the contract is explicitly active, has a stated start and end date, a signature date, and a contractSigned document classification.
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 fields and document A-24381.
Supplier identity
99% confidenceVerified: exact-name company match to active Companies House company NI069073.
View supporting evidence
Supplier verification status is verified; matchMethod is exact_name.
Value interpretation
98% confidenceThe notice supplies both net and gross values; neither is allocated separately to the lot because no lot-level value is published.
View supporting evidence
Contract 1 contains amount and amountGross, while lot 1 value_amount is null.
Scope detail limitation
99% confidenceThe supplied tender description is truncated during the hot-state ramp-up requirement.
View supporting evidence
The text ends with 'must be capable of ramping up to Hot State withi'.
Information not supplied in the published notice
99% confidenceNo bidder count, award rationale, score, pricing breakdown, lot title, lot value, submission deadline, extension detail or quantified hot-state uplift is provided.
View supporting evidence
These fields are absent or null in the supplied data.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The supplied tender description is truncated, so the precise hot-state ramp-up timeframe is not available.
- No bidder count, evaluation scores, award rationale, bid pricing, savings or incumbent information is published in the supplied data.
- Lot 1 has no published title, description or individual value; the reported contract value is not a separately published lot value.
- The value increase associated with hot-state activation is described as significant but is not quantified.
- No extension or renewal mechanism is published; any 2029 market timing is only an estimate based on contract end date.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
UKHSARandox Clinical Laboratory Services Ltdsurge laboratory capacityPCR testinglaboratory servicespublic health emergencyFind a Tender
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the UKHSA surge laboratory capacity contract?
RANDOX CLINICAL LABORATORY SERVICES LTD won award 1 for lot 1. Its identity was verified by exact-name match to company number NI069073.
What is the value of the contract?
The contract record states £331.205m net and £397.446m gross. It also says hot-state activation may increase value significantly, but does not quantify the increase.
When does the contract run?
The stated term is 14 July 2026 to 13 July 2029.
Is the contract signed?
Yes. The contract record gives a signature date of 14 July 2026 and includes a document classified as contractSigned.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.