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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Provision of STI Test Kits

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST · Transparency notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 09:01.

Opportunity overview

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has established a new model of care for Integrated Sexual Health Treatment & Prevention for the population of Birmingham & Solihull, which includes clinic and postal self-test STI screening kits and follow up Health Advisory support. The service, Umbrella, is a partnership, led by University Hospitals Birmingham, consisting of several community-based organisations, charities and health service providers, with the aim of improving sexual health and wellbeing of the people of Birmingham and Solihull locality. STI Testing Umbrella offers: • At Clinic testing: o Sample is undertaken within the Clinic. o Posted to UHB Labs where testing is undertaken. o Results by phone or text. o If positive results, follow up care and support provided. • At Home testing: o Criteria: Aged 16 or over and living in Birmingham or Solihull. o Sample request is submitted and undertaken within home environment o Posted to UHB Labs where testing is undertaken. o Results by phone or text. o If positive results, follow up care and support provided. What they test for: • Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, HIV and Syphilis. • For men who have (or have had) sex with other men, a test for hepatitis B is also included.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

BLUE STEP SOLUTIONS LIMITED

Matched by number
Shared published award value
£485.5k
Awarded
10 Sept 2025
Suppliers
One of 2 awarded suppliers
Award ID
1
Status
pending
Identifier
GB-COH 07392785
Location
Northampton, UKF24, NN7 3DB, United Kingdom

Bluestep Solutions Limited

Match pending…
Shared published award value
£485.5k
Awarded
10 Sept 2025
Suppliers
One of 2 awarded suppliers
Award ID
1
Status
pending
Identifier
GB-COH 07393785
Location
Northampton, UKF24, NN7 3DB, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-05986a
Status
complete
Procurement Method
direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Why this procedure was chosen
The existing supplier, Blue Step Solutions Limited, has been directly awarded this contract as they are the only provider able to fully meet the requirements, as established through previous procurements. The original contract, awarded in 2021 via an open tender under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), expired on 31 May 2025 after a two-year term with the option to extend for a further two years. Recent market testing with other STI kit providers confirmed that alternative suppliers are not viable. Competing providers were found to be at least 59% more expensive, with test prices ranging from £5 to £40 per kit, which presents a significant financial burden. In addition to the cost implications, these alternatives carry operational risks due to the niche and highly specialised nature of the service. Given the limited competition in this market, the substantial cost differential, and the risk to service continuity, a direct award to Blue Step Solutions Limited is the only option that ensures value for money and continuity of service provision.

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Procedure reasons

Entry 1
Id
urgency

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
complete

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Document Type
conflictOfInterest

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-NHS-RRK
Name
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKG31
Country
GB
Locality
Birmingham
Postal Code
B15 2WB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Mindelsohn Way

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - central government

Identifier

Id
RRK
Scheme
GB-NHS

Contact

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1
Id
PWVL-6877-BXXV
Scheme
GB-PPON
Organisation 2
Id
GB-COH-07393785
Name
Bluestep Solutions Limited

Roles

supplier

Address

Region
UKF24
Country
GB
Locality
Northampton
Postal Code
NN7 3DB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Tithe Barn Stoke Road, Blisworth

Identifier

Id
07393785
Scheme
GB-COH

Contact

Organisation 3
Id
GB-COH-07392785
Name
BLUE STEP SOLUTIONS LIMITED

Roles

supplier

Address

Region
UKF24
Country
GB
Locality
Northampton
Postal Code
NN7 3DB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Tithe Barn Stoke Road, Blisworth,

Details

Vcse
No
Scale
sme
Sheltered Workshop
No
Public Service Mission Organization
No

Identifier

Id
07392785
Scheme
GB-COH

Contact

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Date
11 Sept 2025, 00:00
Title
Provision of STI Test Kits
Status
pending
Above Threshold
Yes
Main Procurement Category
goods

Items

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKC
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 2
Region
UKD
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 3
Region
UKE
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 4
Region
UKF
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 5
Region
UKG
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 6
Region
UKH
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 7
Region
UKI
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 8
Region
UKJ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 9
Region
UKK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 10
Region
UKC
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 11
Region
UKD
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 12
Region
UKE
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 13
Region
UKF
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 14
Region
UKG
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 15
Region
UKH
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 16
Region
UKI
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 17
Region
UKJ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 18
Region
UKK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
22000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Printed matter and related products

Value

Amount
485,520
Currency
GBP
Including VAT
582,624

Documents

Entry 1
Id
055734-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK5
Description
Transparency notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
awardNotice
Published
11 Sept 2025, 11:27
Entry 2
Id
055759-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK6
Description
Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
awardNotice
Published
11 Sept 2025, 11:51

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-COH-07393785
Name
Bluestep Solutions Limited
Supplier 2
Id
GB-COH-07392785
Name
BLUE STEP SOLUTIONS LIMITED

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
1
Type
futureSignatureDate
Status
scheduled
Due
30 Sept 2025, 23:59

Related lots

1

Contract period

Ends
31 Mar 2027, 23:59
Starts
1 Oct 2025, 00:00

Standstill Period

Ends
22 Sept 2025, 23:59

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Birmingham · UKG31 · B15 2WB · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-05986a-2025-09-11T11:51:19+01:00Transparency notice on Find a Tender ·