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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Microbiology Automation, including automated Blood Culture, Microbial Identification and Susceptibility Testing Systems

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 4 Oct 2026, 19:25.

Opportunity overview

The Business Services Organisation (BSO) Procurement and Logistics Service (PaLS), on behalf of the Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts and the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS), invites tenders for the supply of advanced laboratory automation solutions for microbiological testing, including automated Blood Culture, Microbial Identification and Susceptibility Testing Systems.

Classification

  • CPV33000000 — Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products
  • CPV33696000 — Reagents and contrast media
  • CPV33696200 — Blood-testing reagents
  • CPV38000000 — Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
  • CPV38400000 — Instruments for checking physical characteristics
  • CPV38434000 — Analysers
  • CPV71900000 — Laboratory services

Lots

  • Lot 1£21.6m

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-0659ae
Status
active
Procurement Method
selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Main Procurement Category
goods
Above Threshold
Yes
How to submit
Tenders must be submitted electronically via the eTendersNI platform (https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps)
Has Recurrence
Yes

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Procedure

Features
This procurement consists of five stages, commencing with the publication of this notice. Stage 1 involves the review of Exclusion, Debarment, and Conditions of Participation criteria. Stage 2 comprises the assessment of the Award Criteria – Mandatory Technical Requirements. At Stage 3, suppliers are invited to complete a workflow analysis and provide design and implementation plans; a dialogue phase may be undertaken if required. Suppliers progressing to Stage 4 will submit their final bids, including finalised design and implementation plans, which will be assessed alongside Award Criteria – Quality Scored and Financial bids. Stage 5 concludes the process with contract award.

Additional Procurement Categories

services

Covered By

GPA

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Tender Period

Ends
1 Apr 2026, 15:00

Enquiry period

Ends
25 Mar 2026, 15:00

Expected award period

Ends
30 Nov 2026, 23:59

Lot Details

No Lots Division Rationale
The requirement has not been divided into lots because the equipment, consumables, and associated services must function as a fully integrated and interoperable system. All components must interface with the same technology and validated workflows, and reagents and consumables are specifically calibrated and approved for use with the supplier’s equipment. Servicing and maintenance also require manufacturer authorised personnel. Splitting the requirement into separate lots would risk incompatibility, reduced functionality, and loss of assurance.

Recurrence

Dates

Entry 1
Starts
1 Jan 2034, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes
Has Options
Yes

Value

Including VAT
25,947,007
Amount
21,622,505
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Weighting Description
This tender comprises three pass/fail stages: (1) Exclusion, Debarment and Conditions of Participation; (2) Award Criteria – Mandatory Technical Requirements; and (3) Award Criteria – Design Plan and Dialogue. Stage 4 involves the assessment of Award Criteria – Quality Scored criteria and the financial assessment, weighted 15 percent for Quality and 85 percent for Price.

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
quality
Name
15 percent
Criterion 2
Type
price
Name
85 Percent

Selection criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
economic
Description
This tender will assess legal and financial capacity through six pass/fail Conditions of Participation questions.
Criterion 2
Type
technical
Description
This tender will assess technical capacity through seven pass/fail Conditions of Participation questions, including the provision of a supplier reference.

Contract period

Starts
1 Jan 2027, 00:00
Ends
31 Dec 2032, 23:59
Max Extent Date
30 Jun 2036, 23:59

Renewal

Description
There is provision for an extension of the contract for any period up to and including 24 months. A further extension of up to 18 months may also be applied; however, this additional 18‑month extension may be used solely to facilitate a subsequent procurement competition or to put in place alternative arrangements for the required supplies or services. The estimated Total Value provided includes all potential extensions, as well as any known potential future purchases described within the “Description of Options”.

Options

Description
The tender includes options to procure additional equipment where funding becomes available and infrastructure constraints are resolved. Details of known future requirements are included within the tender documentation; however, provision of these items is not currently feasible due to unresolved floor loading and wider infrastructure issues. These potential future purchases will be assessed as part of the tender and may proceed if, and when, the constraints are addressed and funding is secured. The tender also includes provisions for additional quantities and changes to test repertoires. Criteria for additional purchases are set out in the tender documentation and include, but are not limited to, changes in clinical guidance, departmental recommendations, changes in clinical practice, consolidation of testing services, and unforeseen increases in demand.

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
33000000
Description
Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
33696000
Description
Reagents and contrast media
Entry 3
Scheme
CPV
Id
33696200
Description
Blood-testing reagents
Entry 4
Scheme
CPV
Id
38000000
Description
Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
Entry 5
Scheme
CPV
Id
38400000
Description
Instruments for checking physical characteristics
Entry 6
Scheme
CPV
Id
38434000
Description
Analysers
Entry 7
Scheme
CPV
Id
71900000
Description
Laboratory services

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Entry 2
Id
015855-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
20 Feb 2026, 17:13
Format
text/html

Planning and budget

No Engagement Notice Rationale
Pre‑market engagement took place in 2023 and 2025 under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, with Prior Information Notices published for transparency (2023/S 000‑026578 and 2025/S 000‑002465).

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Id
GB-PPON-PLQJ-5727-JCLR

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PLQJ-5727-JCLR

Address

Street Address
A Floor, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road
Locality
Belfast
Postal Code
BT9 7AB
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN06

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-NIR
Description
Northern Irish devolved regulations apply
Organisation 2
Name
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
Id
GB-PPON-PBRP-6676-CQZY

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PBRP-6676-CQZY

Address

Street Address
Bretten Hall, Bush Road
Locality
Antrim
Postal Code
BT41 2RL
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN0D

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-NIR
Description
Northern Irish devolved regulations apply
Organisation 3
Name
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
Id
GB-PPON-PLGY-6381-WWWR

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PLGY-6381-WWWR

Address

Street Address
Ulster Hospital, Upper Newtownards Rd
Locality
Belfast
Postal Code
BT16 1RH
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN0E

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-NIR
Description
Northern Irish devolved regulations apply
Organisation 4
Name
Southern Health and Social Care Trust
Id
GB-PPON-PJCC-1957-RCGP

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PJCC-1957-RCGP

Address

Street Address
Craigavon Area Hospital, 68 Lurgan Road
Locality
Portadown
Postal Code
BT63 5QQ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN07

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-NIR
Description
Northern Irish devolved regulations apply
Organisation 5
Name
Western Health and Social Care Trust
Id
GB-PPON-PTVW-2397-PWCT

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PTVW-2397-PWCT

Address

Street Address
Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Glenshane Road
Locality
Londonderry
Postal Code
BT47 6SB
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN0A

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-NIR
Description
Northern Irish devolved regulations apply
Organisation 6
Name
NI Blood Transfusion Service
Id
GB-PPON-PTNY-7183-GXBY

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PTNY-7183-GXBY

Address

Street Address
Lisburn Road
Locality
Belfast
Postal Code
BT9 7TS
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN06

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-NIR
Description
Northern Irish devolved regulations apply
Organisation 7
Name
Business Services Organisations, Procurement and Logistics Service
Id
GB-PPON-PWNJ-1991-NGDW
Role Details
Business Services Organisation (BSO) Procurement and Logistics Service (PaLS) is facilitating this tender process on behalf of the named Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts and the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS).

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PWNJ-1991-NGDW

Address

Street Address
77 Boucher Crescent
Locality
Belfast
Postal Code
BT12 6HU
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN06

Contact

Roles

procuringEntity
processContactPoint

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Belfast · UKN06 · BT9 7AB · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 015855-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·