AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has published a transparency notice for a proposed direct award to Hamilton Sales & Service for maintenance, servicing and verification of Chemagic STAR, STARlet and NGS STAR laboratory platforms. The award remains pending; the notice schedules signature for 1 December 2026 and states a contract period from 18 December 2026 to 31 December 2029.
Published outcomeOne pending direct award is reported to Hamilton Sales & Service. The published award value is £454,227.19 excluding VAT (£545,072.59 including VAT).
Market significanceThe buyer states that Hamilton is the original manufacturer and sole authorised maintenance provider, citing requirements for OEM-certified maintenance, calibration, software support, validation and replacement parts. This indicates a single-supplier technical-reasons rationale rather than an open competitive route.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
Hamilton Sales & Service
98% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · 454227.19 GBP · Pending award
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Award 1 names Hamilton Sales & Service as supplier and has status "pending". The £454,227.19 net value is published at award level for this single-supplier, single-lot award.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice type
99% confidenceTransparency notice on Find a Tender
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Award document 099384-2026 is described as a transparency notice.
Published
99% confidence21 October 2026
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Notice 099384-2026 datePublished: 2026-10-21T11:50:47+01:00.
Award status
99% confidencePending
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Award 1 status is "pending".
Planned signature date
99% confidence1 December 2026
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Award milestone type futureSignatureDate is scheduled for 2026-12-01.
Stated contract period
99% confidence18 December 2026 to 31 December 2029
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Award 1 contractPeriod gives these start and end dates.
VALUES
Published values explained
Award value excluding VAT
99% confidence£454,227.19
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Award 1 value.amount is 454227.19 GBP.
Award value including VAT
99% confidence£545,072.59
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Award 1 value.amountGross is 545072.59 GBP.
Value allocation
98% confidencePublished at award level; no separate lot pricing supplied
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Award 1 contains the value; lot 1 has no value.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Notice publication
99% confidence21 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished: 2026-10-21T11:50:47+01:00.
Scheduled signature
99% confidence1 December 2026
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Scheduled futureSignatureDate milestone: 2026-12-01.
Stated service start
99% confidence18 December 2026
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Award contractPeriod.startDate: 2026-12-18.
Stated service end
99% confidence31 December 2029
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Award contractPeriod.endDate: 2029-12-31.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceMaintenance, servicing and verification of specialised Hamilton robotic laboratory systems
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Tender description states this requirement for AWGMS.
Equipment and operational role
98% confidenceChemagic STAR, STARlet and NGS STAR platforms supporting automated liquid handling, nucleic acid extraction and sequencing preparation
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Tender description and procurement rationale identify the equipment and uses.
Procurement category
99% confidenceServices — repair and maintenance services (CPV 50000000)
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Award mainProcurementCategory is services; item classification is CPV 50000000.
Delivery region
99% confidenceUKL22
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Award item delivery address specifies region UKL22.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceDirect award
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Tender procurementMethodDetails is "Direct award".
Published rationale
99% confidenceSingle supplier for technical reasons
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Rationale classification is singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons.
Buyer rationale
98% confidenceThe buyer states that Hamilton is the original manufacturer and sole authorised provider able to supply required OEM-certified maintenance, calibration, software support, validation and replacement parts.
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Tender procurementMethodRationale.
Competition information
99% confidenceNo bid count, competitor list or evaluation results supplied
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Contract status
99% confidenceNot concluded in the published data
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The award is pending and signature is a future scheduled milestone.
Stated term
99% confidence18 December 2026 to 31 December 2029
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Award contractPeriod.
Extension or renewal options
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
Pricing breakdown and service levels
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Service continuity sensitivity
97% confidenceThe buyer describes the systems as critical to genomic testing pathways and cites operational, compliance and patient-safety risks in maintaining manufacturer support.
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Tender description and procurementMethodRationale.
Addressable market structure
97% confidenceThe notice presents the requirement as OEM-restricted, with no alternative provider stated to meet the manufacturer-standard requirements.
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Tender procurementMethodRationale.
Award value interpretation
98% confidenceThe published £454,227.19 excluding-VAT value is for the overall pending award, not evidence of a concluded contract or detailed pricing schedule.
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Award value and pending status; no pricing breakdown supplied.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Pending award versus contract
99% confidenceThe notice is tagged for award and contract, but the award record is pending and signature is scheduled in the future. It is therefore treated as a proposed award, not a signed or active contract.
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Award status "pending" and scheduled futureSignatureDate of 1 December 2026.
Supplier identity
98% confidenceThe named supplier is reported as published. No verified legal company name or company number was supplied, and supplier verification is not applicable.
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Supplier verification status is not_applicable; verified company fields are null.
Lot detail
99% confidenceLot 1 has no published title, description or separate value.
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Lot 1 fields are null for title, description and value.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The award is pending; the supplied data does not evidence signature, contract conclusion or service commencement.
- No verified legal company name or company number was supplied for Hamilton Sales & Service; the supplier name is reported as published.
- Information not supplied in the published notice: award decision date, bid count, evaluation results, pricing breakdown, service levels, extension options and renewal terms.
- Lot 1 has no published title, description or individual value.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Hamilton Sales & ServiceCardiff and Vale University Health BoardChemagic STARChemagic STARletlaboratory equipment maintenancedirect awardgenomic testing
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who is named for the award?
Hamilton Sales & Service is the named supplier for the pending award.
Has the contract been signed?
No conclusion is evidenced in the notice. The award is pending and signature is scheduled for 1 December 2026.
What is the published value?
£454,227.19 excluding VAT and £545,072.59 including VAT, at overall award level.
Why was a direct award used?
The buyer states that Hamilton is the sole authorised provider capable of the required OEM-certified maintenance and related support.
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.