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Specialist Analytical Service for NRW

Natural Resources Wales

This public procurement record has 6 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

18 Dec 2025 at 12:34

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

18 Dec 2024 at 16:29

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

22 Dec 2023 at 15:09

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

06 Mar 2023 at 10:50

Award Notice
Award

15 Sep 2021 at 16:24

Award Notice
Tender

12 May 2021 at 08:45

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process initiated by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) involves the provision of Specialist Analytical Services, focusing on laboratory services required across various environmental matrices. This procurement is categorized under services within the UK (region UKL), particularly at the NRW Analytical Services located in Swansea, with collection points to be agreed upon during implementation. The procurement is in the awardUpdate and contractUpdate stage as of 18th December 2025, with previous updates indicating active contracts from 2021-09-13 to 2026-12-31. The procurement method employed was an open procedure, allowing broad competition, structured under the legal EU directive 32014L0024, with significant emphasis on quality and price as part of the evaluation criteria. The most recent contract, valued at approximately £1,456,214.88, includes a 12-month extension announced, reflecting new contractual amendments required to accommodate ongoing and unforeseen changes related to environmental and operational needs.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for laboratories equipped with specialized analytical capabilities and the infrastructure to manage outsourced analysis contracts. Companies able to deliver reliable water quality and environmental analysis, as well as refrigerated courier services to handle diverse samples, would be well-positioned to compete. The procurement details underscore the necessity for technical skills in analysis methods that NRW lacks or deems uneconomical to conduct in-house. Key to success would be the ability to adhere to NRW's complex requirements and respond to emergency needs flagged during the contract duration. Due to the complexities and specific requirements, larger organizations with comprehensive resources like RPS Environmental Management Limited have successfully competed and can be seen as examples of suitable competitors.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Specialist Analytical Service for NRW

Notice Description

NRW is seeking to award a contract for the supply of an analytical service to NRW. The purpose of the requirement is to outsource samples for environmental analysis required by WFD, EQSD and Habitats directives, the samples are collected in a range of matrices; including freshwater, trade, treated sewage, saline, biota and sediment. Reporting limits are often required in low, or very low ranges.

Lot Information

Lot 1

NRWAS manage an outsourced analysis contract for the wider business, delivering samples from our laboratory to a third-party laboratory for analysis. The reasons for outsourcing are generally when specialised methods are yet to be developed by NRW or where setting up in-house capability is uneconomical due to low sample numbers. The samples are collected from a range of matrices; including freshwater, trade, treated sewage, saline, biota and sediment. Reporting limits are often required in low, or very low ranges. This Invitation to Tender is for a contract to provide NRW with water quality and environmental analysis and for providing results in a suitable format. The contract also includes the provision of a refrigerated courier service to collect samples from an agreed location.

Renewal: There will be an option to extend the contract by up to a further 12 months for a total of a 36-month extension up to 31st December 2024.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-02afeb
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084339-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71900000 - Laboratory services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£800,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£4,203,196 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Dec 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
11 Jun 2021Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Sep 20214 years ago
Contract Period
13 Sep 2021 - 31 Dec 2026 Over 5 years
Recurrence
On expiry of this contract.

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Natural Resources Wales
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CARDIFF
Postcode
CF10 3NQ
Postcode Area
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Delivery Location
TLL Wales
Local Authority
Cardiff
Electoral Ward
Cathays
Westminster Constituency
Cardiff South and Penarth

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

RPS Environmental Management Limited

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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