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Supply of Copper Sulphate Solution

NHS Blood and Transplant

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

07 Sep 2026 at 16:47

Award Notice
Award

28 May 2021 at 22:45

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

NHS Blood and Transplant buys copper sulphate solution for pre-donation haemoglobin screening across its sites throughout England. This is a supply of blood-testing reagents used in donor screening activities, rather than a laboratory service or general medical supply contract. The buyer is NHS Blood and Transplant, based in Bristol. The requirement covers preparation, quality control, storage, transport and dispensing of the solution, with the product supplied in a form suitable for the organisation’s screening operations. It is a single-product requirement and the procurement is categorised as goods. Suppliers operating in regulated laboratory, diagnostic, reagent or healthcare supply markets are the most relevant potential competitors for this type of requirement.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through a limited procedure without prior publication of a competition, on the stated basis that technical requirements meant only one supplier could provide suitable evidence. The award date was 4 May 2021, following contract signature on 4 May 2021; an earlier contract was signed on 22 April 2021. VWR International Ltd received two awards separately: one contract valued at £700,000 and a later contract valued at £1,050,000. The active contract runs from 11 June 2021 to 10 December 2026. Its value was increased by 50% to meet higher demand linked to the Amber Alert, maintain continuity and cover supplier labour and raw-material cost increases. The lot is recorded as cancelled, although the related contracts remain active.

This procurement indicates demand for a dependable, regulated supply of copper sulphate solution supporting national blood-donor screening. A credible future competitor would need to demonstrate control over product preparation, quality assurance, bulk-product testing, storage, transportation and final-product dispensing. Evidence of compliance with the applicable medical-device requirements is central: NHS Blood and Transplant required certification under the Medical Devices Regulations 2002 and compliance with Article 9(1) and Annex III of Council Directive 98/79/EC. Suppliers would also need the operational capacity to maintain continuity across NHS sites throughout England, manage increased demand and provide consistent product quality. The single bid and technical justification show that regulatory evidence, established processes and reliable logistics are likely to matter as much as price.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Supply of Copper Sulphate Solution

Notice Description

Supply of Copper Sulphate Solution

Lot Information

Lot 1

Supply of Copper Sulphate Solution for use in NHS Blood and Transplant's pre-donation haemoglobin screening activities.

Procurement Information

VWR International Limited carry out the preparation, quality control testing, storage & transportation of bulk product and dispensing, storage and transportation of end-stage product in compliance with Article 9(1) and Annex III of Council Directive 98/79/EC, for which NHSBT hold the certification of the device under the Medical Devices Regulations 2002. There are consequently no other suppliers in the market that would be able to provide suitable evidence to meet this requirement.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-02b6b4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084603-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

CPV Codes

33696200 - Blood-testing reagents

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£1,750,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
11 Jun 2021 - 10 Dec 2026 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NHS Blood and Transplant
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS34 7QH
Postcode Area
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Delivery Location
TLK11 Bristol, City of
Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Filton
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

VWR International Ltd

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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