Planning

DHSC:OLS_Liquid Biopsy Testing and its Impact in Primary Care

DHSC, LONDON

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

25 Jun 2025 at 14:41

Planning

16 Jun 2025 at 13:48

Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), London, in collaboration with the Office for Life Sciences (OLS), is planning a procurement process titled "DHSC:OLS_Liquid Biopsy Testing and its Impact in Primary Care". This initiative falls under services in the research and development consultancy, medical equipment, and medical laboratory services categories, with a focus on the clinical impact of liquid biopsy tests for early cancer diagnosis in patients with abdominal symptoms. The planning stage is currently underway, with a milestone scheduled for 7th July 2025, requesting completed questionnaires to be submitted via email. The procurement process, intended as a tripartite consortium, aims to begin in October 2025 and conclude by March 2027, engaging liquid biopsy providers for use in NHS settings across the UK.

This procurement process presents significant opportunities for businesses in the healthcare and research sectors, particularly those with expertise in cancer diagnostics and therapeutic technologies. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with capabilities in liquid biopsy development and those able to partner with independent evaluators and NHS sites will find this tender particularly relevant. By participating, businesses can contribute to shaping future funding competitions under the OLS’s Cancer Healthcare Goals programme. Engaging in this procurement not only positions businesses as leaders in innovative cancer diagnostic solutions but also allows them to influence and benefit from a sizable contract intended to advance medical technology evaluation frameworks.

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Notice Title

DHSC:OLS_Liquid Biopsy Testing and its Impact in Primary Care

Notice Description

DHSC (Department of Health) and OLS (Office for Life Sciences) is seeking to commission a supplier that will conduct a research project to understand the clinical impact of liquid biopsy tests on the early diagnosis of cancer in symptomatic patients presenting with abdominal symptoms in primary care. We anticipate that delivery will require a tripartite consortium comprising an independent evaluator and a liquid biopsy provider, with the capability to identify, establish, and manage engagement with point-of-care settings (NHS) for patient recruitment and participation. The Office for Life Sciences seeks to run a market engagement to assess the number of liquid biopsy providers with diagnostic tests at a later stage of development, with published evidence of efficacy in patients with suspected cancer symptoms. This research project would act as a use case for the OLS' Cancer Healthcare Goals programme when developing future funding competitions which aim to address a market failure in the evaluation of cancer diagnostic and therapeutic technologies in the latter stages of development. This initial market questionnaire aims to, at a high level, understand the scale, knowledge and capability of the market along with what appetite there is for delivering this service. DHSC/OLS would like to use this market engagement to inform the specification for commissioning a supplier for what is an anticipated 18-month contract. This is not a call for competition, but an opportunity to gather feedback to better understand market capabilities, refine the procurement strategy, and encourage supplier engagement. Interested parties can access the relevant documents via the Atamis system at https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome using the contract reference. Suppliers may also submit the completed questionnaire through Atamis but must be registered on the system to do so. Alternatively, questionnaires can be submitted by email to ccsinbox@dhsc.gov.uk, quoting "Liquid Biopsy" no later than 07/07/2025 5pm

Planning Information

The completed questionnaire as part of the documents should be returned via email ccsinbox@dhsc.gov.uk quoting “PME Liquid Biopsy” no later than 07/07/2025 at 5pm

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054960
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035152-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

33000000 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

73110000 - Research services

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

85145000 - Services provided by medical laboratories

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Jun 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
7 Jul 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2025 - 31 Mar 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DHSC, LONDON
Contact Name
Collette Patrick
Contact Email
ccsinbox@dhsc.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 0EU
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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