Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Provision of Toxicology Services

Essex County Council

This public procurement record has 6 releases in its history.

Award

31 Mar 2026 at 14:22

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

20 Feb 2026 at 00:16

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

08 Jan 2026 at 17:32

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

08 Jan 2026 at 17:26

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

08 Jan 2026 at 17:24

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

04 Aug 2025 at 09:33

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council has concluded the public procurement process for the provision of toxicology services, a vital contract to support His Majesty's Coroner for the Essex Jurisdiction. The procurement falls under the services category and involves the collection, testing, and reporting of samples to aid in the determination of causes of death. Initially planned in early 2025, the procurement process utilized an open procedure, finalising with an award on 31 March 2026, with the contract beginning on 1 April 2026 and set to run for three years with an option for a two-year extension. The procurement activity took place in the region of UKH3 where Essex County is located, with the Essex County Council serving as the contracting authority.

This tender represents a significant growth opportunity for businesses in the pathology and medical laboratory services industry, particularly those specializing in blood analysis and bacteriological services. With the awarded contractor, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the procurement process witnessed competitive bids from various companies, allowing opportunities for large, as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to take part. Companies with capabilities in logistics and handling high volumes of medical testing, especially during peak demand in winter months, would find this contract beneficial to their business ventures, expanding their presence in the public sector work for coroner services. The contract's focus on social value and technical quality alongside commercial terms highlights a balanced approach to service provision and cost-effectiveness, making it an attractive proposition for well-prepared and versatile businesses.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Toxicology Services

Notice Description

Essex Coroner Service has procured a contract for the provision of toxicology services on behalf of his Majesty's Coroner. The contract requirement includes; 1. Collection of samples from Coroners approved Mortuaries 2. Testing of samples 3. Production of a report to support the pathologist in determining the cause of death Contract will run from April 2026 for an initial period of 3 years with possible extensions of 24 months

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Agreement term for the contract will be 3 years with an option to extend for a period of 24 months. The decision to extend the Agreement with is at the sole discretion of Essex County Council.

Planning Information

The current contract expires in March 2026 and the estimated planned tender issue date will be around November / December 2025. The Authority wishes to invite interested parties to complete a market engagement questionnaire using Microsoft forms. A link will be included within the information published on Procontract, the Councils e-tendering system. Responses to this market engagement can only be submitted via ProContract. Further information regarding ProContract is provided below. ECC uses an e-tendering system, ProContract and you will need to create an account on ProContract to access and respond to both this market engagement exercise and to bid for any future opportunities issued by ECC, including this Toxicology Contract. Please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Register to register an account. It is free to register and use the system. If you have any questions regarding this exercise, please submit them via the ProContract Portal and we will reply to your questions as soon as possible. You are also advised to ensure your data on the Central Digital Platform is maintained up to date. Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK. The closing date for responses is 5pm on 01 September 2025.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029740-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85111800 - Pathology services

85111810 - Blood analysis services

85111820 - Bacteriological analysis services

85145000 - Services provided by medical laboratories

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£838,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£838,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
£838,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£838,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Mar 20264 months ago
Submission Deadline
8 Feb 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
1 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
18 Feb 20266 months ago
Contract Period
1 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2028-12-01

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Essex County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Postcode Area
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SHEFFIELD TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...