Planning

Market Engagement for Third-Party Contingency Support for Decontamination Services in Scotland

THE COMMON SERVICES AGENCY (MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND) (NSS)

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

30 Oct 2025 at 10:22

Planning Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Common Services Agency, known as NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), is currently in the planning phase of a procurement process titled "Market Engagement for Third-Party Contingency Support for Decontamination Services in Scotland." This initiative falls under the goods category and is classified within the decontamination equipment industry, targeting Scotland's central decontamination units (CDUs). The process is seeking market feedback to aid future procurement, with notable deadlines including a response cutoff on 30th November 2025. Located in the UKM region, this project aims to bolster the contingency support required for maintaining the decontamination services critical to the country's healthcare infrastructure.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses capable of providing decontamination and reprocessing services across healthcare facilities. Companies with expertise in delivering flexible, scalable, and resilient decontamination solutions would be well-suited to compete, particularly those adept at meeting stringent regulatory standards. The tender invites businesses to contribute capability statements and innovative solutions that could enhance service resilience, offering potential for growth by becoming a key support mechanism within Scotland's vital healthcare infrastructure. By engaging in this process, businesses can position themselves as essential partners in public health service delivery.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Market Engagement for Third-Party Contingency Support for Decontamination Services in Scotland

Notice Description

The National Decontamination Collaborative Programme is seeking market feedback and information to inform potential future procurement of reserved third-party contingency support for decontamination services across Scotland's 14 Central Decontamination Units (CDUs) reprocessing approximately 40 million instruments every year to service all Scotland's hospitals.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Background: The main objectives of NHSScotland's decontamination services are: -Clean, disinfect and sterilise Reusable Medical Devices (RMDs) to strict standards, set in national policy and guidance; -deliver the correct set of products at the correct time and places, in accordance with agreement with service users e.g. theatre, clinics etc. CDUs are required to comply with a range of legal and technical requirements, guidance, and documentation systems to process RMDs that are fit for purpose and reduce risks to patient safety. CDUs are registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (if applicable) and compliant with Medical Devices Regulations. They must operate their quality management system to BS 13485: 2021 and regulatory requirements. They are audited at least annually by an Approved body. Scotland's CDUs are facing increasing pressure to provide sufficient capacity during unplanned outages. Recent unplanned outages have disrupted service delivery and impacted patient care. There is currently not enough internal contingency processing capacity available to support Boards during such outages. Purpose of this PIN: This PIN is issued as part of a preliminary market consultation. It does not signify the start of a formal procurement process but aims to: -Assess market capability to provide reserved capacity for processing approximately 1.5m re-usable medical devices per year. -Identify suitably accredited suppliers with the reprocessing capabilities to support the range of services supplied by decontamination services -Understand indicative costs for providing such contingency capacity. -Invite innovative solutions and ideas to enhance the resilience of Scotland's decontamination services through additional processing capacity. Key Considerations: -Frequency of contingency support requirement is variable and can't be predicted. The number of un-planned outages tend to impact services for a period of 7 days up to 8 weeks. -Capacity may also be used for increased workload, not just during planned and un-planned outages. -The feedback will inform future strategy and potential procurement options. Next Steps: Interested suppliers are invited to express interest and provide relevant information, including: -Capability statements -Indicative cost information for such services -Suggestions for service resilience and contingency planning

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d6e2
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069633-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

42 - Industrial machinery

CPV Codes

42924720 - Decontamination equipment

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Oct 20251 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
30 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE COMMON SERVICES AGENCY (MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND) (NSS)
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
william.mcculloch@nhs.scot
Contact Phone
+44 1312756000

Buyer Location

Locality
EDINBURGH
Postcode
EH12 9EB
Post Town
Edinburgh
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM1 East Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM13 City of Edinburgh
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland
Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
Drum Brae/Gyle
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh South West

Further Information

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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