Planning

Provision of Testing Service for Total Protein, Immunoglobulins (IgG) and Albumin from apheresis donor and donation samples.

NHS BLOOD AND TRANSPLANT

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

20 Apr 2026 at 09:03

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

This procurement process involves NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), a prominent public authority under central government, planning to secure a service for testing total protein, immunoglobulins (IgG), and albumin from apheresis donor and donation samples. Located in Bristol, UK, NHSBT is in the planning stage and is conducting preliminary market engagement, with communication scheduled through questionnaires and possibly video calls in May 2026. Interested parties are required to express their interest by 01/05/2026 at 12:00 hrs GMT. The engagement aims to gather insights from suppliers to inform the decision on whether to outsource these testing services or bring them in-house starting in 2027.

The opportunity presents significant business growth potential for laboratory service providers with expertise in blood testing and analysis, particularly those capable of efficiently managing sample delivery and integration with NHSBT's IT systems. Ideal candidates are businesses with robust experience in handling delicate biomaterials, managing inventory of assay-specific reagents, and operating sophisticated analysers for protein assays. The potential contract spans five years with extensions, amounting to a projected value of £1,512,000, thus inviting competitive bids from capable and innovative service providers that can support NHSBT’s service objectives and enhance healthcare outcomes through precise testing protocols.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Testing Service for Total Protein, Immunoglobulins (IgG) and Albumin from apheresis donor and donation samples.

Notice Description

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) are responsible for collecting plasma and platelet donations in England. There is a requirement for NHSBT to undertake total protein testing on these donations and the donors. NHSBT currently outsource this testing to a third party. NHSBT are considering bringing this testing in house from 2027 and we have already undertaken Preliminary Market Engagement with suppliers of analysers that can run total protein, IgG and albumin assays. However, no decision has been made on whether NHSBT will definitely bring this in-house, therefore we are now looking to undertake Preliminary Market Engagement with suppliers who can provide this testing on behalf of NHSBT. Please note a final decision on whether this testing will be brought in-house or continue to be outsourced will be informed by, among other things, information obtained from market engagement. As part of the Preliminary Market Engagement exercise, we are seeking to engage with potential suppliers who can provide testing of total protein, IgG and albumin assays on behalf of NHSBT. 1. General Requirements - Background: For Donor Safety: All apheresis donors require a total protein test on their first donation, and this is repeated at every 8th donation and at least annually. Serum total protein must not be less than 60g/L. For Quality Monitoring: Total protein is tested in: a. 1% of recovered plasma donations (from whole blood donations); b. 1% of apheresis plasma donations; c. 1% of concurrent apheresis plasma donations (obtained during platelet donation); and d. A small number of washed products, which is typically below 0.5g/L. Plasma total protein must not be less than 50g/L. 2. Requirement: The requirement would be for a supplier to provide testing of Total Protein, IgG and Albumin from samples provided by NHSBT. As a general overview, the contracted supplier would be responsible for: a. Receiving daily deliveries of samples from NHSBT sites (including Filton, Colindale and Manchester); b. Providing a testing service (including the staffing, key consumables (including assay-specific reagents), the analysers to test the samples and anything else required to provide a full testing service); c. Providing the results in a timely manner to NHSBT, preferably directly into our existing IT system. 3. Contract Duration: The contract duration is still under consideration. The current assumption is 5 years plus 2 x 1-year options. The estimated contract value is based on 7 years.

Planning Information

If you are interested in taking part in the market engagement, please contact: james.marshall2@nhsbt.nhs.uk by no later than 12:00 hrs (GMT) on 01/05/2026. Market engagement is likely to take place via a questionnaire and potentially video calls in May 2026. There is no guarantee that a formal procurement process will be launched as a result of this preliminary market engagement exercise, nor that any contract(s) will be placed. No remuneration or compensation etc will be paid to organisations who take part in this preliminary market engagement exercise. Suppliers should take part in this process only on the basis that they fully understand and accept this position.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0685e9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035465-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71900000 - Laboratory services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,260,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Apr 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Jul 20264 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

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
Post Town
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
Not specified
Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Filton
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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