Planning

Supply of Endonucleases

NHS BLOOD AND TRANSPLANT

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

03 Jun 2026 at 16:30

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The NHS Blood and Transplant, located in Bristol, is in the planning stage of a procurement process for the supply of endonucleases. This initiative is crucial for the Clinical Biotechnology Centre, which specialises in manufacturing investigational medicinal products such as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and other biotechnological products. Prospective suppliers are invited to express their interest by 31st July 2026, with a future market engagement session scheduled for August 2026. The procurement relates to chemical reagents and media, and the projected contract value is approximately £87,500. The official procurement process is anticipated to commence with a formal notice by 1st October 2026.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses involved in biotechnological manufacturing, particularly those with expertise in producing highly efficient and GMP-qualified endonucleases. SMEs with capabilities in developing analytical assays for endonuclease quantification and viral vector manufacturing will find this tender particularly relevant. The opportunity focuses on providing enzymes suitable for use in HEK293 suspension cell bioprocesses, requiring comprehensive technical documentation to support quality and performance standards. The contract period spans from January 2027 to December 2030, allowing for long-term collaboration and growth potential within this specialised market.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Supply of Endonucleases

Notice Description

The Clinical Biotechnology Centre at NHS Blood and Transplant is an MHRA-licensed facility for the manufacture of investigational medicinal products, including advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and other biotechnology products such as plasmid DNA, viral vectors, and therapeutic proteins. The organisation intends to initiate a procurement process for the supply of advanced, high-performance, and cost-effective endonucleases to support the removal of nucleic acids from ATMPs, particularly gene therapy vectors, including adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors and lentiviral vectors. The endonuclease must exhibit non-specific nuclease activity against a broad range of nucleic acid substrates, including DNA, RNA, plasmid DNA, synthetically produced DNA, enzymatically produced DNA, and other nucleic acid modalities used in viral vector manufacturing. The enzyme should retain activity under physiological pH and salt conditions, while also maintaining high enzymatic performance across a broad pH and salt concentration range. Demonstrated suitability for use in viral vector manufacturing processes employing HEK293 suspension cells cultured in stirred-tank bioreactors will be considered an advantage. Suppliers should also demonstrate that residual endonuclease can be efficiently removed from the viral vector product using a defined set of purification methods commonly applied in bioprocessing. A key requirement is the availability of GMP-qualified and validated analytical assays for the quantification of residual endonuclease at different stages of the manufacturing and purification process. The supplier must provide such assays either directly or through authorised analytical service providers. The supplier should be able to provide endonuclease in multiple quality grades, including R&D grade, GMP-compatible grade, and GMP-qualified grade. It is also essential that these materials are available in quantities suitable for small, medium and large-scale production. Suppliers must provide comprehensive technical and scientific documentation to support the quality attributes and performance characteristics of the endonuclease. Enzymatic activity should be demonstrated using appropriate standards or reference materials relevant to viral vector manufacturing. Overall, the endonuclease must be highly efficient, scalable, and cost-effective, and suitable for the manufacture of clinical-grade viral vectors. Appropriate analytical methods must also be available to support testing of product quality and residual endonuclease levels in drug products intended for human clinical use, in accordance with applicable national and international regulatory requirements.

Planning Information

Interested suppliers are asked to express their interest to rowena.thomas@nhsbt.nhs.uk by 5pm on Friday 31st July 2026. Suppliers expressing an interest will be invited to attend an early market engagement exercise supplier meeting during the week of August 2026 (note: date to be arranged). Prior to this session, interested suppliers will be provided with a draft specification of requirements and short questionnaire related to requirements. There is no guarantee that a formal procurement process will be launched as a result of this early 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 early 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-06ace0
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052527-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
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

CPV Codes

33696000 - Reagents and contrast media

33696300 - Chemical reagents

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£87,500 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Jun 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Oct 20264 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2030 4-5 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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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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