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United Kingdom Accreditation Service - Provision of Accreditation Services

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

23 Sep 2026 at 14:55

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

23 Sep 2026 at 14:45

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Belfast Health & Social Care Trust procured accreditation services for its laboratories, classified under laboratory services (CPV 71900000). The work concerns assessing and accrediting the Trust’s laboratory services, providing recognised assurance of their competence and quality. Delivery is in Northern Ireland; the Trust is based in Belfast. The selected provider is the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), the UK’s designated national accreditation body. The requirement is focused on laboratory accreditation rather than general laboratory operations or testing.

The procurement is complete and UKAS Limited was selected for the single lot. The Trust used a direct award, relying on the technical grounds that UKAS is the only organisation authorised to provide nationally recognised accreditation in the UK and that no reasonable equivalent supplier exists. The award was made on 23 September 2026, for £500,000 excluding VAT (£600,000 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2031. The published award information identifies no separate scored evaluation criteria; the stated basis for selection was the absence of an equivalent supplier capable of providing accreditation recognised by UK regulators and international accreditation arrangements.

For suppliers considering similar future work with Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, this award demonstrates a specific requirement for laboratory accreditation that is recognised by UK regulators and international accreditation arrangements. Credibility depends on having authority to provide that recognised accreditation; general laboratory consultancy or testing capability alone would not meet the stated technical requirement. The selected provider’s status as the UK’s designated national accreditation body was central to the Trust’s decision that no reasonable equivalent supplier existed. Businesses should therefore assess whether they can demonstrate equivalent recognised standing and the ability to accredit Trust laboratory services before treating this as a relevant market opportunity. The procurement indicates a sustained, single-provider accreditation requirement across the Trust’s laboratories.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

United Kingdom Accreditation Service - Provision of Accreditation Services

Notice Description

Procurement of UKAS - Accreditation Services to Belfast Health and Social Care Laboratories

Procurement Information

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust intends to award a contract to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) for accreditation services. UKAS is the United Kingdom's designated National Accreditation Body and is the only organisation authorised to provide nationally recognised accreditation within the UK. Competition is absent for technical reasons because no reasonable alternative supplier exists capable of providing equivalent accreditation recognised by UK regulators and international accreditation arrangements. The Trust therefore considers that the services can only be supplied by a particular supplier and that competition is absent for technical reasons. Accordingly, the contract is being awarded through a direct award procedure under the Procurement Act 2023.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0778bd
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090218-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71900000 - Laboratory services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£500,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
23 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Oct 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT12 6BA
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Falls
Westminster Constituency
Belfast West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

UKAS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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