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DHSE: Global Health: Sentinel Drug Testing FY26/27

Department of Health and Social Care

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

28 Sep 2026 at 11:53

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Health and Social Care plans to procure a national toxicology testing and surveillance service to support the cross-government Early Warning System for emerging synthetic opioids and other dangerous drugs. The service will cover collection and transport of urine and blood samples, targeted and confirmatory laboratory testing, reporting, and surveillance support. Samples will come from an expanded sentinel network of drug treatment services, hospitals and other agreed settings. This is laboratory and public health surveillance work, rather than a supply of testing equipment alone. The service is planned as one lot and is intended to support early identification of emerging drug threats across the national network.

This procurement is at the planning stage: the Department has stated its intention to buy the service, but has not issued an invitation to tender. It expects to use a competitive flexible procedure. The buyer’s indicative timetable anticipates a further notice on 9 November 2026, an expression-of-interest date of 20 November 2026 and an award decision by 1 March 2027; these are planning dates, not an invitation to respond. The planned contract period is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030. The estimated value is £1,032,016 excluding VAT (£1,238,779 including VAT). The procurement is a single lot. SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable suppliers. Detailed evaluation arrangements are not yet set out.

The work is suited to providers able to deliver an integrated, national service spanning sample logistics, targeted toxicology analysis, confirmatory testing, clear reporting and surveillance support. Suppliers will need to support urine and blood testing from a broad sentinel network, including drug treatment services and hospitals, and handle emerging synthetic opioids as well as other dangerous drugs. This favours organisations with dependable laboratory operations, the capacity to coordinate collection and transport across multiple settings, and the ability to turn test results into useful early-warning intelligence. The buyer identifies the work as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises, so specialist suppliers may be relevant alongside larger providers. No specific accreditation or technical standard is identified in the planning information.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

DHSE: Global Health: Sentinel Drug Testing FY26/27

Notice Description

National toxicology testing and surveillance service supporting the cross-government Early Warning System for emerging synthetic opioids and other dangerous drugs. Collection, transport, targeted laboratory testing, confirmatory testing, reporting and surveillance support for urine and blood samples from an expanded sentinel network of drug treatment services, hospitals and other agreed settings.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077b66
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091371-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
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
£1,032,016 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,032,016 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
9 Nov 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
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
Department of Health and Social Care
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 0EU
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

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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