---
title: "Forensic Services"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Greater Manchester Police"
published: "2026-09-21"
---

# Forensic Services

Buyer: Greater Manchester Police  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93)  
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## Summary

Greater Manchester Police procured physical forensic services for policing and the criminal justice system across the North West of England. The requirement covers a broad range of specialist laboratory and investigative work: toxicology for RT and CW substances, drugs analysis, subject DNA and crime-scene DNA, firearms and ammunition, fire investigation, noxious substances, questioned documents, ecology, marks and traces, and CW biology. This is a forensic services contract, classified under CPV 90700000, although the work is primarily criminal-justice and evidential rather than general environmental services. The procurement aims to support a collaborative, nationally standardised approach to physical forensics, with common specifications and terms intended to create sustainable service capacity for current and future policing needs. Greater Manchester Police is the buying organisation.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a selective call-off from the BLC dynamic purchasing system. The tender submission deadline was 25 August 2025 at 5pm, and the award was made on 7 January 2026. The awarded value is £37,747,925, against an estimated procurement value of £38,000,000. The contract runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031. Three suppliers were selected: Orchid Cellmark Limited trading as Cellmark Forensic Services, Key Forensic Services Limited, and Forensic Access Limited. The published information does not set out separate lots or a detailed scoring model; the requirement is presented as one broad physical-forensics service package. Participation was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises.

This requirement indicates substantial, sustained demand from Greater Manchester Police for suppliers able to deliver accredited-quality physical forensic services across multiple disciplines, rather than a single specialist test. Credible competitors would need access to appropriately qualified forensic scientists, secure laboratories, validated methods, robust evidence handling and reporting processes, and the capacity to manage varied workloads for policing and criminal-justice users. Relevant capability may include toxicology, drugs, DNA, firearms, fire investigation, questioned documents, ecology, marks and traces, noxious substances and CW biology, depending on the service line pursued. The use of a dynamic purchasing system and standardised national specifications favours organisations able to operate consistently against common contractual requirements, collaborate with public-sector partners, and demonstrate resilient capacity across a broad service portfolio.

## Notice

The provision of physical forensic services covering RT Tox, CW Tox, Drugs, Subject DNA, CSDNA, Firearms & Ammunition, Fire Investigation, Noxious Substances, Questioned Documents, Ecology, Marks & Traces, CW Biology. Procured using the BLC DPS: The aim of the Physical Forensic Services DPS is to deliver a collaborative approach to the next generation of forensics contracts for physical forensics services, providing a nationally standardised specification and terms & conditions to build a cohesive sustainable marketplace environment, where service delivery and capacity meet both the current and future needs of policing and the criminal justice system (CJS).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/05758c20-645b-4a17-810d-accd701d0188 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Dynamic |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a dynamic purchasing system |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 7 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £38,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £37,747,925 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Greater Manchester Police |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode area | Manchester |
| Postcode | M40 5BP |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Harpurhey |
| Westminster constituency | Blackley and Middleton South |
| Delivery location | TLD North West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 3 |
| Supplier names | Orchid Cellmark Ltd; Key Forensic Services Ltd; FORENSIC ACCESS LIMITED |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

### Codes

- 90700000 - Environmental services

## Release History

- 21 Sep 2026 at 15:49 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/05758c20-645b-4a17-810d-accd701d0188

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/05758c20-645b-4a17-810d-accd701d0188
  21st September 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- http://www.gmp.police.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f255647b-6164-46d5-9dc9-73412cabcd93.json.