---
title: "Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) system"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-03fa51"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-03fa51"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03fa51.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03fa51.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "THE COMMON SERVICES AGENCY (MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND) (NSS)"
published: "2023-09-06"
---

# Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) system

Buyer: THE COMMON SERVICES AGENCY (MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND) (NSS)  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-03fa51

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## Summary

The Common Services Agency (NHS National Services Scotland) is planning a procurement process for an Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) system. The tender is open for goods and falls under the Medical equipments category. Interested suppliers must provide their proposed equipment solutions by October 31, 2023. The system is required to be practical for both small and large laboratories and must meet real-world performance standards.

This tender by NHS Scotland provides an opportunity for suppliers of (semi-) automated AST equipment to fulfill a national requirement across 15 NHS Health Boards in Scotland. Businesses specializing in medical equipment and laboratory technology would be well-suited to compete. With a focus on standard testing panels, interpretive criteria, and reportable patient results, suppliers can contribute to enhancing clinical microbiology services in the region for the next 7 to 10 years.

## Notice

NHS Scotland requires a standard Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) system to be used across all 15 NHS Health Boards which provide a Clinical Microbiology service: from multi-disciplinary laboratories in remote / rural Boards to large laboratories providing specialist services in tertiary referral Boards. The AST solution must be (semi-) automated and up-scalable so that it is practical for both small and large laboratories and it must have a proven real-world performance record. Please note interest by 31st October 2023

### Lot Information

Lot 1

NHS Scotland requires a standard Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) system to be used across all 15 NHS Health Boards which provide a Clinical Microbiology service: from multi-disciplinary laboratories in remote / rural Boards to large laboratories providing specialist services in tertiary referral Boards. The AST solution must be (semi-) automated and up-scalable so that it is practical for both small and large laboratories and it must have a proven real-world performance record. The national AST system must deliver panel testing for both bacteria and fungi. Suppliers are requested to provide details of the antibiotics, organisms and "drug-bug" combinations which may be tested on their system as well as those which cannot be tested on their system. It is essential that NHS Scotland-bespoke testing panels are available and that the system is fully EUCAST compliant, in line with Scottish AMR surveillance requirements. Annual EUCAST updates must be available on the system within six months of publication, including breakpoints and interpretive criteria. In the absence of specific EUCAST "drug-bug" testing and interpretive criteria, alternatives stipulated by the SMVN (e.g. CLSI) must be incorporated into the testing system. If the supplier's system is capable of delivering "rapid AST (RAST)", details should be provided. A bi-directional interface between the AST system and each Board's Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is essential and implementation should be led by the AST system supplier. The national AST solution must routinely report minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) data as well interpreted MICs via system software to routinely report antibiograms and ensure unusual phenotypes are highlighted. The ability to search and produce management reports on AST data would be advantageous and details should be provided. AST equipment is expected to have a lifespan of a minimum of 7 to 10 years. Suppliers are asked to submit details of [a] their standard (semi-) automated AST equipment currently available for all 15 NHS Scotland Boards that deliver an AST service, [b] details of standard testing panels currently available, [c] interpretive criteria, [d] reportable patient results and [e] epidemiological packages, if available. Prerequisites and dependence on any additional or ancillary equipment / systems should be highlighted. Suppliers are asked to describe the system(s) available to fulfil this national requirement and also provide a (maximum) 2 page summary detailing the service that would be provided. Indicative numbers of ASTs carried out per year in NHS Scotland laboratories (based on data from 2018 - 2022) are: AST tests per year 7,000 1 board

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026279-2023 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 Sep 2023 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 12 Feb 2024 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | THE COMMON SERVICES AGENCY (MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND) (NSS) |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH12 9EB |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh |
| Local authority | City of Edinburgh |
| Electoral ward | Drum Brae/Gyle |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh South West |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

### Codes

- 33100000 - Medical equipments

## Release History

- 6 Sep 2023 at 08:50 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026279-2023

## Notice URLs

- http://www.nss.nhs.scot/browse/procurement-and-logistics
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000743858
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=743858
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA11883

## 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-h6vhtk-03fa51. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03fa51.json.