---
title: "Surge Laboratory Capacity in the event of a Health Emergency"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-050d89"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050d89"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050d89.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050d89.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE ACTING AS PART OF THE CROWN THROUGH UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY"
published: "2026-06-12"
---

# Surge Laboratory Capacity in the event of a Health Emergency

Buyer: SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE ACTING AS PART OF THE CROWN THROUGH UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-050d89

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## Summary

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has initiated a comprehensive procurement process to secure surge laboratory capacity in the event of a health emergency. The procurement falls under the industry category of laboratory services and is conducted through an open procedure as part of the Light Touch Regime. The primary aim of this contract is to establish scalable diagnostic testing capacity to be utilised during public health emergencies, enabling rapid increases in testing volume for diagnostics and outbreak management. Based in London, UKHSA completed this procurement process with the award stage taking place on 12th June 2026, marking the award of the contract to Randox Clinical Laboratory Services Ltd. The contract is scheduled to begin on 25th June 2026 and will extend until 24th June 2029, with options for activation in a high-demand, "Hot State" to increase services provided.

This procurement process presents significant business opportunities for companies specialising in laboratory diagnostic services, particularly those with the capability to scale operations quickly in response to public health emergencies. Large-scale laboratory service providers and SMEs with robust infrastructure are well-suited to compete in this tender due to the need for capacity, flexibility, and scalability in testing capabilities. The opportunity underscores the importance of being able to mobilise operations rapidly and provide high volumes of PCR testing, making it particularly advantageous for businesses with expertise in high-throughput diagnostic systems. This tender not only advances individual business growth but also contributes significantly to national health security preparedness.

## Notice

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has conducted a procurement under the Open Procedure in accordance with the Light Touch Regime for the provision of surge laboratory diagnostic testing capacity to support national responses to future public health emergencies. Following tender evaluation and moderation, Randox Laboratories Limited has been identified as the highest-scoring bidder, and UKHSA intends to award the contract to Randox, subject to completion of the relevant standstill period. UKHSA's requirement is to maintain a scalable 'surge model' that supplements its internal laboratory network with externally contracted PCR testing capability. This model ensures that, in the event of a significant public health threat, the UK can rapidly increase testing volumes to support diagnosis, surveillance, outbreak management, and wider public health interventions. Under this procurement, the Supplier will be required to provide Clinical Laboratory Diagnostic Testing Services as part of a Public Health Critical Service. The contract will operate under two defined readiness states: Cold State - the Supplier maintains operational readiness and must be capable of ramping up to Hot State within ten (10) weeks, as set out in Schedule 10 (Health Incident Response Plan). In this state, the Supplier is not required to provide the Guaranteed Daily Capacity. Hot State - the Supplier is fully operational and capable of delivering the Guaranteed Daily Capacity in response to an emergency activation by the Authority within 10 weeks. The Supplier will operate in Cold State for the duration of the Contract unless formally instructed by UKHSA to transition to Hot State. Upon issuing a Notice to change readiness state, the Supplier must immediately implement its approved Health Incident Response Plan. There is no minimum test volume under this Contract. Allocation of test kits and samples will be at the sole discretion of UKHSA. The Supplier must demonstrate the capability to provide a Guaranteed Daily Capacity of at least 100,000 PCR tests per 24-hour period for the Target Pathogen when in Hot State. UKHSA has sought robust, sustainable, and scalable solutions that enable rapid operational mobilisation, particularly for the delivery of high-volume PCR testing for Pathogen X. Suppliers were advised that the indicative contract value refers to Cold State readiness only; the operational value during Hot State activation is expected to be substantially higher as illustrated in the contract value, including options.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The primary option under this contract is the activation of the service in the hot state. When activated, the contract value will increase significantly, however, how much it increases will partly be determined by decisions in the event of the Pandemic. This may lead to a centralised national procurement activity of reagents and consumables reducing the costs incurred from lab services providers at point of need. The anticipated value for a six-month (6) hot state activation is PS456m. UKHSA notes that the option may be exercised multiple times in the event of a pandemic response and the associated need to operate in a hot state.

### Planning Information

A virtual engagement session will be held on 30th January 2026 at 10am. The purpose of this session is to present UKHSA’s objectives, gather feedback from suppliers and outline the procurement approach. 
Suppliers should register their interest by emailing hamza.hussain2@ukhsa.gov.uk with company details.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055902-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 2 Apr 2026 |
| Future notice date | 16 Mar 2026 |
| Award date | 11 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 24 Jun 2026 - 24 Jun 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £456,000,000 |
| Lots value | £456,000,000 |
| Awards value | £331,205,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE ACTING AS PART OF THE CROWN THROUGH UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY |
| Additional buyers | UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | East London |
| Postcode | E14 4PU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI42 Tower Hamlets |
| Local authority | Tower Hamlets |
| Electoral ward | Canary Wharf |
| Westminster constituency | Poplar and Limehouse |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | RANDOX CLINICAL LABORATORY SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71900000 - Laboratory services

## Release History

- 12 Jun 2026 at 15:45 - AwardUpdate - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055902-2026
- 12 Jun 2026 at 15:36 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055895-2026
- 5 Mar 2026 at 17:02 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020136-2026
- 9 Jan 2026 at 11:41 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001779-2026
- 23 May 2025 at 13:11 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026450-2025
- 7 May 2025 at 07:26 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019260-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055902-2026
  12th June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055895-2026
  12th June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020136-2026
  5th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001779-2026
  9th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026450-2025
  23rd May 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019260-2025
  7th May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.randox.com
- https://atamis-1928.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_ContractPage?SearchType=Projects&uid=a07Pz00001P6OfBIAV&searchStr=&sortStr=Recently+Published&page=1&filters=&County=
- https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.fhft.nhs.uk
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.ukbiocentre.com/

## 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-050d89. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050d89.json.