---
title: "Provision of Toxicology Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-03-31"
---

# Provision of Toxicology Services

Buyer: ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3.json)

## Summary

Essex County Council has concluded the public procurement process for the provision of toxicology services, a vital contract to support His Majesty's Coroner for the Essex Jurisdiction. The procurement falls under the services category and involves the collection, testing, and reporting of samples to aid in the determination of causes of death. Initially planned in early 2025, the procurement process utilized an open procedure, finalising with an award on 31 March 2026, with the contract beginning on 1 April 2026 and set to run for three years with an option for a two-year extension. The procurement activity took place in the region of UKH3 where Essex County is located, with the Essex County Council serving as the contracting authority.

This tender represents a significant growth opportunity for businesses in the pathology and medical laboratory services industry, particularly those specializing in blood analysis and bacteriological services. With the awarded contractor, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the procurement process witnessed competitive bids from various companies, allowing opportunities for large, as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to take part. Companies with capabilities in logistics and handling high volumes of medical testing, especially during peak demand in winter months, would find this contract beneficial to their business ventures, expanding their presence in the public sector work for coroner services. The contract's focus on social value and technical quality alongside commercial terms highlights a balanced approach to service provision and cost-effectiveness, making it an attractive proposition for well-prepared and versatile businesses.

## Notice

Essex Coroner Service has procured a contract for the provision of toxicology services on behalf of his Majesty's Coroner. The contract requirement includes; 1. Collection of samples from Coroners approved Mortuaries 2. Testing of samples 3. Production of a report to support the pathologist in determining the cause of death Contract will run from April 2026 for an initial period of 3 years with possible extensions of 24 months

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Agreement term for the contract will be 3 years with an option to extend for a period of 24 months. The decision to extend the Agreement with is at the sole discretion of Essex County Council.

### Planning Information

The current contract expires in March 2026 and the estimated planned tender issue date will be around November / December 2025.
The Authority wishes to invite interested parties to complete a market engagement questionnaire using Microsoft forms. A link will be included within the information published on Procontract, the Councils e-tendering system. Responses to this market engagement can only be submitted via ProContract. Further information regarding ProContract is provided below.
ECC uses an e-tendering system, ProContract and you will need to create an account on ProContract to access and respond to both this market engagement exercise and to bid for any future opportunities issued by ECC, including this Toxicology Contract. Please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Register to register an account. It is free to register and use the system.
If you have any questions regarding this exercise, please submit them via the ProContract Portal and we will reply to your questions as soon as possible.
You are also advised to ensure your data on the Central Digital Platform is maintained up to date. Suppliers: How to register your organisation and first administrator on Find a Tender in three easy steps (HTML) - GOV.UK.
The closing date for responses is 5pm on 01 September 2025.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029740-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details 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 | 31 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 8 Feb 2026 |
| Future notice date | 1 Nov 2025 |
| Award date | 18 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | 2028-12-01 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £838,000 |
| Lots value | £838,000 |
| Awards value | £838,000 |
| Contracts value | £838,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | CHELMSFORD |
| Post town | Chelmsford |
| Postcode | CM1 1QH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH3 Essex |
| ITL 3 | TLH36 Heart of Essex |
| Local authority | Chelmsford |
| Electoral ward | Moulsham and Central |
| Westminster constituency | Chelmsford |
| Delivery location | TLH3 Essex |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SHEFFIELD TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85111800 - Pathology services
- 85111810 - Blood analysis services
- 85111820 - Bacteriological analysis services
- 85145000 - Services provided by medical laboratories

## Release History

- 31 Mar 2026 at 13:22 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029740-2026
- 20 Feb 2026 at 00:16 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015472-2026
- 8 Jan 2026 at 17:32 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001640-2026
- 8 Jan 2026 at 17:26 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001637-2026
- 8 Jan 2026 at 17:24 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001635-2026
- 4 Aug 2025 at 08:33 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045488-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029740-2026
  31st March 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015472-2026
  20th February 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001640-2026
  8th January 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001637-2026
  8th January 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001635-2026
  8th January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045488-2025
  4th August 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.sth.co.uk/
- https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities
- https://procontract.due-north.com/Register
- https://procontract.due-north.com/register
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-056bf3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-056bf3.json.