---
title: "Automated Slide Preparation System"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05a849"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05a849"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a849.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a849.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST"
published: "2025-10-03"
---

# Automated Slide Preparation System

Buyer: NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05a849

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## Summary

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has completed the procurement of Automated Slide Preparation Systems for their histopathology laboratory, aligning with NHS England's plan to transform pathology services. The procurement title indicates a focus on laboratory equipment, with a specific location in Nottingham, UK. The contract, awarded to AXLAB Limited, follows a direct award method under the legal basis of UKPGA 2023/54. The award was confirmed on 3rd October 2025, with the contract set to begin on 3rd November 2025 and conclude by 31st March 2026. The procurement process is in the award stage, and the project involves a significant contract value of £996,000.

This contract presents growth opportunities for businesses specialising in high-throughput laboratory automation, particularly those manufacturing or servicing precision equipment. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with expertise in laboratory and medical equipment, like AXLAB Limited, could find such procurements beneficial for expanding their market presence. The direct award method suggests that the Trust prioritised technical specifications, indicating the system's uniqueness in the healthcare sector, catering especially to organisations capable of addressing specific diagnostic service needs.

## Notice

As part of Nottingham University Hospitals' commitment to delivering world-class diagnostic services, we are introducing two Automated Slide Preparation Systems into the histopathology laboratory. This installation directly supports NUH's strategic aim to Standardise, Centralise and Digitise the diagnostic services. This procurement also aligns with the NHS England's 6-point plan for transforming pathology services.

### Procurement Information

The system being procured is the only fully automated tissue embedding system available which is essential to eliminate manual embedding and ensuring consistency at very high throughput levels for the histopathology department.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062320-2025 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 3 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 2 Oct 2025 |
| Contract period | 3 Nov 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £830,000 |
| 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 | NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST |
| Locality | NOTTINGHAM |
| Post town | Nottingham |
| Postcode | NG5 1PB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF14 Nottingham |
| Local authority | Nottingham |
| Electoral ward | Sherwood |
| Westminster constituency | Nottingham East |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | AXLAB |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

### Codes

- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

## Release History

- 3 Oct 2025 at 16:08 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062320-2025
- 3 Oct 2025 at 16:04 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062319-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062320-2025
  3rd October 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062319-2025
  3rd October 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.axlab.co.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.nuh.nhs.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-h6vhtk-05a849. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a849.json.