--- title: "BWC Karotyping and FISH Service PME" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078af3" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078af3" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078af3.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078af3.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust" published: "2026-10-27" --- # BWC Karotyping and FISH Service PME Buyer: Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078af3 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078af3) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078af3.json) ## Summary Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust intends to procure a laboratory karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) solution for its clinical and genomic services. The system is intended to provide automated slide scanning, cell selection and capture, and AI-assisted digital karyotyping across the Trust’s laboratories. It should support integration with existing systems, centralise wet-laboratory work at two sites, and allow images to be shared for analysis and reporting across three sites and remotely. FISH analysis is required for cell suspensions and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded slides, with tissue matching; automated scanning is preferred. The system must also provide data storage and retention. The buying organisation is Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust is managing procurement activity on its behalf. Delivery is in Birmingham. The process is at planning stage: the Trust has set out its intention to procure, but has not issued an invitation to tender. It expects to publish a further notice by 7 December 2026. The Trust is conducting preliminary market engagement for three weeks, with the engagement milestone due on 16 November 2026. These are planning expectations, not tender submission deadlines. One lot is planned. The anticipated contract period runs from 11 January to 31 March 2027, with a maximum extent to 31 March 2029 and renewal indicated. The published estimated value is £0. No procurement procedure, award method or evaluation criteria are stated at this planning stage. This may suit suppliers of laboratory cytogenetics systems, medical imaging software and AI-enabled diagnostic analysis, particularly those able to combine karyotyping and FISH within an integrated solution. Suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate automated slide scanning, cell selection and capture, digital karyotyping, image distribution and reporting, and data storage and retention. The system is expected to connect with existing laboratory systems where possible, support work across three sites and enable remote analysis. FISH capability must cover cell suspensions and FFPE slides and include tissue matching; automated scanning is desirable. The requirements call for compliance with relevant data security and privacy regulations. The planned lot is marked as suitable for SMEs, so smaller specialist suppliers may also consider contributing to the market engagement. ## Notice C&S GMS wish to implement an AI-assisted automated karyotyping solution across all sites, with capability to also deliver automated FISH analysis. The requirements documented are vendor agnostic and have been developed to inform the selection and implementation of a karyotyping / FISH solution. Requirements C&S GMS have prepared a supporting document to demonstrate the requirements of the karyotyping solution, but in summary the system must: * Deliver automated slide scanning, automated cell selection and capture, and AI-assisted digital karyotyping capability across our laboratories, * Enable integration with existing systems where possible - details of existing systems are in Appendix 1. * Security and Compliance: Meet all relevant data security and privacy regulations. * Allow for centralisation of "wet laboratory" work at 2 sites and distribution of images, allowing distributed analysis and reporting at all 3 sites plus remote working from home. * FISH capability is also required, meeting specified performance expectations for both cell suspensions and FFPE slides including tissue-matching function, and ideally automated scanning. * Data storage and retention capability ### Planning Information The Authority are running a PME process for 3 weeks. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/101403-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Goods | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 27 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 7 Dec 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 11 Jan 2027 - 31 Mar 2027 | | 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 | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust | | Locality | BIRMINGHAM | | Postcode area | Birmingham | | Postcode | B4 6NH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands | | ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham | | Local authority | Birmingham | | Electoral ward | Ladywood | | Westminster constituency | Birmingham Ladywood | | Delivery location | TLG31 Birmingham | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems ### Codes - 48517000 - IT software package ## Release History - 27 Oct 2026 at 10:57 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/101403-2026 - 19 Oct 2026 at 14:54 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/098573-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/101403-2026 27th October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/098573-2026 19th October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.bwc.nhs.uk/ - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.uhb.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-078af3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078af3.json.