---
title: "Forensic and Non-Forensic Pathology and Mortuary Services"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000620189"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000620189"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000620189.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000620189.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "CROWN OFFICE AND PROCURATOR FISCAL SERVICE"
published: "2020-04-20"
---

# Forensic and Non-Forensic Pathology and Mortuary Services

Buyer: CROWN OFFICE AND PROCURATOR FISCAL SERVICE  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000620189

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## Summary

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is initiating a procurement process for Forensic and Non-Forensic Pathology and Mortuary Services, located in Scotland. The procurement is currently in the planning stage, with a total contract value of £56 million. A Contract Notice is expected to be issued in the coming weeks, while the deadline for submitting the related questionnaire is set for 12 noon on 1st May 2020. The services will be split into four lots covering various regions of Scotland, with additional market engagement planned. Interested parties can expect further information by 25th May 2020.

This procurement offers significant opportunities for businesses involved in the provision of pathology and mortuary services. Companies that offer services such as post-mortem examinations, histopathology, and suitable mortuary facilities would be well-suited to participate. Subcontractors may also have advantageous roles in facilitating these services, making this contract a compelling opportunity for both large organisations and specialists within the health and safety sector.

## Notice

The Lord Advocate, through the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has responsibility in Scotland for the prosecution of crime in Scotland and the investigation of sudden or suspicious deaths which require further investigation. As part of the process of investigating deaths, the Procurator Fiscal may, in order to establish the cause and mechanism of death, instruct post-mortem examinations at specified mortuaries. The intention is to issue a Contract Notice for these services in the coming weeks. The purpose of this PIN Notice is to carry out a market engagement exercise to provide information to the market and to gather market intelligence from organisations that can deliver these services to inform the creation of the tender documents and support the tender process. The aim is to give contractors as much notice as possible to allow them to start thinking about their plans for delivering the services and to prepare for the tender process. It is intended to award a five year contract with potential for a further up to two year extension.

### Lot Information

Lot 1 - North Region

The Crown Office seek to procure the provision of pathology and mortuary services required by the Crown for deaths requiring further investigation across Scotland. The initial intention is to split the procurement into four lots covering: Lot 1 - North region (covering the local authority areas of: Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Angus; Highland; Moray; Orkney Islands; Perth and Kinross; and the Shetland Islands). Lot 2 - West region (covering the local authority areas of: Argyll & Bute; Dumfries and Galloway; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Eilean Siar; Glasgow City; Inverclyde; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; and West Dunbartonshire. Lot 3 - East region (covering the local authority areas of: Clackmannanshire; City of Edinburgh; Dundee City; East Lothian; Falkirk; Fife; Midlothian; Scottish Borders; Stirling and West Lothian. Lot 4 - All Lots (covering all 32 local authority areas) The intention is to allow the contractors to bid for one or more than one (including all) lots. It is anticipated that the services required for each of the areas will include: post mortem examinations (one and two doctor post mortems examinations), minimally invasive post mortems, histopathology, neuropathology, microbiology, virology, bacteriology, radiology and the provision of body storage. These services will be required for both adult and paediatric pathology. There may also be a requirement for post mortem imaging but this has yet to be decided. In addition the Service provider will be expected to provide suitable mortuary facilities (whether themselves or through sub-contracting arrangements) and mortuary staff and equipment to facilitate the provision of the post mortem investigations. The intention was to hold supplier engagement events to allow pre-procurement market engagement. However, in view of the current restrictions due to Covid-19, the aim of this notice is to give some information to the suppliers on COPFS's current plans for the timing of the procurement process as well as the design of the service. This will give service providers as much time as possible to prepare for any tender to be issued and also to allow service providers to feed back on the proposals by completing a questionnaire. The questionnaire should be uploaded onto the portal by 1 May 2020 at 12 noon.

Lot 2 - West Region

The Crown Office seek to procure the provision of pathology and mortuary services required by the Crown for deaths requiring further investigation across Scotland. The initial intention is to split the procurement into four lots covering: Lot 1 - North region (covering the local authority areas of: Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Angus; Highland; Moray; Orkney Islands; Perth and Kinross; and the Shetland Islands). Lot 2 - West region (covering the local authority areas of: Argyll & Bute; Dumfries and Galloway; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Eilean Siar; Glasgow City; Inverclyde; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; and West Dunbartonshire. Lot 3 - East region (covering the local authority areas of: Clackmannanshire; City of Edinburgh; Dundee City; East Lothian; Falkirk; Fife; Midlothian; Scottish Borders; Stirling and West Lothian. Lot 4 - All Lots (covering all 32 local authority areas) The intention is to allow the contractors to bid for one or more than one (including all) lots. It is anticipated that the services required for each of the areas will include: post mortem examinations (one and two doctor post mortems examinations), minimally invasive post mortems, histopathology, neuropathology, microbiology, virology, bacteriology, radiology and the provision of body storage. These services will be required for both adult and paediatric pathology. There may also be a requirement for post mortem imaging but this has yet to be decided. In addition the Service provider will be expected to provide suitable mortuary facilities (whether themselves or through sub-contracting arrangements) and mortuary staff and equipment to facilitate the provision of the post mortem investigations. The intention was to hold supplier engagement events to allow pre-procurement market engagement. However, in view of the current restrictions due to Covid-19, the aim of this notice is to give some information to the suppliers on COPFS's current plans for the timing of the procurement process as well as the design of the service. This will give service providers as much time as possible to prepare for any tender to be issued and also to allow service providers to feed back on the proposals by completing a questionnaire. The questionnaire should be uploaded onto the portal by 1 May 2020 at 12 noon.

Lot 3 - East Region

The Crown Office seek to procure the provision of pathology and mortuary services required by the Crown for deaths requiring further investigation across Scotland. The initial intention is to split the procurement into four lots covering: Lot 1 - North region (covering the local authority areas of: Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Angus; Highland; Moray; Orkney Islands; Perth and Kinross; and the Shetland Islands). Lot 2 - West region (covering the local authority areas of: Argyll & Bute; Dumfries and Galloway; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Eilean Siar; Glasgow City; Inverclyde; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; and West Dunbartonshire. Lot 3 - East region (covering the local authority areas of: Clackmannanshire; City of Edinburgh; Dundee City; East Lothian; Falkirk; Fife; Midlothian; Scottish Borders; Stirling and West Lothian. Lot 4 - All Lots (covering all 32 local authority areas) The intention is to allow the contractors to bid for one or more than one (including all) lots. It is anticipated that the services required for each of the areas will include: post mortem examinations (one and two doctor post mortems examinations), minimally invasive post mortems, histopathology, neuropathology, microbiology, virology, bacteriology, radiology and the provision of body storage. These services will be required for both adult and paediatric pathology. There may also be a requirement for post mortem imaging but this has yet to be decided. In addition the Service provider will be expected to provide suitable mortuary facilities (whether themselves or through sub-contracting arrangements) and mortuary staff and equipment to facilitate the provision of the post mortem investigations. The intention was to hold supplier engagement events to allow pre-procurement market engagement. However, in view of the current restrictions due to Covid-19, the aim of this notice is to give some information to the suppliers on COPFS's current plans for the timing of the procurement process as well as the design of the service. This will give service providers as much time as possible to prepare for any tender to be issued and also to allow service providers to feed back on the proposals by completing a questionnaire. The questionnaire should be uploaded onto the portal by 1 May 2020 at 12 noon.

Lot 4 - All Local Authority Areas

The Crown Office seek to procure the provision of pathology and mortuary services required by the Crown for deaths requiring further investigation across Scotland. The initial intention is to split the procurement into four lots covering: Lot 1 - North region (covering the local authority areas of: Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Angus; Highland; Moray; Orkney Islands; Perth and Kinross; and the Shetland Islands). Lot 2 - West region (covering the local authority areas of: Argyll & Bute; Dumfries and Galloway; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Eilean Siar; Glasgow City; Inverclyde; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Renfrewshire; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; and West Dunbartonshire. Lot 3 - East region (covering the local authority areas of: Clackmannanshire; City of Edinburgh; Dundee City; East Lothian; Falkirk; Fife; Midlothian; Scottish Borders; Stirling and West Lothian. Lot 4 - All Lots (covering all 32 local authority areas) The intention is to allow the contractors to bid for one or more than one (including all) lots. It is anticipated that the services required for each of the areas will include: post mortem examinations (one and two doctor post mortems examinations), minimally invasive post mortems, histopathology, neuropathology, microbiology, virology, bacteriology, radiology and the provision of body storage. These services will be required for both adult and paediatric pathology. There may also be a requirement for post mortem imaging but this has yet to be decided. In addition the Service provider will be expected to provide suitable mortuary facilities (whether themselves or through sub-contracting arrangements) and mortuary staff and equipment to facilitate the provision of the post mortem investigations. The intention was to hold supplier engagement events to allow pre-procurement market engagement. However, in view of the current restrictions due to Covid-19, the aim of this notice is to give some information to the suppliers on COPFS's current plans for the timing of the procurement process as well as the design of the service. This will give service providers as much time as possible to prepare for any tender to be issued and also to allow service providers to feed back on the proposals by completing a questionnaire. The questionnaire should be uploaded onto the portal by 1 May 2020 at 12 noon.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=APR385664 |
| Notice type | OJEU - F1 - Prior Information Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| 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 | 20 Apr 2020 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 25 May 2020 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £56,000,000 |
| 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 | CROWN OFFICE AND PROCURATOR FISCAL SERVICE |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH1 1LA |
| 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 | City Centre |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh East and Musselburgh |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85111800 - Pathology services

## Release History

- 20 Apr 2020 at 00:00 - Planning - OJEU - F1 - Prior Information Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=APR385664

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=APR385664&idx=3
  1st May 2020 - The deadline for Questionnaire Submission has been extended to 17:00hours on Tuesday 5th May 2020.
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=APR385664&idx=2
  29th April 2020 - Questionnaire re-upload as some suppliers are having difficulty downloading
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=APR385664&idx=1
  22nd April 2020 - Questionnaire - Forensic and Non-Forensic Pathology and Mortuary Services
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=APR385664
  Forensic and Non-Forensic Pathology and Mortuary Services - The Lord Advocate, through the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has responsibility in Scotland for the prosecution of crime in Scotland and the investigation of sudden or suspicious deaths which require further investigation. As part of the process of investigating deaths, the Procurator Fiscal may, in order to establish the cause and mechanism of death, instruct post-mortem examinations at specified mortuaries. The intention is to issue a Contract Notice for these services in the coming weeks. The purpose of this PIN Notice is to carry out a market engagement exercise to provide information to the market and to gather market intelligence from organisations that can deliver these services to inform the creation of the tender documents and support the tender process. The aim is to give contractors as much notice as possible to allow them to start thinking about their plans for delivering the services and to prepare for the tender process. It is intended to award a five year contract with potential for a further up to two year extension.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.copfs.gov.uk/
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000620189
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=620189

## 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-r6ebe6-0000620189. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000620189.json.