Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses): UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition
CPV 38000000·Supplies · division·42 classes with notices
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Tenders you can still bid for.
Notices at tender stage whose deadline has not passed, counted the way the search counts them: a notice shows under every code and region it names.
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Notices published in the last 12 months.
Counted per tender, not per lot, against the 12 months before where shown.
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.
The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.
Based on 259 lots from 219 competitions run by 101 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 84 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 2) and 175 from older notices (bids received, middle 3).
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What a contract here is usually worth.
Middle value of published award values, VAT excluded. Framework ceilings are left out because they are not real contract values.
Based on 900 awards with a usable value, last 36 months.
Published values, not actual spend.
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How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Based on 101 decided competitions, last 36 months.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Newest open tenders
3 of 51 open for bids now · newest first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ID 6637252 - DfE - SRC - High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) | Southern Regional College | 18 Nov 2026 | 23d | £201,667 |
| Low-Temperature STM/qPlus-AFM with Optical Access | University of Bath | 20 Nov 2026 | 25d | £400,000 |
| The Provision and Maintenance of a Cell Sorter | MHRA | 20 Nov 2026 | 25d | £475,000 |
Sub-sectors of laboratory, optical and precision…
42 CPV classes with notices · sorted by notices in the last 12 months · 2,053 of 3,494 notices in this division carry a class-level code
Show 12 quieter classes (fewer than 5 notices in 12 months, none open)
Nuclear evaluation instruments38940000 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | |
Precision balances38310000 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | |
Regulating and controlling instruments and apparatus38570000 | 0 | 2 | — | — | |
Speed indicators for vehicles38560000 | 0 | 1 | — | — | |
Geological and geophysical instruments38200000 | 0 | 4 | — | — | |
Time registers and the like; parking meters38700000 | 0 | 2 | — | — | |
Gravity geophysical instruments38240000 | 0 | 1 | — | — | |
Diffraction apparatus38530000 | 0 | 7 | — | — | |
Electromagnetic geophysical instruments38230000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | |
Magnetometer geophysical instruments38260000 | 0 | 1 | — | — | |
Gravimeters38280000 | 0 | 1 | — | — | |
Periscopes38640000 | 0 | 1 | — | — |
Who buysi
Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
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Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
All notices carrying this code · official UK_CA_TYPE where published (NHS bodies are central government authorities), else derived from the authority name
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What kinds of public bodies buy here.
Notices by the buyer’s type as published, otherwise by its name.
Central government39%(1,341 notices)
1,341 of 3,438 notices are Central government (39%).Education & universities28%(962 notices)
962 of 3,438 notices are Education & universities (28%).Other public bodies17%(569 notices)
569 of 3,438 notices are Other public bodies (17%).Local authorities3%(98 notices)
98 of 3,438 notices are Local authorities (3%).Police, fire & emergency1%(48 notices)
48 of 3,438 notices are Police, fire & emergency (1%).Not classified12%(420 notices)
420 of 3,438 notices are Not classified (12%).
| Contracting authority | Type | Notices | Last 12 months | Open now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Research and Innovation | Central government | 546 | 256 | 0 |
| NPL Management Limited | Other public bodies | 232 | 161 | 0 |
| Ministry of Defence | Central government | 109 | 7 | 0 |
| Secretary of State for Health and Social Care acting as part of the Crown through UK Health Security Agency | Central government | 95 | 46 | 0 |
| University of Glasgow | Education & universities | 92 | 18 | 0 |
| National Physical Laboratory | not classified | 82 | 0 | 0 |
| University Of Edinburgh | Education & universities | 69 | 21 | 0 |
| University of Warwick | Education & universities | 63 | 3 | 0 |
| University of Exeter | Central government | 62 | 29 | 0 |
| ASTON UNIVERSITY | Education & universities | 53 | 19 | 0 |
464 distinct authorities in total · the ten most active shown.
Where the work is deliveredi
Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
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Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 2,048 of 3,494 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each · competition columns: contracts awarded in the last 36 months, lots delivered in the region
| Region | Notices | Bids / lot | SME wins | Local wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South East England | 2 | 46% | 38% | |
| Scotland | 2 | 57% | 20% | |
| West Midlands | 3 | 44% | 16% | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 2 | 40% | 5% | |
| East of England | 1 | 35% | 14% | |
| South West England | 2 | 43% | 4% | |
| North West England | 2 | 35% | 16% | |
| North East England | 3 | 33% | 2% | |
| Greater London | 2 | 46% | 13% | |
| East Midlands | 2 | 46% | 15% | |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | 37% | 24% | |
| Wales (Cymru) | 4 | 46% | 8% |
Local wins = the winner’s registered region is the delivery region. Dashes: fewer than ten observations.
How it is boughti
How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Commercial tool, procedure route and threshold as published on the notice, not a legal-regime claim
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Contract94%(3,295 notices)
3,295 of 3,494 notices are Contract (94%).Framework6%(196 notices)
196 of 3,494 notices are Framework (6%).Dynamic purchasing system0%(3 notices)
3 of 3,494 notices are Dynamic purchasing system (0%).
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Which procedures buyers here use.
Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.
Open36%(1,270 notices)
1,270 of 3,494 notices are Open (36%).Limited / restricted22%(759 notices)
759 of 3,494 notices are Limited / restricted (22%).Direct award21%(720 notices)
720 of 3,494 notices are Direct award (21%).Route not published17%(579 notices)
579 of 3,494 notices are Route not published (17%).Selective5%(166 notices)
166 of 3,494 notices are Selective (5%).
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How much of this market is above the legal threshold.
Notices by whether the buyer marked them above or below the threshold that triggers the full rules.
Above threshold66%(262 notices)
262 of 395 notices are Above threshold (66%).Below threshold34%(133 notices)
133 of 395 notices are Below threshold (34%).
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How long bidders get to respond.
Middle value in days from the tender notice to its deadline.
Competition
Contracts published in the last 36 months (2,050) · bid counts per lot from award notices · values are net contract awards, framework and DPS ceilings excluded · SME and local status as declared
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How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid26%(68)
68 of 259 lots fall in 1 bid (26%).2–347%(122)
122 of 259 lots fall in 2–3 (47%).4–616%(41)
41 of 259 lots fall in 4–6 (16%).7 or more11%(28)
28 of 259 lots fall in 7 or more (11%).
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The usual range of contract values here.
The middle half of published award values, VAT excluded, with the middle value marked. Framework ceilings are left out.
Published values, not actual spend.
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.
The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.
Based on 259 lots from 219 competitions run by 101 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 84 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 2) and 175 from older notices (bids received, middle 3).
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How much of this market is actually put out to competition.
Notices run as an open or selective procedure, out of all notices that say which procedure was used. Direct awards count as not competed.
594 of 1,754 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 296 more give no procedure and are left out.
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What share of bids come from small and medium firms.
SME bids divided by all bids, on lots where the buyer published the split.
318 SME bids out of 690, on 217 lots where the buyer published the split.
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What share of contracts go to small and medium firms.
Awards to a single supplier that declared its size. SME divided by all.
294 of 613 awards where the winner declared its size.
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How much work here goes to companies based in the region.
Contract awards where the winner’s registered address is in this region, out of awards where the address is known.
Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.
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Do winners come in above or below the buyer’s estimate.
For each lot we compare the published estimate with the award, like for like. Below means the winner was paid less than estimated, above means more.
Based on 159 lots with both an estimate and an award, last 36 months.
A past pattern, not a price to bid.
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How often a tender ends with no award.
Notices cancelled, withdrawn or marked unsuccessful, plus terminated ones that never got an award.
37 of 2,050 notices, last 36 months.
Only what buyers published. Tenders that quietly went nowhere are not counted.
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How many companies apply to get onto a framework or DPS here.
Middle value per lot, frameworks and dynamic markets only. Getting onto a panel is not the same as winning work, so it is kept separate.
Based on 72 lots from 35 framework and DPS notices, last 36 months.
Who winsi
Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
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Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
Ranked by distinct procedures won on notices carrying this code, then award records · 2,846 awards to 1,429 suppliers · the five most frequent winners hold 6% of contract awards in the last 36 months
| Supplier | Procedures | Awards | Last 12 months | Buyers |
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| BRUKER UK LIMITED | 42 | 42 | 12 | 24 |
| Agilent Technologies LDA UK Ltd | 37 | 41 | 12 | 30 |
| PHOTONIC SOLUTIONS LIMITED | 29 | 30 | 7 | 12 |
| Waters Ltd | 25 | 26 | 8 | 18 |
| Thermo Electron Manufacturing Ltd t/a Thermo Fisher Scientific | 23 | 27 | 7 | 18 |
| Leica Microsystems (UK) Ltd | 21 | 21 | 7 | 13 |
| Life Technologies Ltd | 18 | 18 | 5 | 13 |
| Keysight Technologies UK Limited | 16 | 23 | 3 | 10 |
Where to submiti
Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
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Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
E-sourcing portals named in the submission address · 961 of 3,494 notices name one · each portal page explains registration
Open tenders in laboratory, optical and precision…
51 open for bids now · soonest deadline first
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- What counts here. Every notice with a CPV code starting 38, on the tender or any of its lots. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 23 Oct 2026.
- Competition. Bids and winners cover the last three years and count each lot as its own contest; frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems are shown apart from ordinary contracts.
- Why no total spend. Notice estimates often repeat a framework’s ceiling, so adding them up would overstate the market. Typical contract values are shown instead.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.