Machines and apparatus for testing and measuring: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition
CPV 38540000·Supplies · class·in Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
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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 10 lots from 10 competitions run by 6 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 1 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 3) and 9 from older notices (bids received, middle 1).
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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 51 awards with a usable value, last 36 months.
Published values, not actual spend.
Newest open tenders
1 of 5 open for bids now · newest first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Purchasing System for the Provision of Mobile Preliminary Roads Drug Testing Devices (MPRDTD) | BLUELIGHT COMMERCIAL LIMITED | 30 May 2027 | 214d | £10,000,000 ceiling |
Codes and neighbouring classes
The 8-digit CPV codes notices in this class actually use, and the other classes of the same division
38540000 Machines and apparatus for testing and measuring41 notices · 32%38544000 Drug detection apparatus22 notices · 17%38543000 Gas-detection equipment10 notices · 8%38546100 Bomb detectors6 notices · 5%38542000 Servo-hydraulic test apparatus4 notices · 3%38545000 Gas-testing kits4 notices · 3%38547000 Dosimetry system3 notices · 2%38546000 Explosives detection system2 notices · 2%- Detection and analysis apparatus 181 · 12m
- Astronomical and optical instruments 54 · 12m
- Photographic equipment 51 · 12m
- Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic and hydrological instruments and appliances 44 · 12m
- Instruments for measuring quantities 41 · 12m
- Microscopes 35 · 12m
- Instruments for measuring flow, level and pressure of liquids and gases 25 · 12m
- Meteorological instruments 20 · 12m
- Measuring instruments 19 · 12m
- Research, testing and scientific technical simulator 16 · 12m
- All of Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) →
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 government35%(44 notices)
44 of 124 notices are Central government (35%).Education & universities26%(32 notices)
32 of 124 notices are Education & universities (26%).Other public bodies12%(15 notices)
15 of 124 notices are Other public bodies (12%).Police, fire & emergency10%(13 notices)
13 of 124 notices are Police, fire & emergency (10%).Local authorities3%(4 notices)
4 of 124 notices are Local authorities (3%).Not classified13%(16 notices)
16 of 124 notices are Not classified (13%).
| Contracting authority | Type | Notices | Last 12 months | Open now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Justice | Central government | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| UK Research and Innovation | Central government | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Ministry of Defence | Central government | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Robert Gordon University | Education & universities | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottish Prison Service | not classified | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| University of Aberdeen | Education & universities | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| University of Strathclyde | Education & universities | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| NATIONAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY LIMITED | not classified | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| NPL Management Limited | Other public bodies | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| National Armament Director Group | Central government | 3 | 1 | 0 |
71 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 76 of 127 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | — | — | — | |
| South East England | — | — | — | |
| South West England | — | — | — | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | — | — | — | |
| North West England | — | — | — | |
| East Midlands | — | — | — | |
| West Midlands | — | — | — | |
| North East England | — | — | — | |
| Wales (Cymru) | — | — | — | |
| East of England | — | — | — | |
| Greater London | — | — | — | |
| Northern Ireland | — | — | — |
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%(119 notices)
119 of 127 notices are Contract (94%).Framework6%(7 notices)
7 of 127 notices are Framework (6%).Dynamic purchasing system1%(1 notice)
1 of 127 notices is Dynamic purchasing system (1%).
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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.
Open35%(45 notices)
45 of 127 notices are Open (35%).Direct award21%(27 notices)
27 of 127 notices are Direct award (21%).Route not published18%(23 notices)
23 of 127 notices are Route not published (18%).Limited / restricted17%(22 notices)
22 of 127 notices are Limited / restricted (17%).Selective8%(10 notices)
10 of 127 notices are Selective (8%).
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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 threshold77%(17 notices)
17 of 22 notices are Above threshold (77%).Below threshold23%(5 notices)
5 of 22 notices are Below threshold (23%).
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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 (68) · 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 bid50%(5)
5 of 10 lots fall in 1 bid (50%).2–350%(5)
5 of 10 lots fall in 2–3 (50%).4–60%(0)
0 of 10 lots fall in 4–6 (0%).7 or more0%(0)
0 of 10 lots fall in 7 or more (0%).
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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 10 lots from 10 competitions run by 6 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 1 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 3) and 9 from older notices (bids received, middle 1).
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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.
27 of 65 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 3 more give no procedure and are left out.
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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.
23 of 38 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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How often a tender ends with no award.
Notices cancelled, withdrawn or marked unsuccessful, plus terminated ones that never got an award.
3 of 68 notices, last 36 months.
Only what buyers published. Tenders that quietly went nowhere are not counted.
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 · 95 awards to 76 suppliers · the five most frequent winners hold 27% of contract awards in the last 36 months
| Supplier | Procedures | Awards | Last 12 months | Buyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instron Division of ITW Ltd | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Lion Laboratories Ltd | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Smiths Detection Watford Ltd | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Sunbelt Rentals Ltd | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Crowcon Detection Instruments LTD | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| D.Tec International Ltd | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Instron | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Kistler Instruments Ltd | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
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 · 36 of 127 notices name one · each portal page explains registration
Open tenders in machines and apparatus for testing and…
5 open for bids now · soonest deadline first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Purchasing System for the Provision of Mobile Preliminary Roads Drug Testing Devices (MPRDTD) | BLUELIGHT COMMERCIAL LIMITED | 30 May 2027 | 214d | £10,000,000 ceiling |
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 3854. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 21 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.