Research, testing and scientific technical simulator: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition

CPV 38970000Supplies · classin Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

Open now2open for bids now · see them in the search
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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.

Notices, last 12 months1612 contracting authorities · 45 in the catalogue
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Notices published in the last 12 months.

Counted per tender, not per lot, against the 12 months before where shown.

Typical contract value£149,425middle value of 11 contract awards, net · not frameworks
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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 11 awards with a usable value, last 36 months.

Published values, not actual spend.

Last 36 months.

Codes and neighbouring classes

The 8-digit CPV codes notices in this class actually use, and the other classes of the same division

Who buys
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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

Buyer type
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What kinds of public bodies buy here.

Notices by the buyer’s type as published, otherwise by its name.

  • Education & universities49%(22 notices)
    22 of 45 notices are Education & universities (49%).
  • Central government33%(15 notices)
    15 of 45 notices are Central government (33%).
  • Other public bodies11%(5 notices)
    5 of 45 notices are Other public bodies (11%).
  • Local authorities2%(1 notice)
    1 of 45 notices is Local authorities (2%).
  • Not classified4%(2 notices)
    2 of 45 notices are Not classified (4%).
Contracting authorityTypeNoticesLast 12 monthsOpen now
UK Research and InnovationCentral government720
University of LeedsEducation & universities500
THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAMEducation & universities320
London South Bank UniversityEducation & universities220
Ministry of DefenceCentral government200
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care acting as part of the Crown through UK Health Security AgencyCentral government220
UK Fusion Energy LtdOther public bodies210
University of StrathclydeEducation & universities200
University of WarwickEducation & universities200
Aberystwyth UniversityEducation & universities100

27 distinct authorities in total · the ten most active shown.

Where the work is delivered
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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 27 of 45 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each · competition columns: contracts awarded in the last 36 months, lots delivered in the region

RegionNoticesBids / lotSME winsLocal wins
South East England9 · 33%———
Yorkshire and the Humber7 · 26%———
North West England4 · 15%———
Scotland3 · 11%———
West Midlands3 · 11%———
South West England3 · 11%———
Greater London2 · 7%———
East of England1 · 4%———
North East England1 · 4%———
East Midlands1 · 4%———
Wales (Cymru)1 · 4%———

Local wins = the winner’s registered region is the delivery region. Dashes: fewer than ten observations.

How it is bought
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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

Commercial tool
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How work here is packaged.

Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.

  • Contract100%(45 notices)
    45 of 45 notices are Contract (100%).
Procedure route
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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.

  • Limited / restricted38%(17 notices)
    17 of 45 notices are Limited / restricted (38%).
  • Open29%(13 notices)
    13 of 45 notices are Open (29%).
  • Direct award24%(11 notices)
    11 of 45 notices are Direct award (24%).
  • Route not published9%(4 notices)
    4 of 45 notices are Route not published (9%).
Threshold
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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 threshold50%(3 notices)
    3 of 6 notices are Above threshold (50%).
  • Below threshold50%(3 notices)
    3 of 6 notices are Below threshold (50%).
Typical tender window
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How long bidders get to respond.

Middle value in days from the tender notice to its deadline.

All notices we hold, not just recent ones.

32 daysrobust · n=9middle value, notice to deadline

Competition

Contracts published in the last 36 months (25) · bid counts per lot from award notices · values are net contract awards, framework and DPS ceilings excluded · SME and local status as declared

Contract value, net
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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.

p25 £76,482middle value £149,425p75 £215,258
interquartile range of 11 awards · p90 £365,000
Competed
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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.

5 of 24 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 1 more give no procedure and are left out.

Last 36 months.

21%robust · n=24
Awards won by SMEs
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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.

4 of 11 awards where the winner declared its size.

Last 36 months.

36%robust · n=11
Abandoned
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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.

0 of 25 notices, last 36 months.

Only what buyers published. Tenders that quietly went nowhere are not counted.

Last 36 months.

0%robust · n=25

Who wins
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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 · 33 awards to 31 suppliers

Where to submit
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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 · 7 of 45 notices name one · each portal page explains registration

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 3897. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 29 Aug 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.