Official UK procurement notice
Framework Agreement for the Supply, Maintenance & Consumables for Multi-Apheresis and ECP Systems
Authority: NHS Blood and Transplant (Central government)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a Special Health Authority and is responsible for the provision of blood components and a range of associated laboratory and patient therapeutic services to hospitals.
The NHSBT Therapeutic Apheresis Service (TAS) provide lifesaving and life-enhancing therapies to adults and children across a range of clinical specialties. Patients receive treatment either at their hospital bedside or where clinically appropriate as an outpatient in an NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) unit. NHSBT provides regional access to apheresis services from 10 dedicated units across England and Wales (Bristol, London, Oxford, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Plymouth, Cambridge and Liverpool) with each unit led by a team of specialist medical and nursing staff.
NHSBT are tendering for the establishment of an Open Framework for the purchase of therapeutic apheresis machines, consumables and maintenance, to support provision of new Therapeutic Apheresis Systems for Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP), Apheresis Collection, Exchange and Depletion Procedures (including Bone Marrow), and associated consumables and maintenance.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT.
- How the procedure runs: This Procurement is being run under a Competitive Flexible Procedure pursuant to section 20(2)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023 to establish a Framework Agreement. All tenders who submit a compliant tender and meet the mandatory Conditions of Participation will be appointed to the Framework Agreement. The Authority intends to follow a two-stage process as outlined below. The Authority reserves the right to amend the process (including the number of stages or re-running any stage) where necessary and any changes will be communicated promptly. Tender Stage 1: • Publish tender notice and tender documents • Receive tenders • Assess tenders to shortlist those to be invited to Stage 2 (if appropriate) • Notify shortlisted suppliers and invite to Stage 2 (if appropriate) Tender Stage 2 (if required): • Clarifications Award Stage: • Notify suppliers and issue assessment summaries • Publish contract award notice and commence standstill period • Award Framework Agreement • Publish Contract Details Notice • Undertake Validation Conditions of Participation (via the Procurement Specific Questionnaire) will be applied to ensure that tenderers meet minimum requirements. Failure to meet these requirements will result in exclusion from further evaluation. Further information can be found in the tender documents.
CPV: Medical equipments
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework · open framework scheme (admission reopens)
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Framework period
- 8 yrs from 1 Feb 2027
- Scheme runs until
- 31 Jan 2035
Published description of the framework
The Authority intends to establish a multi-supplier Open Framework Agreement. Suppliers awarded to the Framework will be ranked by Lot based on the outcome of the tender evaluation. Call-off contracts may be awarded by direct award to the highest-ranked Supplier capable of meeting the Authority's requirements. Where the highest-ranked Supplier is unable to meet the requirement, the Authority may approach the next ranked Supplier. The Authority reserves the right to conduct a further competition between Framework Suppliers where this is considered necessary to achieve best value. The Open Framework may be reopened during its term in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Multi-Apheresis SystemsPublished value£26,800,000
Supply, Maintenance and Consumables of White Cell Depletion (WCD) and Platelet Depletion (PD) Multi Apheresis Systems
Lot #2ECP SystemsPublished value£20,600,000
Supply, Maintenance and Consumables Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) systems used in Therapeutic Apheresis Services
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Technical / Quality: 60%
- Price: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Price
- Technical / Quality
- Social Value
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Framework Agreement for the Supply, Maintenance & Consumables for…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Open framework scheme
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Jan 2027
- First published
- 16 Jul 2025, 16:24 BST
- Last source update
- 14 Jul 2026, 17:15 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Jan 2027
- Authority reference
C376077- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-066470- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0560a1Find a Tender
- How it runs
This Procurement is being run under a Competitive Flexible Procedure pursuant to section 20(2)(b) of the Procurement Act 2023 to establish a Framework Agreement. All tenders who submit a compliant tender and meet the mandatory Conditions of Participation will be appointed to the Framework Agreement.
The Authority intends to follow a two-stage process as outlined below. The Authority reserves the right to amend the process (including the number of stages or re-running any stage) where necessary and any changes will be communicated promptly.
Tender Stage 1:
- Publish tender notice and tender documents
- Receive tenders
- Assess tenders to shortlist those to be invited to Stage 2 (if appropriate)
- Notify shortlisted suppliers and invite to Stage 2 (if appropriate)
Tender Stage 2 (if required):
- Clarifications
Award Stage:
- Notify suppliers and issue assessment summaries
- Publish contract award notice and commence standstill period
- Award Framework Agreement
- Publish Contract Details Notice
- Undertake Validation
Conditions of Participation (via the Procurement Specific Questionnaire) will be applied to ensure that tenderers meet minimum requirements. Failure to meet these requirements will result in exclusion from further evaluation.
Further information can be found in the tender documents.
- Risks
Unforeseen Regulatory Changes for NHS Blood and Transplant or the Supplier (or principal Subcontractors) which may impact volume or type of activity.
Unforeseen increase in activity which may impact volume or type of activity.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 17 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 10 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
16 Jul 2025 → 1 Feb 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published16 Jul 2025, 16:24 BST
- Market engagement18 Aug 2025, 23:59 BST
NHSBT wishes to invite those organisations who express an interest in this opportunity to Supplier engagement meetings to be held during September 2025. Any interested organisations are asked to contact rowena.thomas@nhsbt.nhs.uk by no later than 17:00 on the 18th August 2025 to express their interest. If you do not respond by this date, you are not excluded from participating in the forthcoming tender, this date is to allow for optional supplier engagement meetings to be organised. There is no guarantee that a formal procurement process will be launched as a result of this early market engagement exercise, nor that any contract(s) will be placed. No remuneration or compensation etc will be paid to organisations who take part in this early market engagement exercise. Suppliers should take part in this process only on the basis that they fully understand and accept this position. Further information e.g. draft technical specification, award criteria, timescales, may be released for consultation purposes only, to organisations who express an interest in this notice. Please note that all details are subject to change.
- Next notice expected240 days ago1 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published105 days ago14 Jul 2026, 17:15 BST
- Clarification questions by79 days ago10 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends72 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown17 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today28 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 65 days1 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 95 days1 Feb 2027
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Jul 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published16 Jul 2025, 16:24 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published14 Jul 2026, 17:15 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £49,800,00014 Jul 2026, 17:15 BSTwas £65,000,000
- Status changed to active14 Jul 2026, 17:15 BST
- Procurement method changed14 Jul 2026, 17:15 BST
- Deadline published: 17 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST14 Jul 2026, 17:15 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender