Official UK procurement notice
ID 6676734 - DOJ – FSNI - DNA Unit: Supply, Installation and Maintenance of DNA Thermocyclers
Authority: Forensic Science Northern Ireland (Central government)·On behalf of: CPD - Supplies and Services Division
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionForensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI) (the Buyer) is seeking to establish a contract for the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of new Thermocyclers. The contract is for an initial period of five years, followed by an optional extension period of five years. The extension will be to cover ongoing servicing and maintenance. Suppliers should refer to the Specification for full detail of the requirement.
- How the procedure runs: The competitive flexible procurement process comprises of up to five stages and suppliers must pass each stage to remain in the competition. At Stage 1, suppliers will be assessed against the Conditions of Participation criteria. At Stages 2 and 3, suppliers will be assessed against the Minimum Functional Requirements. At Stage 4, suppliers will be assessed against Qualitative and Quantitative Criteria. The final stage, Stage 5, will comprise of a due diligence exercise with the first ranked supplier only. Suppliers should refer to the Instructions to Tender (ITT) document for detailed information on the procurement procedure.
CPV: Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£353,000
- Technical & professional ability
As per the tender documentation.
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)
- AC1 - Contract Management and Reactive Repairs Strategy: 10%
- AC2 - Engineer Experience: 10%
- AC3 - Price: 80%
Published award criteria (3)
- AC1 - Contract Management and Reactive Repairs Strategy: As per tender documentation
- AC2 - Engineer Experience: As per tender documentation
- AC3 - Price: As per tender documentation
- Technical & professional ability
As per the tender documentation.
- Price carries 80 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 8 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £117,559 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Forensic Science Northern Ireland buys Laboratory, optical and precision (CPV 38), and who usually turns up
Forensic Science Northern Ireland has little published record in this market. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Laboratory, optical and precision (CPV 38) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No supplier sizes published for this authority.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in Northern Ireland.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the region where that award was delivered.
i
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.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 37 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
No awards recorded for this authority in this market.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
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 bid0% / 34%
2–30% / 30%
4–60% / 6%
7+100% / 30%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate0% / 42%
Within ±2%100% / 38%
Above estimate0% / 21%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 38Published estimate£353k
This lot lists more than one class in CPV 38. The comparison uses that group.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid21%
2–329%
4–610%
7+39%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
Based on 49 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£342k–£353k
Estimate£353k
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £448m46 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 11 live · £48m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 21% below n=5 | |
| £37m52 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 21 live · £29m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=12 | |
| £6.6m22 awards in 36m · last this month | 11 live · £4.1m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 6% below n=9 | |
| £13m29 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 9 live · £1.2m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 3% above n=3 | |
Sebia UK LtdSME | £5.1m4 awards in 36m · last 7 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs |
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.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- 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.
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
- Requests to participate open
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BST
- Last source update
- 12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 23 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
6676734- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-096219- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0785e1Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
For further details on invoicing procedures please see : www.finance-ni.gov.uk/ar ↗ ticles/account-ni-good-invoicing-practice
Contract Value
The estimated value figure indicated in the Scope Section represents an overall estimated contract value. This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account potential optional extension periods and the uptake of potential optional services as detailed in the tender documents. This figure does not however take into account the application of indexation or increases to charges due to increases in the Real Living Wage. Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise (and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into) until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority.
- How it runs
The competitive flexible procurement process comprises of up to five stages and suppliers must pass each stage to remain in the competition. At Stage 1, suppliers will be assessed against the Conditions of Participation criteria. At Stages 2 and 3, suppliers will be assessed against the Minimum Functional Requirements. At Stage 4, suppliers will be assessed against Qualitative and Quantitative Criteria. The final stage, Stage 5, will comprise of a due diligence exercise with the first ranked supplier only. Suppliers should refer to the Instructions to Tender (ITT) document for detailed information on the procurement procedure.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via eTendersNI- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 11 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 30 Oct 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.
Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.
The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗
Timeline
12 Oct 2026 → 1 Feb 2027 · 5 dates- Tender notice published14 days ago12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BST
- Today26 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 4 days30 Oct 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 16 days11 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 58 days23 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 97 days1 Feb 2027
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published12 Oct 2026, 15:55 BSTUK4
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
3 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- CPD - Supplies and Services DivisionBeneficiary authority
- CPD - Supplies & Service DivisionProcess contact pointProcuring entityConstruction and Procurement Delivery – Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender