Tenders

Services-Framework-Lab Sample Couriers Service

Open
Deadline
101 days left
June 12, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Other
Reference
014158-2026
Value
£11,520,000
Location
North West England, United Kingdom
Published
February 23, 2026
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

February 17, 2026

Deadline for Questions

June 05, 2026

Submission Deadline

June 12, 2026

Contract Start Date

July 06, 2026

Budget
£11,520,000
Duration
97 months
Location
North West England
Type
Other
62
Quality Score/100
Good

Original Tender Description

United Utilities Laboratory Services require a courier service for the transportation of samples from sites across the Company to the central Laboratory at Lingley Mere (Warrington) on a daily basis. It is a requirement of OFWAT (The Water Services Regulation Authority) that the Company constantly undertakes analysis of water/waste water samples from various sample points throughout the North-West Region. Water Quality Officers, Network Owners, Wastewater Operatives, Trade Effluent Officers, Agricultural Advisors and Project Staff obtain the samples requiring analysis. Samples are left at drop off points for collection by the dedicated courier in a refrigerated van. Samples need to be transported under refrigerated conditions to ensure that they are maintained at a temperature of between 2 and 7 degrees centigrade. It is a requirement to maintain evidence that this has been achieved to enable United Utilities to adhere to regulatory requirements with respect to the transportation of accredited samples under the Environment Agency's Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTs), Drinking Water Test Specifications (DWTS) and ISO 17025. On collection, the courier takes the samples to a Sample Registration Centre (SRC) or directly to Lingley Mere Laboratories Sample Reception. An additional dedicated courier service is then required to operate between the SRC's and the Laboratories at Lingley Mere, where required. Consignment Notes or Delivery Notes detailing the sample load carried and all other required information to the Laboratory at Lingley Mere are part of the hand-over procedure at the SRCs and the Laboratory. These are currently in paper form, the Company would like to move this to an electronic format, where reports should consist of (minimum requirement): • Sample bottle barcode number • crate barcode number • vehicle registration • collection date and time • collection location • time samples dropped off • location of sample drop off Route optimisation will also be a requirement of the tender, with bidders expected to demonstrate how routes will be optimised to ensure efficiency, reliability, and timely delivery of samples while maintaining required temperature controls. Detailed dates and milestones will be share in the tender documentation. Deadline for CoPQ submission: 10/03/2026

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Requirements & Qualifications

19 requirements across 5 categories

Submission (3)
Mandatory (1)
Compliance (1)
Technical (13)
Financial (1)
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS3
--Submit a bid by the deadline of 2026-06-12T00:00:00.
--Submit a CoPQ (Competition of Qualification) by the deadline of 10/03/2026.
--Demonstrate how routes will be optimised in the tender submission.
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--No specific requirements mentioned in the provided text.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS1
--No specific requirements mentioned in the provided text.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS13
--Provide a daily courier service for the transportation of water/wastewater samples.
--Transport samples from various sites across the North-West Region to the central Laboratory at Lingley Mere (Warrington).
--Utilize refrigerated vans for sample transportation.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS1
--No specific requirements mentioned in the provided text.

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Documents

4 documents available with AI summaries

OCDS RecordDOC
014158-2026_ocds_record.json

Download failed - no summary available

OCDS Release PackageDOC
014158-2026_ocds_release.json

United Utilities requires a courier service for daily refrigerated transportation of water/wastewater samples across the North-West Region to its central laboratory, including electronic consignment notes and route optimization, adhering to strict regulatory standards.

Official PDF VersionPDF
014158-2026_official.pdf

United Utilities seeks a courier service for daily refrigerated transport of water/wastewater samples across the North-West, requiring adherence to strict temperature controls, regulatory compliance, electronic consignment notes, and route optimisation for efficiency.

Tender NoticeHTM
014158-2026.html

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62
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender clearly outlines the technical requirements for a specialized courier service but is significantly hampered by missing evaluation criteria, incomplete document access, and a lack of explicit legal and financial requirements.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance55/100

Mandatory exclusion grounds and eligibility requirements are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text, which is a significant legal omission. The missing reveal date also hinders a full assessment of deadline reasonableness from initial publication.

Missing mandatory exclusion grounds
Missing eligibility requirements
Clarity70/100

The service description and technical requirements are exceptionally clear and detailed. However, the complete absence of evaluation criteria and the lack of explicit financial requirements significantly reduce overall clarity for potential bidders.

No evaluation criteria specified
Missing financial requirements (from AI extraction)
Completeness65/100

While basic information, deadlines, and value are present, the tender is incomplete due to two out of four listed documents failing to download/summarize, and the absence of explicit mandatory exclusion, eligibility, financial, and evaluation criteria.

Two out of four documents failed to download/summarize
Missing mandatory exclusion grounds
Fairness55/100

Fairness is significantly compromised by the inability to access all tender documents, the complete absence of evaluation criteria, and the lack of electronic submission, which creates barriers for potential bidders.

Incomplete document access (2/4 failed)
No evaluation criteria specified
Practicality60/100

The lack of electronic submission is a notable practical drawback in modern procurement. The failure to access all documents also creates practical difficulties for bidders in preparing a comprehensive response.

No electronic submission
Incomplete document access (2/4 failed)
Data Consistency80/100

Most key fields are populated and dates are logically consistent. Minor inconsistencies include an empty "Liable Person" field and missing codes for the procedure type, along with the absence of a reveal date.

Missing tender reveal date
Empty "Liable Person" field
Sustainability45/100

The tender includes elements of innovation through route optimization and electronic consignment notes. However, it lacks explicit criteria for green procurement or social responsibility, limiting its sustainability focus.

No explicit green procurement criteria
No explicit social criteria

Strengths

Clear and detailed description of service and technical requirements
Specific regulatory adherence requirements are well-articulated
Estimated value, contract duration, and start date are clearly provided
Focus on efficiency and modernization (route optimization, electronic notes)
Open procedure type and disclosed value promote transparency

Concerns

Absence of explicit evaluation criteria
Missing mandatory exclusion grounds and eligibility requirements
Incomplete document access (two documents failed to download)
Lack of electronic submission capability
No explicit green procurement or social responsibility criteria

Recommendations

1. Publish comprehensive evaluation criteria to ensure transparency and fairness.
2. Ensure all tender documents are accessible and complete, including mandatory legal requirements.
3. Implement an electronic submission platform to enhance accessibility and efficiency.

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