Awarded without open competition
Awarded without open competition. The buyer went directly to one or a few suppliers instead of advertising the contract. Procurement rules allow this only in specific cases, such as extreme urgency, when only one supplier can do the work, or for call-offs from an existing framework.
Key facts
- Buyer
- Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust · Body governed by public law
- Value
- Not published
- Procedure
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Sector
- Health & social care · Pathology services (CPV 85111800)
- Region
- West Midlands
- Official notice
- 018351-2026 on Find a Tender
- Timeline
-
- Contract date26 Feb 2026
- Published2 Mar 2026Published 4 days after the contract date
Description
This urgent award under the Provider Selection Regime is required to maintain continuity of a clinically critical pathology sample analysis service. Any interruption would present a direct risk to patient safety. It is not practicable to run a competitive process currently due to operational and clinical constraints, including integration with RiO and transport arrangements. Awarding to the incumbent provider represents the least-risk option. The proposed contract is time-limited to six months, with an optional six-month extension to allow a compliant longer-term procurement to be completed. The value of the contract, if full 12 month option is utilised, is £647,569.00 ex VAT. The start date of the contract is date of last signature, 26/02/2026.
About the supplier
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust: every public contract they have won.