Open Tender for the Provision of Scientific Testing Services (including chemical analytical, bacteriological examination)

Description

South Lanarkshire Council has a requirement for a suitably qualified contractor for the provision of a comprehensive Chemical Analytical and Bacteriological Examination service throughout South Lanarkshire. This contract is being led by the Council’s Environmental Services Section. Environmental Services carry out both proactive and reactive scientific analysis and bacteriological examination of a wide range of food, drinking water and certain environmental samples on behalf of the Council. The service covers a range of tests including Air Pollution, Microbiology, Contaminated Land, Consumer Protection, Food Chemical and Water Quality & Safety. These services are priced on a test-by-test basis.

Opportunity Context

More Information Links

External Link: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR551475

Link Title: Open Tender for the Provision of Scientific Testing Services (including chemical analytical, bacteriological examination)

Link Description: South Lanarkshire Council has a requirement for a suitably qualified contractor for the provision of a comprehensive Chemical Analytical and Bacteriological Examination service throughout South Lanarkshire. This contract is being led by the Council’s Environmental Services Section. Environmental Services carry out both proactive and reactive scientific analysis and bacteriological examination of a wide range of food, drinking water and certain environmental samples on behalf of the Council. The service covers a range of tests including Air Pollution, Microbiology, Contaminated Land, Consumer Protection, Food Chemical and Water Quality & Safety. These services are priced on a test-by-test basis.

Lots

Lot Description: South Lanarkshire Council has a requirement for a suitably qualified contractor for the provision of a comprehensive Chemical Analytical and Bacteriological Examination service throughout South Lanarkshire. This contract is being led by the Council’s Environmental Services Section. Environmental Services carry out both proactive and reactive scientific analysis and bacteriological examination of a wide range of food, drinking water and certain environmental samples on behalf of the Council. The service covers a range of tests including Air Pollution, Microbiology, Contaminated Land, Consumer Protection, Food Chemical and Water Quality & Safety. These services are priced on a test-by-test basis. The Terms and Conditions for this contract are South Lanarkshire Council's Standard T&C's for Services.

Lot 1 Status: active

Lot 1 Has Options: No

Lot 1 Contract Start: 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z

Lot 1 Contract End: 2030-06-30T00:00:00Z

Lot 1 Award Criterion (quality): Quality

Documents

Document Title: Open Tender for the Provision of Scientific Testing Services (including chemical analytical, bacteriological examination)

Document Description: South Lanarkshire Council has a requirement for a suitably qualified contractor for the provision of a comprehensive Chemical Analytical and Bacteriological Examination service throughout South Lanarkshire. This contract is being led by the Council’s Environmental Services Section. Environmental Services carry out both proactive and reactive scientific analysis and bacteriological examination of a wide range of food, drinking water and certain environmental samples on behalf of the Council. The service covers a range of tests including Air Pollution, Microbiology, Contaminated Land, Consumer Protection, Food Chemical and Water Quality & Safety. These services are priced on a test-by-test basis.

Full Notice Text

Contract notice Section I: Contracting authority I.1) Name and addresses South Lanarkshire Council Council Headquarters, Almada Street, Almada Street Hamilton ML3 0AA UK Telephone: +44 1698454353 E-mail: julie.mcalpine@southlanarkshire.gov.uk NUTS: UKM95 Internet address(es) Main address: http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00410 I.2) Joint procurement The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body I.3) Communication The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at: https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/go/18634411019CAE87F5FA Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to: https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/go/18634411019CAE87F5FA I.4) Type of the contracting authority Regional or local authority I.5) Main activity General public services Section II: Object II.1) Scope of the procurement II.1.1) Title Open Tender for the Provision of Scientific Testing Services (including chemical analytical, bacteriological examination) Reference number: SLC/CE/25/062 II.1.2) Main CPV code 90714500 II.1.3) Type of contract Services II.1.4) Short description South Lanarkshire Council has a requirement for a suitably qualified contractor for the provision of a comprehensive Chemical Analytical and Bacteriological Examination service throughout South Lanarkshire. This contract is being led by the Council’s Environmental Services Section. Environmental Services carry out both proactive and reactive scientific analysis and bacteriological examination of a wide range of food, drinking water and certain environmental samples on behalf of the Council. The service covers a range of tests including Air Pollution, Microbiology, Contaminated Land, Consumer Protection, Food Chemical and Water Quality & Safety. These services are priced on a test-by-test basis. II.1.5) Estimated total value Value excluding VAT: 350 000.00 GBP II.1.6) Information about lots This contract is divided into lots: No II.2) Description II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s) 90700000 II.2.3) Place of performance NUTS code: UKM95 II.2.4) Description of the procurement South Lanarkshire Council has a requirement for a suitably qualified contractor for the provision of a comprehensive Chemical Analytical and Bacteriological Examination service throughout South Lanarkshire. This contract is being led by the Council’s Environmental Services Section. Environmental Services carry out both proactive and reactive scientific analysis and bacteriological examination of a wide range of food, drinking water and certain environmental samples on behalf of the Council. The service covers a range of tests including Air Pollution, Microbiology, Contaminated Land, Consumer Protection, Food Chemical and Water Quality & Safety. These services are priced on a test-by-test basis. The Terms and Conditions for this contract are South Lanarkshire Council's Standard T&C's for Services. II.2.5) Award criteria Criteria below: Quality criterion: Quality / Weighting: 20 Price / Weighting:  80 II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system Start: 01/06/2026 End: 30/06/2030 This contract is subject to renewal: Yes Description of renewals: Optional Extension of up to 12 months II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited II.2.10) Information about variants Variants will be accepted: No II.2.11) Information about options Options: No II.2.13) Information about European Union funds The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information III.1) Conditions for participation III.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers List and brief description of conditions: There are a number of questions/statements that have been included in the Contract Notice and within the Qualification Envelope which detail the minimum requirements that Bidders must be able to evidence for participation in this tender and ultimately will be required to evidence prior to any award being made. There are in addition further statements made that simply provide relevant information relating to the tender itself. These questions and statements form an integral part of the Single Procurement Document (the SPD) which the Council has decided to implement for all tenders in excess of 50K in value. SPD Question 2.C.1 Reliance on the capacities of other entities Bidders are required to complete a full SPD for each of the entities whose capacity they rely upon SPD Question 2.D.1 Subcontractors on whose capacity the bidder does not rely Bidders are required to complete a shortened version of the SPD for each Subcontractor on whose capacity the bidder does not rely on Exclusion Criteria Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. SPD Questions 3A – 3C have been identified as mandatory exclusion grounds and SPD Questions 3D have been identified as discretionary exclusion grounds. All the exclusion grounds will be assessed on a PASS/FAIL basis. For the mandatory exclusion grounds a bid will be excluded where the bidder fails to provide either a positive response or to provide details to the satisfaction of the Council of the self cleansing measures undertaken. .For the discretionary exclusion grounds a bid may be excluded where the bidder fails to provide either a positive response or if the Council is not satisfied as to the self cleansing measures undertaken. SPD Question 4A.1 Trade Registers It is a requirement of this tender that if the bidder is UK based they must hold a valid registration with Companies House. Where the bidder is UK based but not registered at Companies House they must be able to verify to the Councils satisfaction that they are trading from the address provided in the tender and under the company name given. If the bidder is based out-with the UK they must be enrolled in the relevant professional or trade register appropriate to their country as described in Schedule 5 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. III.1.2) Economic and financial standing Minimum level(s) of standards required: Minimum level(s) of standards required: SPD Question 4B.4 Economic and Financial Standing The Council will use the following ratios to evaluate a bidders financial status: Profitability – this is taken as profit after tax but before dividends and minority interests. If a company makes a profit then it is a pass for this ratio; Liquidity – this is calculated as current assets less stock and work in progress, divided by current liabilities. If the answer is greater than or equal to one then it is a pass for this ratio Gearing – this is calculated as the total external secured borrowing (short term and long term) divided by shareholder funds expressed as a percentage. If the answer is less than or equal to 100% it is considered a pass for this ratio. Bidders must provide the name and value of each of the 3 ratios within their response to SPD question 4B.4. The Council requires bidders to pass 2 out of the 3 financial ratios above. Where 2 out of the 3 ratios cannot be met, the Council may take the undernoted into consideration when assessing financial viability and the risk to the Council, providing that the Bidder can supply evidence to substantiate any of the mitigating criteria when requested to do so. The following list is not exhaustive and other criteria may be considered where proposed by a bidder as mitigating factors: Would the bidder have passed the checks if prior year accounts had been used? Were any of the poor appraisal outcomes "marginal"? Does the bidder operate in a market which, traditionally, requires lower liquidity or higher debt finance? Does the bidder have sufficient reserves to sustain losses for a number of years? Does the bidder have a healthy cashflow? Is the bidder profitable enough to finance the interest on its debt? Is most of the bidder's debt owed to group companies? Is the bidder's debt due to be repaid over a number of years, and affordable? Have the bidder's results been adversely affected by "one off costs" and / or "one off accounting treatments"? Do the bidder's auditors (where applicable) consider it to be a "going concern"? Will the bidder provide a Parent Company Guarantee? Is the bidder the single supplier/source of the Goods/Works/Services in the marketplace? The Council will request submission of and assess the bidders financial accounts, and may use financial verification systems to validate the information provided. SPD Question 4B.5 Insurance The bidder must confirm that they have or will commit to obtain prior to the commencement of the contract, the following levels of Insurance Cover: Employer’s Liability Insurance covering the death of or bodily injuries to employees of the bidder arising out of and in the course of their employment in connection with this contract to the level of 10000000 GBP in respect of each claim, without limit to the number of claims. Public Liability Insurance covering the death of or bodily injury to a person (not an employee of the bidder) or loss of or damage to property resulting from an action or failure to take action by the bidder to the level of 5000000 GBP in respect of each claim, without limit to the number of claims III.1.3) Technical and professional ability Minimum level(s) of standards required: SPD Question 4C.1.2 Technical and Professional Ability With reference to the nature and details of the supplies/services that are the subject matter of this tender, Bidders should provide at least 2 examples of your relevant experience within the last three years in undertaking services to the requirements of this contract, including achievements in delivering such contracts within the required timescales and budget. Information should be provided in respect of as many aspects of the contract as possible as specified in the Contract Notice and should cover experience in delivering the following services: - Air Pollution Analysis - Environmental Pollution Analysis - Contaminated Land Analysis - Consumer Protection Analysis - Food Chemical Analysis - Food Microbiology Analysis - Water Quality and Safety Analysis SPD Question 4C.6 Technical and Professional Ability (Qualifications) It is a mandatory requirement of this tender that the bidder recommended for award holds a UKAS Accreditation for the full range of services required as detailed in the specification. SPD Question 4C.6.1 Technical and Professional Ability (Qualifications) It is a mandatory requirement of this tender that the bidder's staff recommended for award holds: - a Mastership in Chemical Analysis qualification awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry making them eligible for appointment as Public Analysts in terms of the Food Safety Regulations 1990. - appropriate qualifications listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Food Safety (Sampling and Qualifications) Regulations 1990, and at least 3 years experience in a laboratory. - a Mastership in Chemical Analysis qualification awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry and having practical experience attested by an agricultural analyst making them eligible for appointment as Agricultural Analysts in terms of Feeding Stuffs (Sampling and Analysis) Regulations 1999. SPD Question 4C.7 Technical and Professional Ability (Environmental Management Measures) Bidders should describe their organisation's arrangements for ensuring that their environmental management procedures are effective in reducing/preventing significant impacts on the environment. Guidance: Bidders should provide evidence that your organisation’s environmental policy implementation plan provides information as to how your organisation aims to discharge relevant legal responsibilities. SPD Question 4C.9 Technical and Professional Ability (Equipment) Please provide a statement of the relevant technical resources such as the tools, plant, facilities and technical equipment available to your organisation, or where applicable, consortium members and/or named sub-contractors in relation to this procurement exercise. Guidance: The buyer will use the information you provide to evaluate whether your organisation; consortium members and/or named sub-contractors have the relevant technical resources for this procurement exercise. SPD Question 4C.10 Technical and Professional Ability (Sub-Contracting) Bidders will be required to confirm whether they intend to subcontract and, if so, for what proportion of the contract. III.2) Conditions related to the contract III.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract Section IV: Procedure IV.1) Description IV.1.1) Type of procedure Open procedure IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes IV.2) Administrative information IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure Notice number in the OJ S: 2025/S 000-076706 IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate Date: 10/04/2026 Local time: 12:00 IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted EN IV.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender) IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders Date: 10/04/2026 Local time: 12:00 Section VI: Complementary information VI.1) Information about recurrence This is a recurrent procurement: No VI.2) Information about electronic workflows Electronic ordering will be used Electronic invoicing will be accepted Electronic payment will be used VI.3) Additional information Declarations and Certificates In an open tendering procedure prior to any award being made the successful bidder will provide the undernoted certificates, declarations and/or completed questionnaires to evidence their compliance with the relevant questions within the Qualification Envelope. All certificates, declarations and questionnaires can be found within the Attachment area of PCS-T. SPD Question 2D.1 Prompt Payment Certificate SPD Question 3D.3 Human Rights Act Declaration Declaration Section *Form of Tender SPD Question 3D.11 Non-Collusion Certificate SPD Question 4B.5.1 Insurance Certificates SPD Questions 3A.1 to 3A.8 Serious and Organised Crime Declaration SPD Question 3A.6 Modern Slavery Act 2015 Declaration *The ‘Form of Offer to Tender’ must be completed and uploaded within the relevant question in the Commercial Envelope. In the case of an open tender, the other Declarations listed above will not be required to be uploaded and submitted with the bid, but will instead be requested by the Council following the conclusion of the evaluation of the Qualification, Technical and Commercial Envelopes and prior to the award of the tender. Failure to provide this information or in the event that the information provided does not support or evidence the statements made within the SPD will invalidate the bid. In this scenario the Council will seek to obtain the relevant information and evidence from the second highest scoring bidder and so on until a fully compliant bidder is identified. The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 30961. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows (SC Ref:825208) VI.4) Procedures for review VI.4.1) Review body Hamilton Sheriff Court Sheriff Court House, 4 Beckford Street, Hamilton ML3 0BT UK Telephone: +44 1698282957 E-mail: hamiltoncivl@scotcourts.gov.uk VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained Court of Session Parliament House, Parliament Square Edinburgh EH1 1RQ UK Telephone: +44 1312252595 E-mail: supreme.courts@scotcourts.gov.uk VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice 11/03/2026