Category
Laboratory and precision equipment contracts in the UK public sector
UK public sector buyers awarded 1,310 laboratory and precision equipment contracts in the last twelve months, with a median published value of £63k. 745 end in the next 18 months, 192 of them within three months.
Scientific instruments, measuring and testing equipment and optical devices. Concentrated among universities, NHS trusts and research bodies rather than general purchasing.
- 1,310
- Contracts, last 12 months
- 7,629
- Contracts since 2021
- 810
- Buyers active here
- £63k
- Median contract value
- 745
- Expiring in 18 months
Categories are derived from the CPV codes buyers publish on each award notice. Figures cover January 2021 onward and are comprehensive from 2023. The median is used rather than a total, because one framework ceiling would otherwise describe the whole category.
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Coming up for renewal
745 laboratory and precision equipment contracts expiring in the next 18 months
Each has an end date already published in its award notice. The incumbent knows the date. Most competitors find out when the re-tender appears, by which point the specification is written.
- 192
- within 3 months
- 426
- within 6 months
- 598
- within 12 months
- 745
- within 18 months
By year: laboratory and precision equipment ending in 2026 · laboratory and precision equipment ending in 2027 · laboratory and precision equipment ending in 2028 · laboratory and precision equipment ending in 2029
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Demand
Who buys laboratory and precision equipment
- UK Shared Business Services Ltd941
- UK Research and Innovations888
- The University Of Birmingham478
- UK Health Security Agency326
- NPL Management Limited217
- Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory199
- Ministry of Defence154
- University Of Sheffield152
- Centre For Process Innovation Ltd143
- Defra Network eTendering Portal141
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Working in CPV codes? Laboratory and precision equipment is CPV division 38, with every code beneath it and how often UK buyers use each one.
Common questions
Laboratory and precision equipment procurement, in short
Who buys laboratory and precision equipment in the UK public sector?
810 public sector organisations have awarded laboratory and precision equipment contracts since 2021. The most active are UK Shared Business Services Ltd (941 contracts), UK Research and Innovations (888 contracts), The University Of Birmingham (478 contracts).
How much is a typical laboratory and precision equipment contract worth?
The median is £63k, across the 7,254 contracts of 7,629 that publish a value. A median rather than an average, because a single framework worth hundreds of millions would otherwise make the typical contract look far larger than it is.
When do laboratory and precision equipment contracts come up for renewal?
745 contracts in this category have an end date inside the next 18 months. End dates are published in the original award notice, so they are visible long before any re-tender is advertised, which is usually the point at which the specification is already written.
How do I find new laboratory and precision equipment tenders?
Notices are published across Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland and Sell2Wales, each with its own search. Tender Radar reads all four each weekday morning and scores new notices against your profile, alongside the contracts in this category approaching renewal.
Contract data on this page is sourced from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder and published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains public sector information licensed under that licence. Figures cover contract award notices published from January 2021 onward, with comprehensive coverage from 2023. Earlier contracts, and any award not published to Find a Tender or Contracts Finder, will not appear.
How to cite this data
Tender Radar (2026) Laboratory and precision equipment contracts in the UK public sector [Dataset]. Professor AI. Available at: https://tender-radar.co.uk/contracts/laboratory-and-precision-equipment (Accessed: 7 November 2026).