LIVE · UK MARKET INDEXED
NEWNHS Mersey · Compliance audit Q2 2026·£85k·Manchester
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INVMercia · Series A · ClimateTech·£3M·Birmingham
CORPBarclays · Diverse supplier programme·Invite·Nationwide
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GRANTHorizon EU · Energy transition·€800k·EU
NEWManchester CC · Social housing fire doors·£240k·Manchester
CORPKPMG · Digital procurement partner·£600k·UK
INVNorthwest Growth · Seed fund·£500k·NW England
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NEWGovTech Singapore · Public services·SGD 1.1M·Singapore
NEWNHS Mersey · Compliance audit Q2 2026·£85k·Manchester
GRANTInnovate UK · SME R&D·£250k·UK-wide
NEWTfL · Cybersecurity SOC·£1.2M·London
INVMercia · Series A · ClimateTech·£3M·Birmingham
CORPBarclays · Diverse supplier programme·Invite·Nationwide
NEWCardiff CC · Schools refurbishment·£420k·Wales
GRANTHorizon EU · Energy transition·€800k·EU
NEWManchester CC · Social housing fire doors·£240k·Manchester
CORPKPMG · Digital procurement partner·£600k·UK
INVNorthwest Growth · Seed fund·£500k·NW England
NEWFind a Tender · Rail signalling·£3.6M·Frankfurt
NEWGovTech Singapore · Public services·SGD 1.1M·Singapore
UK GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT · CPV 38

Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) — UK government contracts

According to ENKII, UK public bodies have awarded 5,734 laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) contracts worth £15.8bn to 2,715 suppliers across 767 buyers, with 2,148 tenders open now, and the top five suppliers holding 7080% of spend.

Contracts awarded
5,734
Total spend
£15.8bn
Buyers
767
Suppliers
2,715
Open tenders
2,148

Top buyers

Who buys laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

BuyerAwardsValue
Ministry of Defence171£10.4bn
United Utilities Water Limited11£632.0M
NORTH WESTERN UNIVERSITIES PURCHASING CONSORTIUM LIMITED6£556.0M
UK Hydrographic Office2£400.0M
NHS Shared Business Services Limited2£280.1M
Caerphilly County Borough Council5£167.2M
NHS Blood and Transplant32£157.6M
Ministry of Justice15£140.1M

Top suppliers

Who wins laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) contracts

The top five suppliers hold 7080% of contract value.

SupplierAwardsValue
Thales UK Ltd3£3.9bn
Thales UK Limited8£3.2bn
Thales UK6£2.9bn
Arqiva Limited2£630.0M
Fisher Scientific UK Ltd11£555.5M
NORBIT Subsea AS1£400.0M
Abbott Toxicology Limited12£396.8M
CAE Technology1£166.7M
Anglian Water Business (National) Limited1£120.0M
UDLIVE LIMITED3£117.1M

Common requirements

What laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) tenders ask for

Across 32 analysed tenders.

BS EN ISO 9001 (Quality Management System or equivalent)9% of tenders67% mandatory
ISO 14001 (or EMAS) – Environmental Management6% of tenders
ISO 223016% of tenders50% mandatory
Accredited/certified body membership (any relevant trade body or accreditation)3% of tenders
BPSS Security Clearance (or equivalent)3% of tenders100% mandatory
Calibrated test equipment certification3% of tenders100% mandatory
CE Marking (reagents and consumables)3% of tenders100% mandatory
Common Assessment Standard (CAS) - Achilles Building Confidence3% of tenders

BIDDING IN THIS MARKET?

See which laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) tenders you can win

ENKII scores your business against live laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) tenders and shows the certifications you need to compete.

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Open opportunities

Live laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) tenders

ID 6612871 - DAERA - AFBI - Comprehensive Radiological Monitoring Survey for Radionuclide Decommissioning Project

Agri-Food and Biosciences InstitutePublic Procurement Organisation · closes 2026-08-03

£125K

ID 6612871 - DAERA - AFBI - Comprehensive Radiological Monitoring Survey for Radionuclide Decommissioning Project

CPD - Supplies and Services Division · closes 2026-08-03

1D Measurement Beam

NPL Management Limited · closes 2026-08-07

Lab Consumables – Lot 1 Chromatography & ICP, Lot 2 Chemicals, Lot 3 Reagents

United Utilities Water Limited · closes 2026-08-11

£15.7M

Trace, Evaluate and Reinforce (TracER)

Department for Transport · closes 2026-08-17

£135K

Urinalysis and Urine Pregnancy Testing

Regional Business Services Organisation, Procurement and Logistics Service · closes 2026-08-21

£10.4M

Urinalysis and Urine Pregnancy Testing

Regional Business Services Organisation Procurement and Logistics Service · closes 2026-08-21

Octet R8 System

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory · closes 2026-08-21

£250K

Sub-categories

What's inside laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

Metering instruments2,819
Scanners1,224
Polarising material720
Navigational instruments275
Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic and hydrological instruments and appliances246
Precision balances202

Frequently asked

Common questions about laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) procurement

How big is the UK public-sector market for laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)?
UK public bodies have awarded 5,734 laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) contracts worth £15.8bn across 767 buyers and 2,715 suppliers (CPV division 38). There are currently 2,148 live tenders.
Who are the biggest buyers of laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) in UK government?
The largest buyers by award value are Ministry of Defence, United Utilities Water Limited, NORTH WESTERN UNIVERSITIES PURCHASING CONSORTIUM LIMITED. See the full list below.
What certifications do laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) tenders usually require?
The most common requirements are BS EN ISO 9001 (Quality Management System or equivalent), ISO 14001 (or EMAS) – Environmental Management, ISO 22301 — 9% of analysed tenders ask for BS EN ISO 9001 (Quality Management System or equivalent). ENKII matches your certs against each tender and shows the gap.
How can my business win laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) contracts?
Public bodies publish these tenders on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder. ENKII scores your business against live laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) tenders, identifies the certifications you need, and surfaces the frameworks worth joining. Free Readiness Score in 3 minutes.

Sources & methodology

How this profile is compiled

Aggregated by ENKII from public-record UK procurement data (Find a Tender + Contracts Finder, Open Government Licence v3.0), grouped by CPV division 38. We fetch, deduplicate and aggregate source records — we don't edit the underlying facts. find-tender.service.gov.uk