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NEWNHS Mersey · Compliance audit Q2 2026·£85k·Manchester
GRANTInnovate UK · SME R&D·£250k·UK-wide
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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
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UK GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT · CPV 38

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

According to ENKII, UK public bodies have awarded 5,656 laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) contracts worth £15.8bn to 2,685 suppliers across 759 buyers, with 2,132 tenders open now, and the top five suppliers holding 7090% of spend.

Contracts awarded
5,656
Total spend
£15.8bn
Buyers
759
Suppliers
2,685
Open tenders
2,132

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 7090% 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 LIMITED2£117.0M

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

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

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

260129 - Contract for Supply, Delivery and Installation of Peptide Synthesizer and associated Maintenance, training, Ancillary Items and Consumables

Queen's University Belfast · closes 2026-06-18

260129 - Contract for Supply, Delivery and Installation of Peptide Synthesizer and associated Maintenance, training, Ancillary Items and Consumables

Queen's University Belfast · closes 2026-06-18

Supply, Delivery, Installation, Commissioning and Post-Warranty Maintenance of Cleft Operating Microscope

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST · closes 2026-06-22

£400K

APECS/INL-15 - CONTRACT FOR THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS WITHIN APECS (ADVANCED PACKAGING AND HETEROGENEOUS INTEGRATION FOR ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS) PILOT LINE

International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory · closes 2026-06-25

APECS/INL-13 - CONTRACT FOR THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS WITHIN APECS (ADVANCED PACKAGING AND HETEROGENEOUS INTEGRATION FOR ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS) PILOT LINE

International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory · closes 2026-06-25

APECS/INL-06 - CONTRACT FOR THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS WITHIN APECS (ADVANCED PACKAGING AND HETEROGENEOUS INTEGRATION FOR ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS) PILOT LINE

International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory · closes 2026-06-26

Carbine Magnifiers

Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA) / Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) · closes 2026-06-26

£900K

Carbine Torches

Civil Nuclear Police Authority (CNPA) / Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) · closes 2026-06-27

£170K

Sub-categories

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

Metering instruments2,774
Scanners1,208
Polarising material714
Navigational instruments272
Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic and hydrological instruments and appliances243
Precision balances198

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 5,656 laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) contracts worth £15.8bn across 759 buyers and 2,685 suppliers (CPV division 38). There are currently 2,132 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