Pathology Off Site Storage

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ("the Authority") would like to engage with potential suppliers to explore the provision of an offsite storage solution for pathology archive materials.

The Trust currently manages a substantial archive of histology blocks and slides and requires a secure, compliant, and scalable storage solution to support ongoing service requirements and future archive growth. The service will include the storage, management, tracking, retrieval, and transportation of pathology materials in accordance with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements, including Human Tissue Authority (HTA) standards where applicable.

Current archive volumes are approximately:

- 63,463 histology blocks and slides currently held in archive

- 130,000 histology blocks generated annually

- 180,000 histology slides generated annually

This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise aims to understand the market's capacity, capability, and interest in providing these services. The Trust is seeking feedback on the proposed requirements and would welcome suppliers' views on the deliverability and proportionality of the draft specification.

The purpose of this engagement is to:

- Assess whether the proposed specification is realistic and achievable.

- Understand the capacity and capability of the market.

- Identify potential barriers to participation and competition.

- Obtain feedback on operational requirements, including storage capacity, retrieval timescales, onboarding arrangements, and governance requirements.

- Refine the specification and procurement approach prior to commencing any formal procurement process.

This exercise is not a call for competition, invitation to tender, or request for pricing. Participation in this engagement will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement process.

The Authority invites interested suppliers to review the draft specification and respond to the accompanying questionnaire. Feedback will be used to inform the final service requirements and procurement strategy.

The feedback received will help the Authority determine the most appropriate route to market and assess whether there is sufficient market capacity and interest to support a competitive procurement process.

The Trust may contact suppliers who participate in this engagement to seek clarification on responses and to discuss feedback received. Any such discussions will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

Although this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice has been issued in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, it does not represent a commitment by the Authority to commence a procurement exercise. Should a future procurement be undertaken, the Authority reserves the right to determine the most appropriate procurement procedure and route to market in accordance with the legislation and circumstances applying at that time.