- Scope of the procurement
- Lot 1 - Medical Gases in Cylinders
- Lot 2 - Bulk Liquid Oxygen - including the supply, installation and commissioning of liquid oxygen storage tanks, ancillary equipment and medical liquid oxygen (including specialist gases)
- Lot 3 - Industrial Gases
- Lot 4 - Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and Services
Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
N H S Shared Business Services
Three Cherry Trees Lane
Hemel Hempsted
HP2 7AH
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Companies House
05280446
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://discovery.ariba.com/rfx/21954115
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Other type
Public Sector Framework Provider https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/nhs-sbs-about-us
one.5) Main activity
Health
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Medical and Industrial Gases (including Cylinders and Bulk Liquid Oxygen)
Reference number
SBS10526
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 24111500 - Medical gases
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS SBS) act in an Agency capacity for and on behalf of its customers (Approved Organisations) - existing and new. These comprise of NHS and Social Care organisations (whether acting individually, or on behalf of, or together as members of any consortia) along with any other public or private sector bodies which NHS SBS authorises to use the resulting Framework.
NHS SBS intends to put in place a Framework Agreement for the provision of Medical and Industrial Gases (including Cylinders and Bulk Liquid Oxygen) to be used by NHS SBS Approved Organisations.
Further expanding our offering and as per the lotting structure detailed in this PIN, NHS SBS are considering an additional lot for Industrial Gases as well as a new Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and Services lot to support Approved Organisations in achieving their net zero targets, whilst further supporting wider carbon reduction initiatives as detailed in the NHS Long Term Plan. We would welcome your views on this proposed lotting structure in response to the RFI.
Our Approved Organisation list can be found on: https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-agreements-categories/
We are committed to working with suppliers who are dedicated to Sustainability and Social Value and there will be a significant weighting on these elements in the tender.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £70,000,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: Yes
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Lot 1 - Medical Gases in Cylinders
Lot No
1
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 24111500 - Medical gases
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Supply of cylinders containing a variety of medical gases to Approved Organisations with multiple sites and delivery points.
two.2.14) Additional information
Please see description in the main contract objective on the Request for Information (RFI). Lots will be further defined as an outcome of this initial market engagement PIN. The new Framework, subject to review and change, is expected to go live shortly after the expiry of the existing Framework Agreement SBS10040 on 30/09/2025.
Please see the link at section 1.3 above for instructions on how to participate and submit responses via the SAPAriba RFI.
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Lot 2 - Bulk Liquid Oxygen - including the supply, installation and commissioning of liquid oxygen storage tanks, ancillary equipment and medical liquid oxygen (including specialist gases)
Lot No
2
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 24111500 - Medical gases
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Provision and installation of a vacuum insulated evaporator (VIE), and back-up facility, rental, depreciation and maintenance of the VIE and backup, in addition to the supply of liquid oxygen.
two.2.14) Additional information
Please see description in the main contract objective on the Request for Information (RFI). Lots will be further defined as an outcome of this initial market engagement PIN. The new Framework, subject to review and change, is expected to go live shortly after the expiry of the existing Framework Agreement SBS10040 on 30/09/2025.
Please see the link at section 1.3 above for instructions on how to participate and submit responses via the SAPAriba RFI.
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Lot 3 - Industrial Gases
Lot No
3
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 24111500 - Medical gases
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Supply of a wide range of Industrial Gases to Approved Organisations with multiple sites and delivery points.
two.2.14) Additional information
Please see description in the main contract objective on the Request for Information (RFI). Lots will be further defined as an outcome of this initial market engagement PIN. The new Framework, subject to review and change, is expected to go live shortly after the expiry of the existing Framework Agreement SBS10040 on 30/09/2025.
Please see the link at section 1.3 above for instructions on how to participate and submit responses via the SAPAriba RFI.
two.2) Description
two.2.1) Title
Lot 4 - Sustainable Solutions - Technology, Products and Services
Lot No
4
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 24111500 - Medical gases
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Provision of sustainable medical gas solutions including sustainable medical gas products, technology to reduce the environmental impact of medical gases and services to support the delivery of sustainable solutions to Approved Organisations.
two.2.14) Additional information
Please see description in the main contract objective on the Request for Information (RFI). Lots will be further defined as an outcome of this initial market engagement PIN. The new Framework, subject to review and change, is expected to go live shortly after the expiry of the existing Framework Agreement SBS10040 on 30/09/2025.
Please see the link at section 1.3 above for instructions on how to participate and submit responses via the SAPAriba RFI.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
29 April 2025
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is to signal an intention to commence market engagement with those within the Medical and Industrial Gases market.
Please complete and return the RFI (Request for Information) that can be accessed via the SAP Ariba portal.
NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS SBS) reserves the right to withdraw this notice at any time. NHS SBS is not bound to accept any proposals submitted by Bidders and is not liable for any costs incurred as a result of Bidders engaging with this process. This early market engagement exercise does not guarantee that a Procurement will take place and NHS SBS reserves the right to defer from any Procurement entirely.
NHS SBS intends to hold market engagement sessions during January 2025 with industry experts and suppliers interested in potentially bidding for the resulting Framework.
NHS SBS will use an eSourcing system for any procurement activity taken subsequent to this PIN. The eSourcing system we will use is SAP Ariba.
Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a Framework Agreement if invited to do so.
The value in II.1.5 is an indicative value over 4 years from 01/10/2025.
The date in II.3) is the estimated date of publication, please monitor Find a Tender Service https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search for the publication of the relevant high value contract notice.