Provision of Armed Forces Compulsory Drug Testing UK4

Ministry of DefencecontractFind a TenderRef ocds-h6vhtk-051776Procurement Act 2023SME suitableVCSE suitableactive
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Estimated value

Awarded value

Suppliers

1

Lots

1

1 awarded

Published

28 Apr 2026

Description

The Armed Forces Compulsory Drug Testing Programme is the largest occupational drug-testing programme in Europe and was established in January 1995. It is designed to reduce the incidence of substance misuse in the Armed Forces by detection and deterrence underpinned by education and policy. Currently between 100,000 - 125,000 samples are collected per annum. In addition to testing for drug misuse, there is also the requirement for the contractor to conduct screening for steroids and new psychoactive substances. The programme involves the analysis of urine samples of service personnel. Samples are collected by Armed Forces collection teams and transported to the laboratory of the Authority's urinalysis contractor. The programme also requires research and scientific support. These areas are included in this contract, which is structured to provide maximum flexibility to cope with change during its life.

Scope

Reference
714890452
Commercial tool
Standalone contract
Contract dates
31 Mar 2026 to 31 Mar 2031
CPV classifications
85121292
38544000
71900000
38434000
85100000
Contract locations
UK, United Kingdom
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Award criteria

Criteria the buyer will use to evaluate bids.

NameDescriptionTypeWeighting
Tehcnical requirementsPlease see attached DEFFORM 47 ITTquality
Social ValuePlease see attached DEFFORM 47 ITTquality
Total value of Tender including extensionsTotal value of Tender including extensions priced in accodordance with Variation of Price, please see tender documents, VOP can be seen at condition 47.4 of the terms and conditions (SC2)cost

Participation

Conditions suppliers must meet to bid.

Turnover The Authority will review each Potential Provider Entity’s turnover for the three full financial years prior to the date of the ITT. If the estimated annual contract value for this procurement exceeds fifty per cent. (50%) of a Potential Provider's annual turnover, the Potential Provider will not meet this qualification standard. Where the Potential Provider Entity intends to provide all or some of of the required services via a joint-venture company, Consortium Member, or other special purpose vehicle, the Authority will apply the assessment equally to the Potential Provider Entity. Accordingly, where the annual contract value turnover exceeds 50% of the value of a Potential Provider Entity turnover (assessed as the cumulation of all parties turnover in either the joint venture, Consortia or special purpose vehicle), the Potential Provider Entity will not meet this qualification standard. Liquidity ratios A Potential Provider Entity’s current assets are divided by current liabilities to establish if there are sufficient assets to cover all of the Potential Provider Entity’s liabilities as they fall due over the course of one year. The Authority requires a Potential Provider Entity to have: a minimum current ratio of 1.0; and a minimum acid test ratio of 0.8. If these ratios are not met, the Potential Provider Entity will not meet this qualification standard. Company Watch Company Watch "H-Score" (an overall measure of a business' financial health – for more information, see www.companywatch.net/analytics-insight/h-score). If a Potential Provider Entity does not have a score of 20 or above, the Potential Provider Entity will not meet this qualification standard. Where Company Watch “H-Score” is unavailable or for international companies, Net Debt/EBITDA (below) will be used as an alternative. Net Debt/EBITDA An entity’s EBITDA is a proxy for the cash flow it generates from its ongoing operations. The Net Debt to EBITDA Ratio measures an entity’s ability to service its debt. The Authority requires a Potential Provider Entity to have: a maximum of 2.5x If this ratio is not met, the Potential Provider Entity will not meet this qualification standard.

Tenderers must be UKAS accredited or demonstrate ability to gain UKAS accredication to the satisfaction of the Authority by the contract start date.

Submission & procedure

Procedure
Open procedure

Award details

Awarded supplier(s), contract period and value as published in the award notice.

Awarded value

Award date

Contract start

Contract end

Awarded to