Bolton NHS Foundation Trust's objectives were to ensure a sustainable, safe and future-proof contract that would support the laboratory deliverables through the life of the contract.

As with all Managed Service Contracts the focus was on the outputs therefore the contract included not just the key laboratory needs, but also incorporated estates works and a laboratory redesign in order to aid workflow efficiency.

From the start of the market engagement to award of the contract it took the Trust 18 months. However, the majority of this time was spent developing the specification internally. From release of the documents to award, the process took just 5 months.

The Trust achieved an annual saving of £718,525 which equates to a total saving of £5,029,676 for the life of the contract.