Services-Framework-Lab Sample Couriers Service

United Utilities Laboratory Services seeks a courier service to transport water and wastewater samples daily from various company sites across the North-West Region to the central laboratory at Lingley Mere, Warrington. The service must ensure samples are maintained at refrigerated temperatures between 2 and 7 degrees Celsius during transit to comply with regulatory standards including the Environment Agency's Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTs), Drinking Water Test Specifications (DWTS), and ISO 17025. Couriers will collect samples left at designated drop-off points in refrigerated vans, deliver them either directly to the laboratory or to Sample Registration Centres (SRCs), and provide a secondary courier service between SRCs and the laboratory as needed. The handover process requires detailed consignment or delivery notes, which the company aims to transition from paper to an electronic reporting system capturing barcode numbers, vehicle registration, collection and drop-off times, and locations. Bidders must demonstrate route optimization strategies to ensure efficient, reliable, and timely deliveries while maintaining temperature controls.