Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU
Procurement.Operations@dhsc.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKI32 - Westminster
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care
Buyer's address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
Health
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Laboratory Testing Services Agreement
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 85145000 - Services provided by medical laboratories
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Provision of diagnostic (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £7,526,279
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - UNITED KINGDOM
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Provision of diagnostic (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority
Explanation:
Without the additional capacity that partner laboratories such as Imperial College London can provide, the Authority will fall short of meeting its capacity targets which are a key component of the Authority's measures for dealing with the pandemic. Failure to procure any additional laboratory capacity could lead to the existing Covid-19 testing infrastructure being overwhelmed by demand.Additional partner laboratories across the UK and internationally were considered, however were deemed inappropriate for reasons including but not limited to; limited available capacity, testing protocol and inability to meet required sample turnaround times.The Authority is satisfied that the tests permitting the use of the negotiated procedure without negotiation are met:1. The COVID-19 outbreak is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern as declared by the World Health Organisation on 30 January 2020. The WHO Director General characterised COVID-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020.2. A key element of ensuring an effective response to the pandemic is ensuring that there is adequate testing capacity in the UK. Subsequently securing sufficient laboratory capacity in order to process test results is crucial.3. Specifically in relation to Regulation 32(2)(c):A. Increased laboratory capacity to increase the volume and fast turnaround of tests processed was identified as strictly necessary to meet the demand to scale up the testing programme in the UK.B. There are genuine reasons for extreme urgency: the Authority requires immediate laboratory capacity because of the public health risks in not having sufficient capacity. The situation is a genuine emergency.C. The events that have led to the need for extreme urgency were unforeseeable: The Commission itself confirmed: “The current coronavirus crisis presents an extreme and unforeseeable urgency – precisely for such a situation our European rules enable public buyers to buy within a matter of days, even hours, if necessary.” (Commissioner Breton, Internal Market, 01.04.2020).D. It is not possible to comply with the timescales of another procedure due to the urgent requirement to ensure the volume of laboratory testing capacity reflects with the necessary demand. E. The situation is not attributable to the contracting authority – DHSC has not done anything to cause or contribute to the need for extreme urgency
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
15 December 2020
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Imperial College Projects Limited
The Faculty Building Level 1 Imperial College London, Exhibition Road
London
SW7 2AZ
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - UNITED KINGDOM
National registration number
09487272
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £7,526,279
Total value of the contract/lot: £7,526,279
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The High Court
Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom