Planning

Developing UK Vaccine Supply Chain Resilience for Covid and Potential Future Health Emergencies – Single Use Technologies, Biobags and Filters

  • Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

F01: Prior information notice (prior information only)

Notice identifier: 2022/S 000-001312

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-030bb9

Published 17 January 2022, 12:15pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

1 Victoria Street, London

UK

SW1H 0ET

Contact

Graeme McDonald

Email

vaccine_supply_chain_market_engagement@beis.gov.uk

Telephone

+44 2072158685

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy

Buyer's address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

one.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

General public services


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Developing UK Vaccine Supply Chain Resilience for Covid and Potential Future Health Emergencies – Single Use Technologies, Biobags and Filters

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 19000000 - Leather and textile fabrics, plastic and rubber materials

two.1.3) Type of contract

Supplies

two.1.4) Short description

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted inspiring collaboration between industry, academia, and government to discover, develop, manufacture and distribute vaccines. It has also demonstrated what level of response to demand is possible within existing supply chains. To build on this, the UK Government is developing a strategy which seeks to increase the UK’s vaccine supply resilience and on-shore manufacturing capability in response to Covid-19 and potential future health emergencies. As part of the strategy, the UK Vaccine Taskforce (VTF, a joint unit of BEIS & DHSC) is engaging the market to build its understanding of barriers, risks and opportunities to meet future demand and build resilience in the UK vaccines supply chains. The information gathered will be used to inform decisions about how the VTF can best facilitate companies to invest in increasing UK-based capacity and capability within key component areas used in vaccine manufacturing, to provide resilience and onshoring capacity

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £11,000,000

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.2) Description

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 42000000 - Industrial machinery

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom
Main site or place of performance

UNITED KINGDOM

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The purpose of this PIN is to initiate market engagement. For this PIN, the VTF is seeking specifically to engage manufacturers of Single Use Technologies (used in direct contact with drug substance, drug product and/or ancillary production processes); Biobags (including Bioreactor bags and Biocontainer bags such as mixer bags and storage bags); and Filters used in the manufacture of vaccine drug substance, drug product, and critical ancillary areas.

What the VTF is seeking to achieve by way of this PIN and market engagement is to gain an understanding of: organisations operating in the marketplace; their location; products made and supplied; and any barriers, risks, and opportunities to supply products into the vaccines supply chain. It is also important for VTF to understand companies’ commercial strategies, and where they have the greatest impact on supply chain resilience in the UK, to assess how the market is responding to challenges and opportunities.

two.2.14) Additional information

Importantly, the VTF is issuing this PIN to allow organisations to register on the e-tendering platform (Delta) and to respond to an early engagement questionnaire, prior to commencement of any further engagement. Organisations who supply into Tier 1 Pharma companies or CDMO’s, that is, Tier 2 suppliers, and also their suppliers, are strongly encouraged to register.

two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice

15 April 2022


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 Notice may be supplemented with further updates, and these will be posted on Delta. Depending on the results of this market engagement and our analysis, any future opportunities the VTF decides to offer the market could take several forms. Further details will be provided in later PINs/ITTs, however supplies and works inferred by way of this PIN are indicative, and are likely to be supported by, but not be limited to, grants, framework agreements or capacity reservation agreements.

The results of this information gathering exercise will be used alongside our analysis to inform the development of any commercial opportunities the VTF may wish to offer. Dependent on the responses and our further analysis, it is predicted that next steps will be communicated to responders by the end of March 2022. Subject to the information gathering and further analysis, potential opportunities may be on offer up to an ex VAT value of GBP 11M per year for 3 years, ending March 2025.

All activities, future potential procurements and associated documentation will be initiated and progressed via the Delta platform, and these documents will be available for unrestricted and direct access, free of charge. All messaging and communication for this PIN, any future PIN’s and procurement documents will also be carried out on Delta. Before starting the questionnaire, you are also strongly encouraged to read, sign and return the bilateral NDA via the Delta messaging system. Please refer to the instructions in the documents section about handling the NDA.

To assist with obtaining a clear understanding of the market, and how to encourage investment in further UK-based capacity and capability, BEIS is asking prospective suppliers to complete a short questionnaire, accessed via the Delta Portal. Please see the document marked “questionnaire” within the document section in Delta.

Please complete and return questionnaires via the Delta Portal by 16/02/22.

Companies will not be prejudiced by any response to this PIN, or failure to respond. This PIN does not formally signify the beginning of a procurement and does not constitute a commitment by BEIS to undertake any procurement exercise.

This notice is for information only and is not a call for competition. BEIS reserves the right not to enter a formal procurement process and not to award contracts, grants or any other such agreements. Accordingly, BEIS will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting on the basis of this PIN. All information included in this notice is indicative and subject to change. The total value of potential opportunities quoted is an estimate based on VTF’s current requirements and expectations only.

To access the Tenderbox section, please use this code: 3X2SG657QR

For general administrative queries and how to register on the system, do contact us at: vaccine_supply_chain_market_engagement@beis.gov.uk

Further supporting information can be found at the following URL, without having to access Delta:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/developing-uk-vaccine-supply-chain-resilience-tier-2-manufacturing-tickets-239264916807

Any material questions in relation to this PIN should be submitted via Delta, in the message function.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at:

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-UK:-Leather-and-textile-fabrics%2C-plastic-and-rubber-materials./3X2SG657QR

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/3X2SG657QR

GO Reference: GO-2022117-PRO-19508289