Award

The Health and Occupation Reporting network (THOR)

  • Health and Safety Executive

UK5: Transparency notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-022626

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-0516e4

Published 19 May 2025, 1:43pm



Scope

Reference

T4742

Description

HSE is reliant on external data to contribute to HSE's annual occupational health statistics, supporting the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of interventions to reduce work-related respiratory and skin diseases. The Health and Occupation Reporting network (THOR) is a voluntary surveillance scheme for work-related ill health. Under this network, specialist doctors are asked to systematically report new cases of work-related ill health in their clinics. Reports are collated and analysed by the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Manchester University. The THOR network consists of 2 specialist reporting schemes SWORD (reports from consultant respiratory physicians) and EPIDERM (reports from consultant dermatologists). This data is crucial for HSE's annual statistics and strategic intervention planning.


Contract 1

Supplier

Contract value

  • £600,000 excluding VAT
  • £750,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Earliest date the contract will be signed

1 June 2025

Contract dates (estimated)

  • 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2028
  • Possible extension to 31 May 2030
  • 5 years

Description of possible extension:

Extensions on a 1 + 1 basis. Full life contract Value is £1,250,000 inclusive of non-recoverable VAT.

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

  • 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Contract locations

  • UK - United Kingdom

Participation

Particular suitability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)


Other information

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes


Procedure

Procedure type

Direct award

Direct award justification

Single supplier - technical reasons

Section 41 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 to justify the use of direct award in special cases on the basis that there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and there are no reasonable alternatives to those services.

HSE asserts its belief that University of Manchester is the only economic operator in the EU that is capable of supporting HSE in respect of National Surveillance of Work-Related Illness in Clinical Settings in accordance with the requirement to maintain their evidential integrity.

HSE has previously awarded a contract for work of this nature in July 2012 for the delivery of the same services and University of Manchester and HSL Buxton were the only economic operators to submit a technically compliant bid. HSL Buxton has confirmed that it would not retender if this contract were to be competitively tendered and HSE has no knowledge of any new entrants to the market, nor does it consider that there are any economic operators who did not bid last time that would be capable of meeting its requirements at present and consequently asserts general grounds are satisfied.


Supplier

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

  • Companies House: RC000797
  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHDN-5322-MMHL

Oxford Road

Manchester

M13 9PL

United Kingdom

Region: UKD33 - Manchester

Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No

Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): Yes

Contract 1


Contracting authority

Health and Safety Executive

  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PBXM-4389-TXVZ

Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside

Liverpool

L20 7HS

United Kingdom

Region: UKD73 - Sefton

Organisation type: Public authority - central government