Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care acting as part of the Crown through UK Health Security Agency
Nobel House, 17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
Contact
Tee Agbo
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKI32 - Westminster
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency
Buyer's address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency
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
Provision of a Multiplex Fluorescence Scanner with quantitative pathology imaging and analysis
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
Award to Akoya Biosciences for the purchase of a multiplex fluorescence slide scanner with quantitative pathology imaging and analysis to be used in the Research Department, Porton.
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: £425,000
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The provision of a Multiplex Fluorescence Scanner will enable UK HSA to produce quantitative multiplex image analysis, with elements of the application of artificial intelligence in pathology (advance image analysis, such as tissue classification, phenotyping or pattern recognition) to be applied to ongoing and future research projects focusing on high priority activities including COVID19, Ebola, Zika, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, Chikungunya, Zika virus infection, Q Fever, Anthrax, Tuberculosis, Monkeypox, Influenza, Pertussis, Meningococcal disease, Anti-Microbial Resistance, etc.
The Research team is responding to the COVID19 outbreak by delivering the pathology component of every pre-clinical experiment carried out at Porton, including vaccines and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. This work is supporting the UKHSA Infectious Disease Strategy, in the development of interventions against disease, and particularly at the moment support our strategy of being ready to respond to Pandemics as part of the current international global response.
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
- The services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
UK HSA is responding to the COVID19 outbreak by delivering the pathology component of every pre-clinical experiment carried out at PHE Porton, including vaccines and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. The proposed equipment will provide resilience, increased output and objective image analysis (high throughput) of multiple samples, increasing the power of special pathology techniques (FISH and fluorescence immunolabelling) to study the pathogenesis and immune responses in the animal studies of SRAS-CoV-2 infection, also applicable to all the other pathogens.
Akoya is the only provider of automated tools and algorithms for the determination of library spectra for the quantitative elimination of autofluorescence and the determination of pure biomarker spectra from unmixed spectra taken from tissue specimens.
The Vectra Polaris Automated Quantitative Pathology Imaging System will digitalise multiplex-stained slides increasing resilience as it would be able to scan conventional brightfield stained slides (in case our current histology scanner is out of order for any reason) and will be able to produce digital H&E e-slides from fluorescence-stained slides, reducing the workload in the laboratory. At present, PHE does not have the capacity or resources of reading and scanning multiplex-stained slides and need to produce single-stained slide for a variety of markers with a considerable amount of time and resources associated.
The technology within Polaris as well as some of the proprietary software that runs it was all developed in house and patented. Its unique capabilities via the multispectral technology set the Polaris apart for quantitative biomarker analysis and detailed phenotyping of researchers tissue samples.
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
10 December 2021
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
Akoya Biosciences Inc.
100 Campus Drive, 6th Floor Marlborough, MA 01752 United States of America
Marlborough
01752
Telephone
+001 8558968401
Country
United States
NUTS code
- US - United States
Internet address
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: £425,000
Lowest offer: £425,000 / Highest offer: £425,000 taken into consideration
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales
Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
InternationalRelationsJudicialOffice@judiciary.uk
Country
United Kingdom