Award

£729,000.00

  • DSTL

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice identifier: 2023/S 000-037321

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-0426f2

Published 19 December 2023, 2:49pm



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

DSTL

Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ

Salisbury

Email

cbrcommercial@dstl.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-science-and-technology-laboratory

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

Defence


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

£729,000.00

Reference number

PA0000001465

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 51430000 - Installation services of laboratory equipment

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL), part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) intends to award a 5 year contract with a total estimated value of between £775k to £875k (including VAT) to Contained Air Solutions (CAS) Ltd for the provision of 14 Class III Microbiological Safety Cabinets of varying sizes (sizes listed separately) and their installation

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)

Lowest offer: £646,000 / Highest offer: £729,000 taken into consideration

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

The Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL), part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) intends to award a 5 year contract with a total estimated value of between £775k to £875k (including VAT) to Contained Air Solutions (CAS) Ltd for the provision of 14 Class III Microbiological Safety Cabinets of varying sizes (sizes listed separately) and their installation.

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

Negotiated procedure without publication of a contract notice

  • The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development
  • The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
    • absence of competition for technical reasons

Explanation:

It is considered that the award of this contract without Prior Publication of a Contract Notice in the UK e-notification service (in accordance with the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 because competition is absent for technical reasons.

The required microbiological safety cabinets are for use in high containment laboratories for working with Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) Group 3 organisms. The cabinets are the primary containment method for the protection of laboratory staff, and wider environment, when working with dangerous pathogens. The cabinet control mechanisms are also used to control the routine fumigation of the cabinets and the safe venting after this process.

Currently all Class III microbiology safety cabinets in the Authority’s high containment laboratories come from the same manufacturer, CAS Ltd. This is to reduce factors that are likely to cause human error, which includes a ‘standardisation’ of equipment to reduce operational risk, aligned with HSE stipulations. All laboratory staff are specifically trained in the safe use of CAS Ltd cabinets: standardisation is critical both within laboratories and across the building to minimise the potential for Authority staff to make safety critical mistakes through multiple manufacturer instructions and instrumentation to work with during operation.

Use of alternative cabinet suppliers, where these may appear similar to CAS Ltd, would impose changes in controls and training requirements that would increase the likelihood of error resulting in accident or exposure to biological or chemical hazards to levels that would be unacceptable to the MoD.

Given the required safety cabinets must be manufactured by CAS Ltd for the reasons set out above then they must also be installed by them as only this supplier has the necessary technical data, skills and experience to install their own equipment to the required safety and operational standards.

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/concession

Contract No

PA0000001465

Title

Supply and installation of fourteen Class III Microbiological Safety Cabinets

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract/concession

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

19 January 2023

five.2.2) Information about tenders

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire

Contained Air Solutions Limited

Manchester

M241UB

Email

info@containedairsolutions.co.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UK - United Kingdom
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME

No

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)

Lowest offer: £646,000 / Highest offer: £729,000 taken into consideration

five.2.5) Information about subcontracting

The contract/lot/concession is likely to be subcontracted


Section six. Complementary information

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Ministry Of Defence

London

Country

United Kingdom