Award

The provision of freight services for the supply of lateral flow test kits for testing of COVID-19

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

04 Jan 2021 at 14:37

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process involved the Department of Health and Social Care seeking to secure freight services for the supply of lateral flow test kits required for COVID-19 testing in the UK. This tender was classified under the freight transport agency services category and represented a limited procurement method with a direct award made due to urgent needs. The contract was officially awarded on 15 December 2020 and was designed to address the immediate demand posed by rising COVID-19 infection rates. The delivery location for the project was the UK, with a noted emphasis on rapid transport solutions given the circumstances, categorised under extreme urgency.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses, particularly those involved in logistics, freight forwarding, and transportation services, especially air freight providers capable of managing urgent and large-scale deliveries. Businesses with expertise in rapid-response logistics and compliance with public health protocols are ideally positioned to compete for similar future contracts in the healthcare sector, as the ongoing needs fueled by the pandemic continue to create demand for swift and reliable supply chain solutions.

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Notice Title

The provision of freight services for the supply of lateral flow test kits for testing of COVID-19

Notice Description

The provision of freight services for the supply of lateral flow test kits for testing of COVID-19

Lot Information

Lot 1

Direct Award under Reg 32 of the Public Contracts Regulation 2015 for COVID-19 response

Procurement Information

The Government has set out the increase of COVID-19 testing capacity as a cornerstone of its strategy to combat rising rates of infection, suppressing community transmission, savings lives and ultimately supporting societal and economic recovery.Successful validation of an initial range of newly developed COVID-19 lateral flow test kits was completed by the DHSC in September, allowing for orders to be placed to secure a sustainable supply of significant volumes of these products, as a fundamental enabler of the expansion of the testing programme.The supply of these new test kits is currently limited in the face of very high global demand and consequently it was necessary to contract for supply on an ex-works basis for product manufactured in China in order to secure the required quantity of product and prevent gazumping.Where product has be sourced on an ex works basis it is imperative that this product is moved at the earliest opportunity to prevent it being sold to higher bidders.In addition the rising rates of infection in the UK and predicted growth in cases over the coming months, has created an urgent need for these new test kits to support the testing programme in the UK and therefore Air Freight presents the only viable mode for moving product to the UK in time to meet the operational requirements of the testing programme.In light of these factors the contract was awarded to Air Charter Service (ACS) to meet the specific urgent need to transport test kits to the UK, utilising flights from China to UK during December.The short lead time between validating new test kits and needing these kits in the UK to support the national response to a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the UK, justifies the use of direct award under Regulation 32 provision within the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.The Department is content the tests permitting use of the Negotiated procedure without prior publication (Regulation 32(2)(c)) are met:1) Air freight charters was identified as strictly necessary to meet anticipated demand.2) It is responding to COVID-19 immediately because of public health risks presenting a genuine emergency.3) The events that 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."4) There was no time to run an accelerated procurement under the open, restricted or competitive procedures with negotiation that would secure services within the required timescales.5) The situation is not attributable to the contracting authority: It has not done anything to cause or contribute to the need for extreme urgency.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-02876a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000036-2021
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services


CPV Codes

63521000 - Freight transport agency services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£506,611 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Jan 20215 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
15 Dec 20205 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
freightcontractnotices@dhsc.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 0EU
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

AIR CHARTER SERVICE

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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