Award

Settlement Agreement

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

23 Apr 2021 at 21:00

Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Health and Social Care is overseeing a completed procurement process titled "Settlement Agreement" within the health services industry category. The procurement was initiated as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the contract valued at approximately £38,477,491. The procurement method used was a limited award procedure conducted without prior publication of a call for competition, citing extreme urgency due to the unforeseen challenges posed by the pandemic. The key contract was signed on 24 March 2021, while the procurement process itself was initiated following a Letter of Intent with Ecolog International FZE in September 2020, leading to a settlement agreement after services provided were no longer pursued under the intended contract.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses engaged in the health services sector, especially those that provide diagnostic testing solutions or laboratory equipment. Companies that have experience in rapid mobilisation and have solutions for public health emergencies, particularly related to COVID-19, would be well-suited to compete in similar future tenders initiated by the Department of Health and Social Care. The nature of this procurement highlights the ongoing need for agile and responsive contracts that can address public health needs effectively and efficiently during crises.

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Notice Title

Settlement Agreement

Notice Description

Ecolog was originally intended to be one of the partner brought online to meet the Test and Trace capacity targets.As part of HM Government emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, Test and Trace entered into a Letter of Intent with Ecolog in September 2020. This Letter enabled Ecolog to mobilise and equip laboratory units to provide diagnostic (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19 to meet targets for numbers of tests performed. As the programme progressed, HMG decided not to proceed with the Services Agreement with Ecolog; this Deed of Settlement was signed to discharge all obligations under the Letter of Intent and reimburse Ecolog for costs incurred. The costs relate to the costs of equipment delivered, laboratory tests undertaken pending the execution of the contract and mobilisation costs.This notice relates to the Deed of Settlement concluded between the parties after some services and equipment had been provided by Ecolog.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Ecolog was originally intended to be one of the partners brought online to meet the Test and Trace capacity targets.As part of HM Government emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, Test and Trace entered into a Letter of Intent with Ecolog in September 2020. This Letter enabled Ecolog to mobilise and equip laboratory units to provide diagnostic (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19 to meet targets for numbers of tests performed. As the programme progressed, HMG decided not to proceed with the Services Agreement with Ecolog; this Deed of Settlement was signed to discharge all obligations under the Letter of Intent and reimburse Ecolog for costs incurred. The costs relate to the costs of equipment delivered, laboratory tests undertaken pending the execution of the contract and mobilisation costs.This notice relates to the Deed of Settlement concluded between the parties after some services and equipment had been provided by Ecolog. The expected contract for laboratory testing equipment and services was never entered into.

Procurement Information

There was undoubtedly a risk to public health and DHSC was reacting to a global emergency that was changing on a daily basis. An existing framework or other existing purchasing system was not available, with the National Microbiology Framework unlikely to have been available until early 2021. The need for the tests was immediate, with scientific forecasts at the time warning of daily cases of COVID-19 rising to as many as 50,000 per day in the coming weeks. That urgency was growing following increased levels of COVID-19 infections across the country. Whilst some increase in the number of cases was potentially foreseeable, the timing and scale of the increased demand was not so foreseeable.The situation was not attributable to the contracting authority, as the need for extreme urgency was a direct result of the consequences of the pandemic. There was no evidence or any suggestion that DHSC had done anything or had failed to do anything that has exacerbated the need for the increased level of tests.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-02a9cf
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008798-2021
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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services


CPV Codes

85100000 - Health services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£38,477,491 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Apr 20214 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
24 Mar 20214 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
procurement.operations@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

ECOLOG INTERNATIONAL FZE

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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