Award

Supply of BVD-free Foetal Bovine Serum to APHA

DEFRA NETWORK ETENDERING PORTAL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

20 Nov 2023 at 09:44

Summary of the contracting process

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has awarded a contract to VWR International Ltd for the supply of BVD-free Foetal Bovine Serum. The procurement process, initiated by Defra, involved a limited negotiation without publication of a contract notice. The contract is valued at £284,400 and was signed on 13th November 2023. The tender falls under the goods category, specifically laboratory reagents, and the delivery location is Addlestone, Surrey, UK.

This tender for the supply of BVD-free Foetal Bovine Serum to APHA presents opportunities for businesses in the laboratory reagents industry. Companies capable of providing high-quality, certified products in large quantities are well-suited to compete. The contract award to VWR International Ltd signifies the importance of meeting APHA's specific requirements for sourcing superior quality reagents critical for their diagnostic testing and research on Bovine Viral Diarrhea. The tender deadline for awarding the contract was set after a voluntary standstill period of 10 days from the notice publication date.

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Notice Title

Supply of BVD-free Foetal Bovine Serum to APHA

Notice Description

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency (VEAT) notice, indicating that Defra (on behalf of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)) intends to enter into a contract with VWR International Ltd to purchase a 300-litre batch (600 x 500ml) of gamma irradiated, frozen, sterile, PCR-tested Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) free, filtered Seradigm Ultimate Grade Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS). <br/><br/>Defra intends to award a contract to VWR International Ltd following the expiry of a voluntary standstill period, 10 days from the date of publication of this notice.

Lot Information

Lot 1

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency (VEAT) notice, indicating that Defra (on behalf of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)) intends to enter into a contract with VWR International Ltd to purchase a 300-litre batch (600 x 500ml) of gamma irradiated, frozen, sterile, PCR-tested Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) free, filtered Seradigm Ultimate Grade Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS).

Defra intends to award a contract to VWR International Ltd following the expiry of a voluntary standstill period, 10 days from the date of publication of this notice.

Procurement Information

Based on the information detailed below, the conclusion would be that VWR is the only supplier able to provide this superior quality-certified product, in the required quantity, to APHA at this time.<br/><br/>Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) is endemic in cattle globally, therefore it is extremely challenging to identify a source that is 100% free of the virus (i.e., most cattle herds are at risk of infection). The vast majority of the FBS produced world-wide will contain traces of BVD but for most laboratories this is not a problem (as it does not interfere with use for the serum). However, due to the unique nature of APHA's work, diagnostic testing and research on BVD would be compromised if there was BVD (virus and antibodies) in the FBS product. The Defra veterinary pathway plans pledge to tackle BVD which costs UK industry between PS14 to 36 million per year. To fulfil this objective, APHA must maintain testing capability of the highest quality in order to produce accurate disease management statistics to underpin this objective.<br/><br/>* APHA conducted comprehensive in-house sample testing several years ago due to repeated quality issues with previous FBS batches (documented as BVD-free but subsequently found to contain small traces). Only one (1) supplier (VWR) met all the required criteria (including BVD-free and sourced from an approved USDA country which has no history of BSE).<br/>* APHA requires the FBS from the same supplier (as the previous batch) because they have ongoing confidence in their ability to supply APHA with a high-quality standard reagent (FBS) that will not compromise onward testing capability.<br/>* Based on APHA's extensive experience, due to the superior quality standards and the high volume of product required it is highly unlikely that another supplier would be able to meet this requirement at this time.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-041b1b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034202-2023
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products


CPV Codes

33696500 - Laboratory reagents

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£284,400 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Nov 20232 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
13 Nov 20232 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEFRA NETWORK ETENDERING PORTAL
Contact Name
Melanie Swain
Contact Email
melanie.swain@defra.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 3JR
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

VWR INTERNATIONAL

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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