---
title: "Laboratory Testing Services Agreement"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-028a10"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-028a10"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-028a10.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-028a10.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE"
published: "2021-01-13"
---

# Laboratory Testing Services Agreement

Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-028a10

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## Summary

The Department of Health and Social Care in the UK has successfully completed a procurement process for a "Laboratory Testing Services Agreement" focused on providing diagnostic (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19. This procurement, classified under the CPV code 85145000 for services provided by medical laboratories, followed a limited procurement method due to extreme urgency. The award was made on 15 December 2020, with a contract value of £7,526,279. The initiative aimed to enhance laboratory capacity to meet the urgent demand for COVID-19 testing across the UK.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses in the medical testing and laboratory services sector, particularly those capable of providing rapid testing services amidst a public health emergency. Companies that specialise in high-capacity and fast-turnaround diagnostic testing, particularly those with infrastructure to support COVID-19 testing, would be well-positioned to compete in future contracts as the demand for such services continues. Engaging with the procurement process could facilitate business growth through strategic collaborations and expanded service offerings within the healthcare sector.

## Notice

Provision of diagnostic (RT-PCR) testing for COVID-19

### Procurement Information

Without the additional capacity that partner laboratories such as Imperial College London can provide, the Authority will fall short of meeting its capacity targets which are a key component of the Authority's measures for dealing with the pandemic. Failure to procure any additional laboratory capacity could lead to the existing Covid-19 testing infrastructure being overwhelmed by demand.Additional partner laboratories across the UK and internationally were considered, however were deemed inappropriate for reasons including but not limited to; limited available capacity, testing protocol and inability to meet required sample turnaround times.The Authority is satisfied that the tests permitting the use of the negotiated procedure without negotiation are met:1. The COVID-19 outbreak is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern as declared by the World Health Organisation on 30 January 2020. The WHO Director General characterised COVID-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020.2. A key element of ensuring an effective response to the pandemic is ensuring that there is adequate testing capacity in the UK. Subsequently securing sufficient laboratory capacity in order to process test results is crucial.3. Specifically in relation to Regulation 32(2)(c):A. Increased laboratory capacity to increase the volume and fast turnaround of tests processed was identified as strictly necessary to meet the demand to scale up the testing programme in the UK.B. There are genuine reasons for extreme urgency: the Authority requires immediate laboratory capacity because of the public health risks in not having sufficient capacity. The situation is a genuine emergency.C. The events that have 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." (Commissioner Breton, Internal Market, 01.04.2020).D. It is not possible to comply with the timescales of another procedure due to the urgent requirement to ensure the volume of laboratory testing capacity reflects with the necessary demand. E. The situation is not attributable to the contracting authority - DHSC has not done anything to cause or contribute to the need for extreme urgency

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000700-2021 |
| 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 |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 13 Jan 2021 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 15 Dec 2020 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £7,526,279 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1H 0EU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | IMPERIAL COLLEGE PROJECTS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85145000 - Services provided by medical laboratories

## Release History

- 13 Jan 2021 at 16:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000700-2021

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-028a10. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-028a10.json.