---
title: "Services to deliver Onasemnogene abeparvovec/Zolgensma"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-028f59"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-028f59"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-028f59.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-028f59.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS ENGLAND - SPECIALISED COMMISSIONING"
published: "2021-06-30"
---

# Services to deliver Onasemnogene abeparvovec/Zolgensma

Buyer: NHS ENGLAND - SPECIALISED COMMISSIONING  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-028f59

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-028f59)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-028f59.json)

## Summary

NHS England - Specialised Commissioning is seeking to commission a service for the delivery of Onasemnogene abeparvovec/Zolgensma, classified under health and social work services. The procurement, currently in the active tender stage, aims to engage four providers, potentially covering the North, Midlands, and South of England, alongside an additional provider. This tender process is based on an open procedure and is expected to span a duration of 1800 days, with the tender submission deadline set for 8th March 2021.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for businesses within the healthcare sector, particularly those specialising in gene therapy and paediatric care. Companies adept in managing complex treatment pathways, including those with experience in working with rare genetic disorders like spinal muscular atrophy, are well-suited to compete. Successful bidders must also have the capacity to comply with strict health regulations and demonstrate a commitment to quality service delivery as a key evaluation criterion.

## Notice

NHS England is seeking to commission a service to deliver Onasemnogene abeparvovec/Zolgensma from four providers in England. It is currently anticipated that there may be one provider to cover the North of England, one to cover the Midlands, one to cover the South of England plus one other. The commissioner is by no means fixed on this geographical spread as the quality of the service provision is the most important factor.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, is a rare genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement. It is most commonly caused by defects in the gene SMN1. Onasemnogene abeparvovec (Zolgensma, AveXis) is a single-use gene replacement therapy made of a viral vector that has been modified to contain the primary gene for the human survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, which is lacking or mutated in people with SMA. When injected, the vector is expected to carry the gene into the nerve cells, enabling production of sufficient amounts of SMN. It is administered intravenously. NHS England is seeking to commission a service to deliver Onasemnogene abeparvovec/Zolgensma from four providers in England. It is currently anticipated that there may be one provider to cover the North of England, one to cover the Midlands, one to cover the South of England plus one other. The commissioner is by no means fixed on this geographical spread as the quality of the service provision is the most important factor. As well as having a neuromuscular MDT and experience in treating children with SMA, the successful providers will need to have the capability to safely manage the product itself in line with it being classified as 'containment level 1' and ensure that all elements of the patient pathway (pre-treatment, during treatment and post-treatment) can be put into place. The providers will also be expected to operate as a national-MDT to ensure that eligible patients can be treated within appropriate timescales. This will involve regular meetings/calls to discuss the appropriate treatment of individual patients and to share information on capacity to treat patients. It is anticipated that the number of children requiring treatment each year is between 25 and 35, although this number may be subject to change, depending on the outcome of the NICE evaluation and, for example, if new-born screening for SMA was introduced. Novartis Gene Therapies is the company who produce this gene therapy and providers will be required to comply with the company's contractual documentation. This is currently in draft so providers will be expected to have contacted Novartis Gene Therapies prior to submitting a tender response to discuss their requirements in respect of providing a service to deliver Onasemnogene abeparvovec/Zolgensma. Given the significant amount of preparatory work that needs to be undertaken to deliver a gene therapy service, it is not feasible for commissioners and providers to wait until NICE has made its recommendation. To do so would risk the NHS not being ready to provide access within the timeframe set out in the Mandate requirements on NICE approved treatments and not being able to make the treatment available as soon as possible after the NICE decision has been made. Providers are therefore submitting bids to deliver a service 'at risk' and it may be the case that the product does not receive a positive NICE recommendation. Bidders are responsible for their own costs incurred throughout each stage of the Procurement process. Additional information: All bidders must complete the Qualification Questionnaire and Technical Questions.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014964-2021 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 30 Jun 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 8 Mar 2021 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 27 May 2021 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £6,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £6,000,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS ENGLAND - SPECIALISED COMMISSIONING |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South East London |
| Postcode | SE1 6LH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI44 Lewisham and Southwark |
| Local authority | Southwark |
| Electoral ward | St George's |
| Westminster constituency | Bermondsey and Old Southwark |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 4 |
| Supplier names | GUY’S AND ST THOMAS’ NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS FOUNDATION TRUST; SHEFFIELD CHILDREN’S NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BRISTOL AND WESTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85000000 - Health and social work services
- 85100000 - Health services
- 85140000 - Miscellaneous health services

## Release History

- 30 Jun 2021 at 14:23 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014964-2021
- 2 Feb 2021 at 13:35 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002051-2021

## Notice URLs

- http://www.england.nhs.uk
- https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=36403&B=AGCSU
- https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Company/CompanyInformation/Index/68205

## 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-028f59. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-028f59.json.