---
title: "The provision of freight services for the supply of lateral flow test kits for testing of COVID-19"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-029943"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-029943"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-029943.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-029943.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE"
published: "2021-03-08"
---

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

Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-029943

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-029943.json)

## Summary

The procurement process, initiated by the Department of Health and Social Care, involved the provision of freight services for the supply of lateral flow test kits for COVID-19 testing. This contract, classified under the industry category of freight transport agency services, was awarded through a limited procurement method due to the extreme urgency associated with the COVID-19 crisis. The contract was signed on 5th March 2021, and services were required to support the rapid increase in testing capacity across the UK in response to rising infection rates. The delivery of the services focused on the UK and was intended to secure significant volumes of test kits from China to meet urgent public health needs.

This tender presents significant opportunities for logistics and freight service providers, particularly those equipped to handle air freight under time-sensitive conditions. Businesses that are agile in managing high-demand logistics scenarios and have experience in cross-border transportation will be well-suited to compete for future opportunities in similar procurement contracts related to public health or emergency responses. Given the collaborative nature of public health initiatives, there may also be opportunities for smaller firms with innovative solutions in freight that can partner with larger companies to deliver services effectively.

## Notice

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 ACS to meet the specific urgent need to transport test kits to the UK, utilising flights from XMN during Q1 2021.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.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004562-2021 |
| 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 | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Mar 2021 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 5 Mar 2021 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £4,640,496 |

## 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 | AIR CHARTER SERVICE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

### Codes

- 63521000 - Freight transport agency services

## Release History

- 8 Mar 2021 at 10:45 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004562-2021

## Notice URLs

- 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-029943. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-029943.json.