---
title: "Virus Testing Supplies"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-029b56"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-029b56"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-029b56.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-029b56.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE"
published: "2021-03-12"
---

# Virus Testing Supplies

Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-029b56

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## Summary

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has completed the procurement process for "Virus Testing Supplies" in response to the urgent needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This contract, categorised under goods, specifically focuses on the provision of Nasopharyngeal Swabs, with an award procedure conducted without prior publication due to extreme urgency. The procurement was initiated given the pressing public health risks, with the contract signed on 6th November 2020 and executed primarily within the UK, illustrating the critical nature of the health industry during this period.

This opportunity presents significant potential for businesses, particularly those engaged in healthcare supplies and medical technology. Companies specialised in the manufacture or distribution of medical testing equipment would be well-positioned to compete for similar contracts, as the demand for reliable supplies remains high. With the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, businesses that can swiftly meet regulatory specifications and demonstrate the capability to fulfil urgent orders are likely to thrive in a competitive procurement environment.

## Notice

Provision of Nasopharyngeal Swabs

### Procurement Information

The Government must protect the health and well-being of UK citizens. The COVID-19 outbreak is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as declared by the World Health Organisation on 30 Jan 2020. The WHO Director General characterised COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020. COVID-19 is serious and its consequences pose a risk to life. Cabinet Office published PPN 01/20: Responding to COVID-19 on procuring with extreme urgency in March 2020 which states that contracting authorities may enter into contracts without competing or advertising the requirement where certain tests are met:1) There are genuine reasons for extreme urgency as there is a significant public health risk requiring immediate action as a result of COVID-192) The COVID-19 situation is novel and the Contracting Authority could not have reasonably foreseen these events3) It is not possible to comply with the timescales of another procedure due to the urgent requirement to obtain the supplies being contracted for. Additionally, there are many buyers competing for the same supplies. It is imperative that security of supply is maintained. Demand for equipment is high and there is little or no incentive for suppliers to participate in competitive procurement procedures.4) The situation is not attributable to the contracting authorityDHSC intends to make a direct award of a contract for the purchase of swabs from Hutchison (the Supplier) via the negotiated procedure without prior publication (the Contract) pursuant to Regulation 32 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) rather than undertaking a competitive exercise.In summary:1. The Products must be of a certain specification from a regulatory perspective and are only available from a small number of suppliers in the market. DHSC is utilising all available suppliers in the market however, due to scarcity in the market and high demand for products, urgent purchasing is still required while more competitive routes to market are established;2. The Products are required to meet the Government's requirements of testing higher numbers of people, which continue to increase in order to fulfil the track and trace initiative which seeks to reduce the risk of having another nationwide lockdown of all social and economic activity;3. DHSC had a relationship with the FCO in China who were originally facilitating the supply of the Products however, this option is no longer available and DHSC is unable to purchase the Products in this manner;4. The Contract will be for a period of up to 12 weeks and is to plug the gap between the current urgent requirement to meet the testing demand and the mini-competition which is currently being run and will be completed in January 2021;5. If DHSC does not commit to purchasing from the Supplier, there is a risk (as has happened with other suppliers) that DHSC will miss out on this demand and it will be allocated elsewhere;6. DHSC has carried out market testing with other suppliers in the market, in relation to the urgent provision of the Products and no other suppliers are able to meet the urgent demand;7. Further competitive routes to market are also being explored and DHSC has issued an RFI to the market to engage suppliers and understand whether suppliers in the market are able to meet the continuing demand;

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005093-2021 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| 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 | 12 Mar 2021 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 Nov 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 | £5,915,232 |

## 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 | HUTCHISON TECHNOLOGIES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

### Codes

- 38911000 - Manual swab test kits

## Release History

- 12 Mar 2021 at 16:22 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005093-2021

## 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-029b56. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-029b56.json.