---
title: "VIR-7831 Supply Agreement for Pandemic Purposes"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-02dfcc"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02dfcc"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02dfcc.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02dfcc.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE"
published: "2021-09-13"
---

# VIR-7831 Supply Agreement for Pandemic Purposes

Buyer: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-02dfcc

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## Summary

The procurement process titled "VIR-7831 Supply Agreement for Pandemic Purposes" was initiated by the Department of Health and Social Care, focusing on the critical industry of pharmaceutical products amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Located in London, UK, this contract is currently in the Award stage and relates to the procurement of 100,008 units of Sotrovimab, expanding the UK's pandemic response capabilities. This limited procurement method was justified under extreme urgency, with the contract being signed on 11 August 2021, indicating its immediacy in addressing the challenge posed by new COVID-19 variants and safeguarding vulnerable populations.

This tender represents significant growth opportunities for businesses in the pharmaceutical sector, particularly those specialising in antibody therapies and related medical products. Suppliers capable of rapid development and deployment of innovative healthcare solutions will be well-suited to compete effectively for future contracts of this nature. Given the urgency and specific requirements of the procurement, companies with established relationships and expertise in public health initiatives will likely find a competitive edge in similar upcoming tenders.

## Notice

The evolution of the UK's pandemic response has highlighted the critical importance and economic value of a multi-layered and comprehensive approach to COVID-19.The need for antibodies and other therapeutics has always been under consideration, the mutation of the virus and the risk this poses on antibody and vaccine efficacy has only recently been properly identified and still requires further academic studies.These unforeseen circumstances mean there is now a critical, urgent need to procure and deploy a new class of mAbs, that can neutralise any COVID-19 variant. These neutralising mAbs provide protection to a cohort of the population who, for medical reasons, cannot mount an appropriate immune response to vaccination or, for whatever reason, do not get vaccinated and are also at higher risk of hospitalisation or death.This agreement is for the procurement of 100,008 units of Sotrovimab (VIR-7831).

### Procurement Information

This good was procured under Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, for the following reasons:1. Strictly NecessaryScientific data has recently emerged which now shows how SARS-VoV-2 mutates such that it may make existing vaccine and antibody treatments ineffective. This mAb is one of only a handful of COVID-19 suitable 'neutralising' mAbs under development which can withstand the current Variant of Concern mutations. It is also the only one which has the potential to be MHRA approved for non-hospitalised patients in time for Autumn/Winter 2022. This mAb is therefore critical for the protection of the immunocompromised cohort of the UK population..2. Extreme UrgencyThe potential impact on public health if this contract award is not made is significant and therefore DHSC has an urgent requirement for mAb therapies to be available for Q3 and Q4 2021. The UK is seeing daily case numbers increasing rapidly and new virus mutations spreading globally, despite ongoing international travel restrictions. The UK must act on the most up to date data it has access to, which indicates that there is a severe threat to public health for the immunocompromised cohort of the UK population which must be addressed. 3. UnforeseeableThere are many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, since its original outbreak, which have been entirely unforeseeable and which have resulted in nations across the world struggling to respond. DHSC is acting on the newest information it has available to tailor its COVID-19 response accordingly.4. The event was not caused by DHSCThe events leading to the requirements for neutralising mAb treatment are not attributable to any action by DHSC. Rather the requirement is being driven by the mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the consequential evolution of a global pandemic.5. Minimum procurement timescalesTime is of the essence in relation to the need to secure the mAb supply. Wave-3 is underway and wave-4 is predicted to have begun by Q4 of 2021. In light of that and the fact that this mAb is yet to obtain final MHRA approval to make it lawful for use by DHSC, it will not be possible to comply with the minimum timescales of a standard open, restricted or competitive negotiated procedure procurement exercise.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022621-2021 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 13 Sep 2021 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 10 Aug 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 | Not specified |

## 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 | GLAXOSMITHKLINE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

### Codes

- 33600000 - Pharmaceutical products

## Release History

- 13 Sep 2021 at 10:00 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022621-2021

## Notice URLs

- http://uk.gsk.com/
- 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-02dfcc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02dfcc.json.