{ "tag": [ "compiled" ], "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06c28f-2026-07-06T13:49:11+01:00", "date": "2026-07-06T13:49:11+01:00", "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06c28f", "initiationType": "tender", "parties": [ { "id": "GB-PPON-PMWH-2798-MVPZ", "name": "Infected Blood Compensation Authority", "identifier": { "scheme": "GB-PPON", "id": "PMWH-2798-MVPZ" }, "address": { "streetAddress": "Benton Park View", "locality": "Newcastle upon Tyne,", "postalCode": "NE7 7EB", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom", "region": "UKC22" }, "contactPoint": { "email": "commercial@ibca.org.uk" }, "roles": [ "buyer" ], "details": { "classifications": [ { "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment", "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE", "description": "Public authority - central government" } ] } }, { "id": "GB-COH-03051360", "name": "The Evergreen Group Limited", "identifier": { "scheme": "GB-COH", "id": "03051360" }, "address": { "streetAddress": "Unit 6 Prisma Park, Berrington Way,", "locality": "Basingstoke", "postalCode": "RG24 8GT", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom", "region": "UKJ37" }, "contactPoint": { "email": "commercial@datatech.org.uk" }, "roles": [ "supplier" ], "details": { "url": "http://www.datatech.org.uk", "scale": "sme", "vcse": false, "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false, "shelteredWorkshop": false } } ], "buyer": { "id": "GB-PPON-PMWH-2798-MVPZ", "name": "Infected Blood Compensation Authority" }, "tender": { "id": "P12725", "legalBasis": { "id": "2023/54", "scheme": "UKPGA", "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents" }, "title": "Maternity Cover Contingent Labour", "description": "Maternity cover contingent labour recruitment for an initial period of 6 months with the option to extend for up to a maximum contract length of 12 months.", "status": "complete", "procurementMethod": "direct", "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award", "procurementMethodRationale": "Justification for Direct Award Under Section 41 & Schedule 5 1. Statutory Ground The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is invoking Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 to make a direct award of a public contract, relying on the direct award justification set out in Schedule 5, Paragraph 4 (Absence of Competition / Technical Reasons). Specifically, the services can only be supplied by a particular supplier because no reasonable alternative or substitute exists due to an absence of competition in the market, namely, following testing of both public sector frameworks and the open market, only one supplier (DataTech) was identified as possessing the immediate capability and specialised technical personnel required to meet the operational demands of the role. 2. Evidence of Market Testing & Market Failure This direct award is not being made for administrative convenience; rather, it is a necessary response to a verified market failure following exhaustive attempts by IBCA to secure this critical contingent labour resource via other compliant routes: Framework Engagement: IBCA formally utilised Government Commercial Agency (GCA) Framework RM6288 (Workforce Solutions), which serves as the primary, mandated public sector route for temporary resourcing. Despite executing this process, the framework provider was unable to identify or put forward any suitable candidates meeting the essential technical, operational, or experience criteria required for the role. Open Market Advertisement: Supplementing the framework route, IBCA advertised the requirement on the open commercial market via LinkedIn to capture wider industry interest. This exercise similarly failed to yield any qualified or viable candidates. Consequently, IBCA has robustly tested both the standard public sector framework and the broader open market, empirically proving an absence of available, qualified competition for this specialised position. 3. Operational Urgency and Impact The post in question has been vacant for a considerable period. This ongoing vacancy has now reached a critical threshold, creating acute operational pressure. Further delay in filling this role presents an immediate and material risk to IBCA's ability to execute its core, statutory public duties, specifically the timely processing and delivery of compensation to victims. Having verified a total absence of alternative market capacity, a direct award to DataTech Ltd is the sole viable mechanism to secure the highly specialized data leadership capacity required to prevent material failure of IBCA's statutory delivery timelines. 4. Proportionality and Mitigations To ensure this direct award remains strictly proportionate to the objective of bridging this critical resourcing gap, IBCA has structured the contract as follows: An initial short-term duration of six (6) months. A built-in mechanism for up to two (2) extensions of three (3) months each up to a maximum total lifecycle of 12 months.", "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [ { "id": "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons" }, { "id": "urgency" } ], "lots": [ { "id": "1", "status": "complete", "suitability": { "sme": true, "vcse": true } } ], "documents": [ { "id": "conflictOfInterest", "documentType": "conflictOfInterest", "description": "Not published" } ] }, "awards": [ { "id": "1", "title": "Maternity Cover Contingent Labour", "status": "pending", "value": { "amountGross": 187761.6, "amount": 156468, "currency": "GBP" }, "mainProcurementCategory": "services", "aboveThreshold": true, "suppliers": [ { "id": "GB-COH-03051360", "name": "The Evergreen Group Limited" } ], "items": [ { "id": "1", "additionalClassifications": [ { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "79620000", "description": "Supply services of personnel including temporary staff" } ], "deliveryAddresses": [ { "region": "UK", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom" }, { "region": "UK", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom" } ], "relatedLot": "1" } ], "contractPeriod": { "startDate": "2026-07-28T00:00:00+01:00", "endDate": "2027-01-27T23:59:59Z", "maxExtentDate": "2027-07-27T23:59:59+01:00" }, "hasRenewal": true, "renewal": { "description": "The supplier has included 2 x options to extend for up to 3 months at each option. This will ensure that any extension to the maternity leave is accounted for and a handover period for the post holders return." }, "relatedLots": [ "1" ], "documents": [ { "id": "062345-2026", "documentType": "awardNotice", "noticeType": "UK5", "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender", "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062345-2026", "datePublished": "2026-07-02T14:52:25+01:00", "format": "text/html" }, { "id": "063207-2026", "documentType": "awardNotice", "noticeType": "UK6", "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender", "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063207-2026", "datePublished": "2026-07-06T13:49:11+01:00", "format": "text/html" } ], "milestones": [ { "id": "1", "type": "futureSignatureDate", "dueDate": "2026-07-17T23:59:59+01:00", "status": "scheduled" } ], "date": "2026-07-03T00:00:00+01:00", "standstillPeriod": { "endDate": "2026-07-16T23:59:59+01:00" } } ], "language": "en" }