Managed Service Contract for routine Nucleic Acid Testing.
Contract notice
Services
Section I: Contracting authority
I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)
NHS Blood and Transplant
North Bristol Park, Bristol
For the attention of: Anna Slominska
BS34 7QH Filton
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 1179217262
E-mail:
Internet address(es):
General address of the contracting authority: http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk
Address of the buyer profile: Please refer to section VI.3)I.2)Type of the contracting authority
National or federal agency/office
I.3)Main activity
Health
I.4)Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities
The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities: yes
Section II: Object of the contract
II.1)Description
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
Managed Service Contract for routine Nucleic Acid Testing.
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 1: Maintenance and repair services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: NHSBT locations in England (Manchester and Filton/Bristol) Other Blood Services which are to be contracting parties:
- Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service - until May 2017 Blood Donor Centre in Edinburgh, from May 2017 onwards - New National Centre Heriot-Watt Research Park Edinburgh;
- Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service - Transfusion Microbiology Laboratory, Belfast City Hospital Complex;
- Welsh Blood Service, Pontyclun.
Service category No 1: Maintenance and repair services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: NHSBT locations in England (Manchester and Filton/Bristol) Other Blood Services which are to be contracting parties:
- Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service - until May 2017 Blood Donor Centre in Edinburgh, from May 2017 onwards - New National Centre Heriot-Watt Research Park Edinburgh;
- Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service - Transfusion Microbiology Laboratory, Belfast City Hospital Complex;
- Welsh Blood Service, Pontyclun.
NUTS code UK
II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
The notice involves a public contract
II.1.4)Information on framework agreement
Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement
Estimated value excluding VAT: 35 000 000 GBPII.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s)
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS), Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) and Welsh Blood Service (WBS), (the Authorities) require a fully integrated testing system for routine Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) within a single sourced managed service. This includes equipment, maintenance, consumables, spare parts, upgrades, training, clinical education material, remote diagnostics, reporting and support; all to deliver a final result to the Authorities information management systems.
Current contractual arrangements for Managed Laboratory Services for NAT expire on the following dates:
- NHSBT 31.8.2014
- WBS 31.8.2014
- SNBTS 31.3.2015
- NIBTS 31.3.2015.
Therefore the new contract with a successful Tenderer will be implemented by each contracting Blood Authority when their current agreements have expired.
It is the intention that SNBTS will move to a new National Centre in May 2017. The new Centre will be located in the Heriot Watt University campus to the west of Edinburgh. As part of the contract SNBTS will expect the successful Tenderer to propose a solution to ensure that there is continuity of testing during this move.
NHSBT has two testing sites in England, collecting circa 1,9 million donations each year. NIBTS, SNBTS and WBS have one site each, with a total volume of circa 370k donations each year. Please note the value indicated in this contract notice is an estimate only. It is calculated based on existing forecasted information and therefore cannot be treated as a guaranteed volume.
Within the Authorities organisation the testing function performs a wide range of testing services, these include:
1. Mandatory assays:
the ability to detect HCV RNA in plasma samples from blood donations and also, HCV RNA, HIV RNA and HBV DNA in tissue and stem cell products.
The system offered should be capable of supporting WNV RNA detection if required. Systems should be fully automated and capable of using pooled and single human plasma samples. Complete systems should include pooling systems including hardware and software.
2. In addition approximately 9 000 living tissue and stem cell donors are tested ( individual donation testing) per year at NHSBT designated site for HCV RNA, HIV RNA and HBV DNA.
3. High throughput equipment will be required. Current volumes along with forecasted volumes are quoted within the Specification document, these numbers only indicate the current requirement and the Authorities are not able to provide accurate forecasts for the duration of the contract term, therefore these numbers cannot be treated as a commitment to service or volume levels.
For NHSBT these tests are currently completed on all donations in pools of 24. The full list of markers including current numbers tested and the full list of requirements for NHSBT and other contracting parties - Northern Ireland
Blood Transfusion Service, Welsh Blood Service and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service is contained within the tender documents.
Current contractual arrangements for Managed Laboratory Services for NAT expire on the following dates:
- NHSBT 31.8.2014
- WBS 31.8.2014
- SNBTS 31.3.2015
- NIBTS 31.3.2015.
Therefore the new contract with a successful Tenderer will be implemented by each contracting Blood Authority when their current agreements have expired.
It is the intention that SNBTS will move to a new National Centre in May 2017. The new Centre will be located in the Heriot Watt University campus to the west of Edinburgh. As part of the contract SNBTS will expect the successful Tenderer to propose a solution to ensure that there is continuity of testing during this move.
NHSBT has two testing sites in England, collecting circa 1,9 million donations each year. NIBTS, SNBTS and WBS have one site each, with a total volume of circa 370k donations each year. Please note the value indicated in this contract notice is an estimate only. It is calculated based on existing forecasted information and therefore cannot be treated as a guaranteed volume.
Within the Authorities organisation the testing function performs a wide range of testing services, these include:
1. Mandatory assays:
the ability to detect HCV RNA in plasma samples from blood donations and also, HCV RNA, HIV RNA and HBV DNA in tissue and stem cell products.
The system offered should be capable of supporting WNV RNA detection if required. Systems should be fully automated and capable of using pooled and single human plasma samples. Complete systems should include pooling systems including hardware and software.
2. In addition approximately 9 000 living tissue and stem cell donors are tested ( individual donation testing) per year at NHSBT designated site for HCV RNA, HIV RNA and HBV DNA.
3. High throughput equipment will be required. Current volumes along with forecasted volumes are quoted within the Specification document, these numbers only indicate the current requirement and the Authorities are not able to provide accurate forecasts for the duration of the contract term, therefore these numbers cannot be treated as a commitment to service or volume levels.
For NHSBT these tests are currently completed on all donations in pools of 24. The full list of markers including current numbers tested and the full list of requirements for NHSBT and other contracting parties - Northern Ireland
Blood Transfusion Service, Welsh Blood Service and Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service is contained within the tender documents.
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
33124130, 33124000, 71900000, 48921000, 33141625, 33696500, 33696200, 33124110, 33140000, 33127000, 33000000
II.1.7)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes
II.1.8)Lots
This contract is divided into lots: no
II.1.9)Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: no
II.2)Quantity or scope of the contract
II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:
Details of the scope of the project are already given at section II.1.5 above.
II.2.2)Information about options
Options: no
II.2.3)Information about renewals
II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Duration in months: 84 (from the award of the contract)
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1)Conditions relating to the contract
III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:
If it is considered appropriate by the authority, an indemnity, guarantee, bond or other form of appropriate security may be required.
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
As contained within the tender documents.
III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
The Authority reserves the right to require groupings of economic operators to take a particular legal form or to require a single economic operator to take primary liability for a contract to be performed by a group of economic operators or to require each party to undertake joint and several liability in respect of the entire contract irrespective of the form the grouping takes.
III.1.4)Other particular conditions
The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: yes
Description of particular conditions: As contained within the tender documents.
Description of particular conditions: As contained within the tender documents.
III.2)Conditions for participation
III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: In accordance with Articles 44 and 46 of Directive 2004/18/EC and Regulation 23 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as set out in the Invitation to Tender available from the address in section I.1.
III.2.2)Economic and financial ability
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: In accordance with Article 47 of Directive 2004/18/EC and Regulation 24 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as set out in the Invitation to Tender available from the address in section I.1.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: As set out in the Invitation to Tender.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: As set out in the Invitation to Tender.
III.2.3)Technical capacity
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met:
In accordance with Article 48 of Directive 2004/18/EC and Regulation 25 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as set out in the Invitation to Tender available from the address in section I.1.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
As set out in the Invitation to Tender.
In accordance with Article 48 of Directive 2004/18/EC and Regulation 25 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, as set out in the Invitation to Tender available from the address in section I.1.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
As set out in the Invitation to Tender.
III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts
III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts
III.3.1)Information about a particular profession
III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1)Type of procedure
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
Open
IV.1.2)Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue
Recourse to staged procedure to gradually reduce the number of solutions to be discussed or tenders to be negotiated no
IV.2)Award criteria
IV.2.1)Award criteria
The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document
IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction will be used: no
IV.3)Administrative information
IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:
NHSBT0566
IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract
Prior information notice
Notice number in the OJEU: 2013/S 141-245645 of 23.7.2013
IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document
Payable documents: no
IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
6.12.2013 - 15:00
IV.3.5)Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
English.
IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
IV.3.8)Conditions for opening of tenders
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1)Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: no
VI.2)Information about European Union funds
The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no
VI.3)Additional information
Please note the implementation of the contract with the single sourced successful Tenderer will be phased in on different dates at each contracting Authority. Therefore, the duration of the contact will be 7 years as from the target implementation date of 1.9.2014 and will expire on the same date for all contracting parties, i.e. 31.8.2021.
To view and respond to the Invitation to Tender, please register your organisation on the NHSBT BravoSolution eSourcing Portal (at https://nhsbt.bravosolution.co.uk) and complete the necessary actions. If you require any assistance please consult the online help facility or contact the BravoSolution eSourcing help desk on +44 8003684850.
VI.4)Procedures for appeal
VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures
NHS Blood and Transplant
500 North Bristol Park, North Way, Filton
BS34 7QH Bristol
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:
Telephone: +44 1179217248
VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals
Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: NHS Blood and Transplant will allow a standstill period at the point the decision regarding the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. The standstill period shall be in accordance with Regulation 32A of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (as amended).
VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained
VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:
25.10.2013