Provision of Scanning Surveillance Activities for APHA, including PME's

APHA is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs ("Defra") with responsibility for disease surveillance to identify new and re-emerging threats to animal health and welfare and public health. APHA fulfils this function through (i) statutory surveillance, by monitoring and collecting notifiable and reportable disease information and (ii) scanning surveillance, through the voluntary submission and collection of information by private vets enabling the early detection of new and re-emerging disease threats. Veterinary Investigation Centres ("VICs") provide PME and surveillance data to APHA, but their limited geographical coverage and operational capacity require APHA to procure supplementary service provision from the listed suppliers to ensure comprehensive PME services and data surveillance across England and Wales.

The services to be provided by the suppliers under the contract include (but are not limited to):

• conducting postmortem examinations of animal carcases with the objective of diagnosing disease;
• collecting and reporting data from PMEs and disease investigations of animals for the purpose of accumulating disease surveillance intelligence;
• alerting APHA to suspicions of notifiable disease, New or Re-emerging disease Threats ("NRT") and animal welfare issues;
• participating in a network of veterinary staff with experience in animal disease investigation, diagnosis and pathology, and engaging in government surveillance for potential NRT in animals; and
• engaging in daily discussions with private veterinary surgeons about disease incidents where specialist advice is needed.

Five of the suppliers have been providing these services to APHA since 2014 and the remaining three suppliers, since 2021.

The contracting authority, APHA, is relying on the single supplier direct award justification in paragraph 6 of schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023: (a) due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required; and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.

The explanations as to why the justification applies are as follows.

Absence of competition for technical reasons - paragraph 6(a). APHA applied clear and objective criteria to assess the technical capability of suppliers on the market. The identified suppliers are the only suppliers (i) able to provide high value PME data of the requisite equivalent standard of VICs and (ii) with the technical capability to operate a diagnostic PME and disease surveillance service for animals, as part of an integrated surveillance network with existing APHA sites and databases. The suppliers can operate as a strategic extension to APHA's diagnostic and surveillance capabilities and ensure comprehensive PME access across England and Wales.

The suppliers' technical capability includes (but is not limited to):

• delivery of PME outputs that are quality-assured and fully compliant with Veterinary Investigation Diagnosis Analysis ("VIDA") data recording requirements, and facilitating integration into APHA's epidemiological datasets;
• substantial experience in conducting PMEs and diagnosing both routine and emerging animal diseases;
• personnel registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons ("RCVS");
• purpose-built or suitably adapted PME facilities for large animal carcasses, meeting all relevant biosecurity, health and safety, and environmental regulations; and
• IT systems compatible with APHA's Data Capture Tool to enable secure and efficient surveillance data transmission.

The suppliers' ability to meet these requirements, in combination, effectively constitute exclusive rights. These rights arise from the unique integration of technical capability, infrastructure, and operational readiness that enables only these suppliers to deliver the services to the required standard and within the required timeframe. No other suppliers currently possess the combination of VIDA-compliant data systems, purpose-built PME facilities, accredited veterinary personnel, and established integration with APHA's surveillance infrastructure. These characteristics are essential to the delivery of the services. Accordingly, the suppliers hold exclusive rights in practice to deliver the services required under this contract.

No reasonable alternatives - paragraph 6(b).

It is not reasonable for APHA to acquire and fully implement an alternative PME and data surveillance service by the critical service delivery date of 1 January 2026 or at any point prior to 31 December 2028.

An alternative supplier(s) would have to build a replacement service. It would take significant time and financial investment in infrastructure to upgrade facilities to meet the requisite biosecurity, health and safety, and environmental regulations and standards. The service requires specialist facilities to enable the safe and efficient postmortem examination of animals, including large animals, and the correct and safe disposal of animal remains. Modifying or adapting facilities to meet the standards of the VIDA programme, invest in specialist diagnostic tools required for service delivery and train staff to operate a diagnostic PME service and collect surveillance data correctly, or this could pose a high risk to animal health and welfare, public health, and potentially, international trade. A replacement service would be built in the context of a limited and inconsistent demand for these services and a service critical delivery date of 1 January 2026. It would not be reasonable for an alternative supplier(s) to build a replacement service.

It would not be reasonable for APHA to transition to an alternative interim PME and data surveillance service. There is not sufficient time to (i) secure the facilities required; (ii) train staff to operate a diagnostic PME service and collect surveillance data correctly; and (iii) ensure service compatibility with VIDA data recording requirements, national surveillance protocols and APHA's existing epidemiological datasets by 1 January 2026. It is not reasonable for financial and practical reasons (including obtaining governance and funding) for APHA to secure the facilities and staff required to meet a limited demand for the services being supplied. Existing VICs and the suppliers' facilities are tailor-made for this purpose and already meet infrastructure and maintenance requirements. The suppliers have suitably trained and skilled staff for every working day of the year, including registered veterinarians with appropriate skills and experience, and in the context of a limited and inconsistent demand for the service. Transitioning to an interim PME surveillance service is therefore not a reasonable or feasible alternative for financial and practical reasons.

In assessing the availability of reasonable alternatives, APHA has considered the wider market and has not identified any new entrants or other providers with the requisite technical capability, infrastructure, or integration with APHA systems. The market for PME services is highly specialised and constrained by the need for bespoke facilities, trained personnel, and data compatibility with national surveillance systems.

Therefore, there are no reasonable alternatives.