Supply and Delivery of Life Science Consumables

United Utilities holds a licence to provide water and wastewater services to around seven million people in the North West of England supplying 3.2 million households and over 200,000 business premises.

United Utilites manages the catchment land around its reservoirs to safeguard the quality of the raw water it collects and stores. The Company then treats and delivers it to its customer's taps, nearly 2,000 million litres of water a day. The Company also collects wastewater from its customers and surface water from roads and highways, treats it at its wastewater treatment works then returns it safely back to the environment.

In order to do this the Company has;

(a) 184 reservoirs;

(b) over 56,000 hectares of catchment land;

(c) over 42,000 km of water mains;

(d) over 76,000 km of sewers;

(e) over 1,400 km of aqueducts;

(f) 94 water treatment works;

(g) 569 wastewater treatment works.

United Utilities Laboratory Services have a commitment to provide a high quality analytical service with rapid turnaround and reporting of results.

The Labs have to test for Cryptosporidium. This is a waterborne, protozoan, parasitic human pathogen that infects a wide range of vertebrates. Infection is primarily caused by ingestion of water from a contaminated source, for example drinking or recreational water.

The life science consumables procured in this agreement enable sampling to take place.

We aim to purchase a number of consumables as follows:-

Filter modules

Dynabeads Anti-Cryptosporidium kits

GC combo beads

Dynal L10 tubes

Cryptosporidium FITC stain

Easyseed (Crypto / Giardia)

Easyseed (Crypto only)

Giardia FITC Stain

Inactivated Crypto Oocysts

Giardia FITC Stain (with evans blue)

Mounting fluid

Quanti-tray 51 well

Pseudalert reagent powder

Colilert-18 reagent powder

Antifoam vessels

Colilert/Colilert-18 Comparator predispensed in a Quanti-Tray

Quanti-Tray 97 well

This is not an exhausted list.

The above products are approved by the Drinking Water Inspectorate for detection of total Coliforms and ecoli. We are accredited to ISO 17025 by UKAS to use the above products.

The key aims are as follows:-

(a) is to ensure products are delivered on time to the required level of quality,

(b) With sufficient flexibility of supply to meet both day to day operational requirements and hikes in demand in the event that the requirement for analysis increases above the normal levels.

(c) The supplier will require sufficient flexibility to manage potential changes of products to meet Company requirements throughout the term of the Agreement

The key requirements are:-

(d) Ensure a secure consistent supply of products to the required level of quality, which will cater for demand

(e) Accommodate both monthly large quantity deliveries and potential urgent requirements within 24 hours

(f) Accommodate stock holding on behalf of the company at the suppliers premises/ suitable stockholding facility

(g) Accommodate pre delivery batch testing by the Company

United Utilities are a UKAS accredited laboratory, all products used the process for analysis must be compliant with the standards specified and must be certified where applicable.

In the event that any products are changed, established methodologies relating to change including testing must be adhered to.

The samples collected are from a variety of sampling matrix aqueous and solid material. Additional information: This PIN is a request for information only at this stage.

**Please respond to the Supplier response sheet attached.**