The provision of freight services for the supply of lateral flow test kits for testing of COVID-19

CPV: Freight transport agency services

Procedure method

Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)

Procurement category

Services

Notice status

Awarded without competition

Procurement threshold

Unspecified in notice

Regulatory regime

Standard

Commercial structure

Stand-alone contract (no framework)

Competition type

Direct award (no call for competition)

GPA / WTO covered

Yes (GPA)

Recurring procurement

Unspecified in notice

First published

19 Apr 2021, 12:22 BST

Last source update

19 Apr 2021, 12:22 BST

Authority reference

XMNPROGAPR3

FTS notice number

2021/S 000-008195

Classification (CPV)

Freight transport agency services

Delivery area

UK

Official registry OCID

ocds-h6vhtk-02a774 Find a Tender

Why no open competition

Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority/entity and in accordance with the strict conditions stated in the directive

Published justification

The Government has set out the increase of COVID-19 testing capacity as a cornerstone of its strategy to combat rising rates of infection, suppressing community transmission, savings lives and ultimately supporting societal and economic recovery.Successful validation of an initial range of newly developed COVID-19 lateral flow test kits was completed by the DHSC in September, allowing for orders to be placed to secure a sustainable supply of significant volumes of these products, as a fundamental enabler of the expansion of the testing programme.The supply of these new test kits is currently limited in the face of very high global demand and consequently it was necessary to contract for supply on an ex-works basis for product manufactured in China in order to secure the required quantity of product and prevent gazumping.Where product has be sourced on an ex works basis it is imperative that this product is moved at the earliest opportunity to prevent it being sold to higher bidders.In addition the rising rates of infection in the UK and predicted growth in cases over the coming months, has created an urgent need for these new test kits to support the testing programme in the UK and therefore Air Freight presents the only viable mode for moving product to the UK in time to meet the operational requirements of the testing programme.In light of these factors the contract was awarded to ACS to meet the specific urgent need to transport test kits to the UK, utilising flights from XMN during April 2021.The short lead time between validating new test kits and needing these kits in the UK to support the national response to a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the UK, justifies the use of direct award under Regulation 32

• Air Charter Service LtdAwarded supplier02525806 Millbank House,171-185 Ewell Road, Surbiton, UK, KT6 6AP

No document links were published on the notice.