Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2020-06-30
Buyer: Newcastle University
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Restricted procedure
CPV classification: 72224000: Project management consultancy services | 79400000
Estimated value: 30000 GBP
Award criteria: The most economic tender
EU fund: ERDF

Technical requirements: (NU/1433-11) GlycoScore: Commercialisation of University Research Through Provision of Management Skills to Assist in Successful Spin-out Company Creation
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. It develops slowly and can go undetected for many years. It has been estimated that the annual economic burden of the disease in the UK exceeds GBP 269 million. This cost is expected to increase due to the rising prevalence of the disease, attributed to an ageing population. Current diagnosis relies on a combination of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing (which has low specificity and no prognostic value) and tissue biopsies (which are expensive, can be painful and only provide a snapshot of the tumour). A major problem is the difficulty distinguishing indolent benign (benign prostate hyperplasia (BHP)) and aggressive tumours. This leads to over-diagnosis, resulting in unnecessary biopsies, but also means some aggressive cancers are missed.
The Newcastle University team have developed a simple in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) that looks for three protein biomarkers. This diagnostic test ‘GlycoScore’ is based on a simple protein detection method (ELISA), using patient blood, which is widely used in clinics across the world, increasing the chances of adoption. Importantly, we have demonstrated that our diagnostic is superior to the current PSA blood test. Analysis comparing benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer showed the GlycoScore had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 93 %, whereas PSA had a PPV of 68 %.
The team has strong links with clinicians and patient groups and has been working with these stakeholders to better understand the current care pathway and how GlycoScore could be best implemented in a clinical environment.
(b) obtain founder academics’ and Newcastle University (including the Head of Company Creation) approval for appointment as CEO,
(c) provide to the appropriate university all matters necessary for ERDF or Research England reporting requirements;
Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland and Northumbria universities, in common with universities throughout the UK, have advanced relevant systems and procedures and also dedicate significant public resource to both research and commercialisation of that research. A key route to commercialisation is the creation of a new business (a spin-out company) wherein the intellectual property (IPR) developed exclusively licenced to a university start-up company in exchange for (founders) shares in that company.
The universities ill engage suitably qualified and experienced executives through the DPS as and when required over the DPS period. The specific requirements will be detailed in each further competition.
The initial brief of the executive for which he/she will be paid, dependent upon the scope of the specific project engagement sought, either a payment or a combination of a payment and a share/stock option will typically be to:
(d) provide to the appropriate university all matters necessary for ESIF and Research England reporting requirements;
(NU/1433-11) GlycoScore: Commercialisation of University Research through Provision of Management Skills to Assist in Successful Spin-out Company Creation
Newcastle University has incorporated a minimum 10 calendar day standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract was communicated to tenderers. This period allowed unsuccessful tenderers to see further debriefing before the contract was entered into. Such additional information would be requested from the address referred to in Part 1.1 above. If an appeal regarding the award contract has not been successfully resolved, the Public contracts Regulations 2015 provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by breach of the rules to take action in the high court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Any such action must be brought promptly. Where a contract has not been entered into the court may order the setting aside of the award decision in order for the authority to amend any document and may award damages. If the contract has been entered into court may only award damages.


Winner: Allan Brown
Award value: 30000
Number of bids: 3