Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2020-12-08
Buyer: Oslo Universitetssykehus HF (hovedenhet)
Country: NO
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 33100000
Estimated value: 6600000 NOK
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: 75883 E2021 UL KLM Avdeling for medisinsk genetikk (the Department of Medical Genetics), Equipment for NIPT Pipetting Robot
Avdeling for medisinsk genetikk, OUS, (the Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital) will procure a Veriseq NIPT Microlab Star pipetting robot for sample preparation of Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) methods based on high throughput sequencing (HTS)/next generation sequencing. The procurement includes a pipetting robot with a pre-installed pipetting program for the protocol NIPT Veriseq v2 and the robot deck must include all equipment required to run the protocol. Additional equipment must also be included in the price. The procurement must also include price per test for equipment-specific consumables related to the pipetting robot (i.e. Pipette tips). The need to implement NIPT comes after the Norwegian Parliament adopted a new Biotechnology Act on 26 May 2020, with effect from 1 July  2020.
The procurement also includes entering into a framework agreement for equipment-specific consumables.
Avdeling for medisinsk genetikk, OUS, (the Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital) will procure a Veriseq NIPT Microlab Star pipetting robot for sample preparation of Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) methods based on high throughput sequencing (HTS)/next generation sequencing. The procurement includes a pipetting robot with a pre-installed pipetting program for the protocol Veriseq NIPT Solution v2 and the robot deck must include all equipment required to run the protocol. Additional equipment must also be included in the price. The procurement must also include price per test for equipment-specific consumables related to the pipetting robot (i.e. Pipette tips). The need to implement NIPT comes after the Norwegian Parliament adopted a new Biotechnology Act on 26  May 2020, with effect from 1 July 2020.
The procurement also includes signing a framework agreement for the purchase of the equipment specified consumables. This framework agreement is ongoing and applies as long as at least one instrument is in use. The framework agreements include the options described in Appendix 4.1. The award of contract for consumables will follow the award of contract for the purchase of the system.
The instrument and method has some A requirements that are important for analysis quality and logistics:
— the instrument must have capacity for 96 samples per run, but be flexible to also prepare a lesser number. Low total time for the analysis, as well as limited hands-on time are important,
— for each sample it must be flexible whether the laboratory will analyse for only T21, T18, T13, or whether also for gender chromosomes and/or larger copy number deviations (approx. > 7MB) will be analysed,
— the pipetting robot procurement together with hardware, software and reagents for Veriseq NIPT v2 (separate prior information notice) will create a streamline formed work flow from blood test to finished result report that the supplier will be responsible for setting up. The sequencing must be carried out with next generation sequencing paired-end reads (NGS) on instruments that are already found in the department, i.e. an Illumina platform (e.g. NextSeq500),
— the method must have a fully developed software that can analyse the raw data and complete a report per patient, as well as generate standard out-put files such as FASTAQ,
— the robot must be able to handle Streck cell-free DNA blood tests tubes (BCT), and be able to extract cfDNA from plasma,
— the robot must be delivered with 96 heads with replaceable tips and a minimum of eight channel pipettes with individual control, have barcode readers, as well as tire accessories and design, and extra equipment necessary for the protocol Veriseq NIPT v2,
— the anticipated consumption in the first operating year will depend on whether the other university hospitals establish the same offer. It is anticipated that tenderers can give a price based on the anticipated sample quantity to medical genetic departments at Norwegian university hospitals. It is desirable to have a price for equipment-specific operating duties (e.g. pipette tips) with different anticipated sample flow, i.e. intervals between 3 000 — 30 000 samples in total subject to financing.
The instrument and method has some A requirements that are important for analysis quality and logistics:
Instrument must have capacity for 96 samples per run, but be flexible to also prepare a lesser number. Low total time for the analysis, as well as limited hands-on time are important.


Winner: Hamilton Nordic AB
Award value: 6600000