Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2020-07-01
Buyer: Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre UK Ltd
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 72224000: Project management consultancy services
Estimated value: 1169138 GBP

Technical requirements: Programme management services for the VMIC programme of projects. The support will consist of a core advisory team of 6 consultants, plus a ‘call-off’ team of 6 SME consultants, over a 4-6 month period.
IBM have been selected for this, based on their track record credentials, depth of available resources and skills, the immediate availability of a high calibre experienced team and their intimate involvement (and therefore knowledge) of the BIA manufacturing taskforce for Covid-19, in which their performance has been exemplary. For the VMIC program they will be using the same government approved rates. A multi-stage, multi-person interview process will be used for each of the proposed consultants, to assess suitability for their proposed role.
The support will consist of a core advisory team of 6 consultants, plus a ‘call-off’ team of 6 SME consultants, over a 4-6 month period. All charges for consultants will be at pre-agreed government approved G-Cloud 11 service category rates.
VMIC has been asked by the government to significantly accelerate the build program for their facility, and to set up a rapid deployment facility (virtual VMIC) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. VMIC has been asked to scale-up the current facility design to provide increased capacity (x20) to make vaccine for a pandemic response. They have also been asked to set-up a rapid deployment facility, using VMIC purchased equipment, installed into a non-VMIC facility, and then transfer the equipment to VMIC once the new facility is built. This significant increase in the scope, and advancement in the schedule, has resulted in VMIC requiring an immediate increase to their program management. In particular, they need:
• highly experienced program managers, who are used to operating very complex and interconnected programs, and who can ‘hit the ground running’;
• ability to quickly put in place and implement bespoke program management tools and governance structures, suitable for executing VMIC’s GBP 196 million programme;
• have a depth of knowledge and level of experience which will provide the greatest probability of success;
The Covid-19 pandemic was an unforeseen event. This has resulted in a significant acceleration of the program and expansion of the scope, neither of which were predicted or expected.
There is no time to run an accelerated procurement under the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation; due to the unprecedented speed of acceleration and increase in scope required. This has left no time for VMIC to go through the procurement process that it would normally use. Due to the expansion and acceleration of the program, immediate implementation is required, if we are to be successful in meeting our new goals.
VMIC have not done anything to cause or contribute to the need for extreme urgency. This urgent need to the accelerated programme is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the government request to accelerate the program.


Winner: IBM Ltd
Award value: 1169138