Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2020-07-24
Buyer: Department of Health and Social Care
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 33600000: Pharmaceutical products | 85323000

Technical requirements: Agreement for the re-packing, re-labelling for individual use and distribution of stockpiled medicines into the community.
To a location in the UK which will be communicated to the successful bidder(s) following award of the contract.
The purpose of the procurement exercise will be to award a contract or contracts with distance selling pharmacies (DSPs) for the distribution of medicines to the population to treat Covid-19. The medicines to be distributed are currently unknown, as we await the results of clinical trials. These will be shared with suppliers as soon as is practically possible. At the moment, DHSC are working to a scenario similar to the first peak in order to ensure that a sufficient number of treatment courses could be delivered across the UK within a specified timeframe. The number of treatment courses that could need to be delivered under this scenario is:
To note, these figures are planning scenarios so may change as we get further information. For example, the ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey may provide better estimates of the proportion of people with Covid-19 likely to develop symptoms. Actual volumes may be lower depending on the progression of the pandemic. Different eligibility criteria may be applied that would also reduce the figures. These figures should not be shared with anybody who is not part of either an expression of interest (EOI) or a bid for this work. Therefore, we are asking suppliers to submit an EOI if they are:
1) able to robustly meet all their prescription nominations in the first instance (i.e. able to easily handle their BAU); and
2) meet the aforementioned delivery demand, be able to ramp up their capacity to meet this demand in a given timeframe or, if not all of it, state the proportion you would be able to be meet so we can make an overall assessment of the sector’s ability to deliver this requirement.
In order to distribute these medicines in accordance with the treatment protocols established in the Covid-19 clinical trials, these medicines may need to be re-packaged down from their manufactured packs to a size that equates to a single treatment course. Even if they don’t need to be re-packaged, with the patient information included, they will need to be labelled for individual patient use. With the new label on the pack, they will then need to be distributed throughout the UK to patients who have been identified by NHS 111 or NPFS as needing the medicine to treat their symptoms (i.e. they are thought, after clinical assessment, to likely be suffering from Covid-19). This contract is intended to be used for the UK’s response to Covid-19 and beyond and will therefore last for 12 months from September 2020 with an option to extend for up to an additional 12 months.
The contract agreement would be for the benefit of the contracting authority, NHS bodies and other public bodies responsible for delivery of health-related services in the United Kingdom including, without limitation, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and Scottish Ministers, other government departments and non-department public bodies. Although DHSC are issuing a PIN, this is in no way a commitment to proceed with a procurement, it is merely an indication that the Department would like to engage with the market around a potential specification. The expression of interest (EOI) needs to be returned via the Atamis system within 7 days of this PIN being issued. To be clear, the deadline for the EOI is: Thursday 30 July 2020. In providing an EOI, we request you identify the names and contact details, of the individuals who will attend the market engagement sessions. The engagement with the market will take the form of a one-to-one call with suppliers who provide an EOI and maintain an ability to meet the reasonable worst-case scenario figures. If more than 7 suppliers submit an EOI, we will set-up an initial webinar to take suppliers through the requirement and the key questions. The date and time for this webinar will be confirmed once we have received responses to the PIN. To organise a webinar, we will send details out to the contacts identified in the EOI. By attending any pre-market engagement with DHSC, you agree that you will be bound by a non-disclosure agreement. You also agree that records of conversations and Q&As may be kept in order to ensure a clearly auditable decision-making trail and for FOI requests.