Provision of Facilities for Human Challenge Characterisation Study

10 Pond Street
London
NW3 2QG
GB

Companies House number: RC000475

£3,660,117

No

No

• Services Agreement - [REDACTED].pdf
• Signed contract

This contract is for research laboratory services. The benefits of the contract do not accrue exclusively to HMG but to the scientific and academic communities more widely. It is excluded from the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 by application of regulation 14.

The authority considered and approached a number of alternative facility providers; however, none indicated that it would be capable of providing a facility that met the contracting authority's containment requirements in time for the characterisation study to commence in January 2021. The closest alternative to supplier would have delayed the commencement of the characterisation study by a period of approximately 6 months, potentially prolonging the public health and economic consequences of the pandemic.

Having conducted technical and market analysis, the contracting authority concluded that the Royal Free facility is the only facility available that meets the Authority's technical specification for containment with the required number of beds at the time it is required. The Royal Free facility meets the Authority's requirements with minor modifications and is available from the end of November 2020 to allow for preparations for the January 2021 start date of the characterisation study.

The contracting authority requires the facility to be available for preparatory works advance of the characterisation study to commencing in January 2021. This is because the resultant vaccine challenge studies are a crucial element of its strategy to bring about an end to the public health and economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. January 2021 is the earliest date that good manufacturing practice virus and an approved study protocol will be available to commence a characterisation study in order to enable vaccine challenge studies to commence in May 2021. It is an essential requirement, therefore, that the facility is available before the end of November 2020.