Published date: 18 April 2023

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 1 March 2021, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Health services - 85100000

Location of contract

LS2 7UE

Value of contract

£1,500,000

Procurement reference

CF-0408300D0O000000rwimUAA

Published date

18 April 2023

Closing date

1 March 2021

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

1 April 2021

Contract end date

31 March 2023

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Single tender action (below threshold)

A direct contract with a single supplier, without competition.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

No

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

Current Arrangements / Context
Building on the 100,000 Genomes Project and existing genetic services, In October 2018 NHS England announced the launch of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) which will be mobilised as part of a transition period to take place over 18 months. The long term aims of the Genomic Medicine Service are to:

o Provide consistent and equitable care for England's 55 million population
o Operate to common national standards, specifications and protocols
o Deliver to a single national genomic testing directory - covering use of all technologies from single gene to whole genome sequencing initially for rare disease and cancer
o Give all patients the opportunity to participate in research (for individual benefit and to inform future care)
o Build a national genomic knowledge base providing real world data

This procurement relates to external quality assurance of the samples and the DNA material taken at NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs as part of the new Genomic Medicine Service. Such sequencing requires high quality DNA and to ensure these samples are provided by the NHS Genomic Medicine Centres (GMCs), a range of external quality assessment (EQA) schemes are required. An assured lab network of GLHs will provide the required assurance to the wider GMS (including for clinical genetics services and Genomic Medicine Centres established as part of the 100,000 Genomes Project).

The quality assurance measures are concentrated on 5 major areas. NHS England are obligated to provide a quality assurance service to ensure samples collected are of high enough quality to extract a full genome.

The required EQA service is as follows:
• EQA for DNA extraction from blood samples
• EQA for DNA extraction for formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue samples
• EQA for the measurement of DNA quality
• EQA for the assessment of tumour content and cellularity
• EQA for the National Genomic Testing Directory

More information

Previous notice about this procurement

Genomics Unit - National External Quality Assessment Service (NEQAS)

  • Awarded contract
  • Published 11 October 2021

Attachments

Award information

Awarded date

13 July 2021

Contract start date

1 April 2021

Contract end date

31 March 2023

Total value of contract

£1,500,000

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Lothian Health Board

Address

Waverly Gate 2nd Floor
2-4 Waterloo PLace
Edinburgh EH1 3EG

Reference

None

Supplier is SME?

Yes

About the buyer

Contact name

Anita Pannu

Address

Quarry House
Leeds
LS2 7UE
GB

Email

anita.pannu@nhs.net