Logistics and Warehouse Support for Covid-19 Vaccination Programme

On behalf of the NHS England and Improvement (the "Authority"), NHS Arden and GEM Commissioning Support Unit (AG CSU) invited suitably qualified, licensed and experienced service providers to submit their bids for providing warehousing and logistics services appropriate for the storage and handling of vaccines, which currently are expected to include Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) materials and other associated materials.

Please see section “II.2.4 - Description of the procurement” for further information regarding this opportunity.

As part of the NHS Response to the Covid-19 pandemic a Vaccine delivery unit was established to design & implement a solution for the deployment of vaccines. As part of that solution a warehousing & logistics service was established to handle and deliver Covid -19 vaccines to designated sites, which has contributed to the success of the vaccine programme. The Authority has looked to the future and the requirements for warehouse and logistics services to continue this good work. Therefore, AGCSU on behalf of the Authority invited suitably qualified, licensed and experienced service providers to submit bids for providing warehousing and logistics services appropriate for vaccines and other associated materials.

The key objective of this procurement were to select a service provider(s) to provide:

• Safe, effective and appropriate storage/warehousing for vaccines, which will include for vaccines with Ultra Low Temperature handling characteristics and associated consumables
• Safe, effective and appropriate distribution of vaccines with varying handling characteristics and associated consumables materials to multiple designated delivery sites; and
• Appropriate equipment for the storage and distribution of vaccines and associated consumables. It should be noted that the Authority may provide FOC the ULT freezers

The Procurement is to award two contracts for a period of 12 months with the option to extend by two separate periods of up to 6-months each. The successful bidder(s) will be responsible for providing the Services across England whereby there will be a split of volume and activity on an East & West Split (with an extra split of the London region of 50/50).

The Authority is appointing 2 Providers for these Services. Whilst each Provider will be required to provide the Services on a national basis if required by the Authority, it is the Authority's intention that the Providers will provide Services on a regional split basis, with one Provider providing Services and delivering vaccines to the east of England with the other Provider providing Services and delivering vaccines to the west of England.

It should be noted that any service may be subject to variation during its term, which will be dictated by the emerging science and policy changes. Such variation may include but not be limited to:

• Approval of new vaccines that may require handling based on the individual vaccine handling characteristic or requirements for joint-vaccination with other vaccines
• Changes to the profile of eligible cohorts to receive the vaccine, which may increase/decrease the volume of vaccines to be handled and distributed and the designated sites to which deliveries will be required
• Increases in the type and number of and type of vaccine consumables
• Requirement for IT integration to the Successful Bidders systems to enable automation of vaccine orders by designated sites ‘Pull delivery model’ and include automated operation and performance reporting.

The actual volumes of vaccine and type is not yet fully known and therefore any volumes or costs estimates may change during the contract period. However, for the purpose of pricing the Authority provided an estimated value for the initial period of each contract at approximately £6.8M (excluding VAT) and was based on best estimated of volumes contain in the scenario in the ITT for the initial 12-month contract period.

NHS England and NHS Improvement will be the contracting and commissioning authority for the contract resultant from this procurement and the contract will be held between them and the successful bidder(s).

The successful provider commenced mobilisation from November 2021 and services were fully operational and providing services from December 2021. Additional information: Price weight (15%) is based on 7.5% for East & 7.5% West

Potential bidders registered with NHS AG CSU's e-procurement portal, for access to the following web link: https://uk.eu-supply.com/login.asp?B=agcsu and search for reference number 45217

All information relating to this procurement will be available at the above described e-procurement web portal.