Laboratory services

Tender description

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), Commemorative casework team are responsible for co-ordinating efforts to establish the identity of historic human remains recovered from battlefields and aircraft crash sites involving British service personnel and arranging a fitting burial. DNA analysis may be required to assist with confirming the identities of the remains where other methods have proved inconclusive. Genealogy services may also be required to assist in the identification process. The contract will be for the provision of DNA and Genealogy services. The Contractor must be complaint with the Forensic Science Society, ISO/IEC 17025:2017, ISO9001:2000 or other appropriate equivalent industry standards. The Contractor will be required to: — obtain DNA profiles from remains (usually from teeth or bone samples); — undertake DNA profiling of the Y chromosome, to access the paternal lineage and mitochondrial DNA to determine the maternal lineage of human remains such a as bone and/or tissue samples (within 1 month of receiving a sample for Y and 2 months for mitochondrial); — provide advice on best possible living source of DNA profile for comparison purposes and genealogy if required; — provide DNA sampling kits to individuals who volunteer to provide a sample for comparison purposes; — analyse test results and compare them with the profile obtained from the historic sample; — retest samples at the request of the Authority and make recommendations as to alternative scientific methods to obtain DNA profiles for comparison where said profiles cannot initially be obtained. And produce various reports. The contractor must ensure that remains are handled in accordance with worldwide legislation and regulations, including data protection requirements. The contractor may be required to visit the location (in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa) where the recovered remains are held. The number of cases will vary depending on the number of remains recovered and therefore it is not possible to say how many cases the Authority will require the Contractor to undertake, however as a guide there have been 15 cases in the last 12 months. The contractor will be requested to undertake cases as required on a call- off basis. No business whatsoever is guaranteed under any resulting framework agreement or contract indeed there is no guarantee that any framework agreement or contract will be put in place in relation to this notice. No compensation etc. will be paid if a tender or resulting framework agreement is withdrawn for any reason. Bidders should take part in this process only on the basis that they fully understand and accept this position.