Biomedical equipment

Tender description

DHSC is intending to award a contract for up to 3 months with a potential 3-month extension to LGC Genomics Ltd for the provision of high throughput end point PCR lab equipment with the potential use for the diagnosis of SARSCOV-2 virus. This contract provides for the delivery by LGC, by the end of October 2020, of two Nexar based workflows. DHSC is intending to award a contract for up to 3 months with a potential 3-month extension to LGC Genomics Ltd for the provision of high throughput end point PCR lab equipment with the potential use for the diagnosis of SARSCOV-2 virus. This contract provides for the delivery by LGC, by the end of October 2020, of two Nexar based workflows. LGC will supply an end point PCR workflow capable of processing up to 150 000 SARS CoV-2 samples per day. LGC will create the workflow, incorporating an automated Nexar platform and related equipment at the Lighthouse Lab site in Milton Keynes. The workflow will be set up to determine whether the workflow can establish the presence or absence of SARSCoV-2 via end point PCR from saliva or swab samples at ultra-high throughput scale and the intention is that LGC will secure CE IVD marking for the instruments. A second Nexar workflow will be set up on the same site to act as a development system for future research, tests and study and provide resilience. DHSC has identified that the Nexar platform and related equipment is the only workflow currently available with the immediate potential to meet DHSC's pressing need for the ultra-high throughput of swab or saliva samples on a single platform. The parties have entered into a Letter of Intent in advance of entering into the contract which is purely incidental in order to facilitate the ordering of various equipment in order to meet DHSC’s SARSCOV-2 Testing Programme as set out above. Should the parties be unable to proceed with the award of the contract, then the Letter of Intent shall terminate and DHSC shall reimburse LGC for the irrecoverable costs of the ordered items.