Survey design services

Tender description

Provision of seroprevalence survey services, together with supporting study and analysis. This contract is to provide delivery of all aspects of the field data collection operation for the ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey (CIS) and the schools infections Survey (SIS) throughout the period 14 August 2020 – 31 March 2023. The geographical coverage of CIS shall initially be England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and subsequently Scotland (the Regions). The requirements are summarised as including: • full field force management (including recruitment, training and logistical planning); • a field force of appropriately trained health workers who collect questionnaire data and who collect swab samples, as well as phlebotomists for the collection of blood samples, at a size and geographical distribution necessary to achieve the required weekly testing targets to be monitored at the daily CIS operations meeting; • supply chain management; • sample management system; • data collection system; • appointment scheduling; • end-to-end data flow management; • quality assurance and information security; • respondent contact centre and helpdesk support; • logistics and courier; • the delivery of swab samples for antigen testing; • appropriate handling and delivery of blood samples for antibody testing; • exploration of improvements to response rates and bias; and • delivery of management information. CIS will research Covid-19 infection and transmission within a school setting to ascertain risk factor information, together with virus and antibody samples in a cohort of children and staff. The requirements are summarised as including: • sample testing at points in the academic year; • track attendance patterns, including partial and full school closures over time; • assess what control measures schools are implementing and how they are being implemented; and • in some schools, where there is evidence on potential transmission, undertake detailed outbreak investigations.