Express Freight Service

Tender description

The Express Freight Service (EFS) forms part of the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC's) National Supply Disruption Response, which is part of the multi-layered approach to help mitigate the impact of disruption to supply of medicines, medical products & ancillary health services. The EFS was originally designed to help mitigate disruption in the event of a no deal exit from the EU and has since been used as part of COVID 19 response arrangements when all other options have been exhausted. It is DHSC's intention to re-procure a similar service to ensure continued contingency in case of any unforeseen event. The new solution is designed to incorporate all 3 current services into one agile solution. The key elements of the new service will include: - continuity of flow to and from the UK (mainly from Europe but with capability to extend its reach globally); flexibility & responsiveness; value for money. Lot 1: The service requirement is for a managed service to provide access to a Premium freight service for the transportation of medicines, medical products, and any related ancillary health services. The service will be available for use by Crown Bodies and Crown Dependencies utilising any mode of transport subject to these being compatible with the transit timescale requirements, conditions of carriage, and the effective mitigation of foreseeable disruption to services. The nature of the majority of goods for which the Authority wishes to facilitate transport for will be standard, non-temperature controlled, non-hazardous and require no extra security measures. The Provider will also be expected to handle the following goods: • active temperature-controlled products(e.g. Frozen below -15 °C; Chilled or refrigerated 2 to 8°C; Cold/Cool 8-15°); • controlled drugs – which will require compliance with Home Office requirements in relation to their storage and transit; and • medicines – where compliance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) is required. And provide access to a Specials delivery service. “Specials” meaning anything outside of a standard parcel or pallet dimension and/or requires specialised conditions of carriage, which include: • time sensitive shipments (e.g. within24hrs); • substances of human origin (e.g. blood cell cultures, human tissues and organs); • hazardous materials - being any item or agent (biological, chemical, radiological and/or physical) which has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals or the environment, either by itself or through interaction with other factors (such as but not limited to: - medical gases; radioactive isotopes and flammable liquids; • Oversize Products; and • Half and full trailer load deliveries To note: The stated contract value in this notice is the cost of mobilisation and the total management fee payable by the Authority for the duration of the contract. This cost does not include payments that will be made directly by suppliers for use of the express delivery network. The anticipated value of direct payments by suppliers for use of the network is unknown and impossible to predict as this solution is purely for contingency. For this reason, we have separated the managed service element (control tower) which continues to be paid for the duration of the contract, from the supplier service charge which is paid directly by the supplier for usage of the service volume of service is based on unforeseen events.