Services in Relation to Management and Tracking of PPE Deliveries and Distribution

Concepts

• management consultancy
• dhsc ppe purchase orders
• provision of consultancy services
• management of the end
• consultancy services
• tracking of ppe deliveries
• management
• distribution
• warehouse distribution centres
• supply chain visibility

Location

London

Geochart for 2 buyers and 1 suppliers

Department of Health & Social Care

One World Global Trade Management

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Leaflet | Map tiles by Stamen Design, under CC BY 3.0. Data by OpenStreetMap, under ODbL.

Description

Contract for the provision of consultancy services in relation to management of the end to end data processes for DHSC PPE purchase orders, managing the supply chain visibility from when purchase orders (PO) are raised, up to and including the receipt of the products at the warehouse distribution centres.

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 79410000 - Business and management consultancy services
• 48000000 - Software package and information systems

Indicators

• Award on basis of price.

Legal Justification

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious infectious respiratory disease and its consequences pose a risk to life. The COVID-19 outbreak is a Public Health Emergency of International Concerns as declared by the World Health Organisation on 30 January 2020. The WHO Director General characterised COVID-19 as a pandemic on 11 March 2020, by this stage Europe was the centre of the pandemic.The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is critical in safeguarding the health and lives of the care professionals treating patients with COVID-19. Delays in the tracking and distribution of PPE poses a risk to life of those on the front line and the likelihood of significantly increased death toll. In April 2020 it became clear that a system was needed in order to track inbound PPE deliveries from across the world which could the provide information to the distribution centre so they know what would be delivered and when. Due to the unprecedented amount of PPE being procured as a result of Covid-19, a procurement following the usual timescales under the PCR 2015, including accelerated options, was impossible. DHSC was under immediate pressure to manage the large volumes of PPE and ensure that these were appropriately distributed across the NHS network to combat the pandemic. A delay in engaging with the market by running a usual procurement process ran the risk of failing to track delivery and distribute the necessary stock of PPE equipment and presenting a significant risk to life.The provision included use of the supplier’s IT tracking system and the staffing support to administer and update the system.The Department for Health and Social Care is satisfied the tests permitting use of the Negotiated procedure without prior publication (Regulation 32(2)(c)) are met:A. As far as is strictly necessary: A system to manage and track PPE was identified as strictly necessary to meet anticipated demand on the NHS during the first wave of cases in the UKB. There are genuine reasons for extreme urgency: It is responding to COVID-19 immediately because of public health risks presenting a genuine emergency.C. The events that have led to the need for extreme urgency were unforeseeable: The Commission itself confirmed: “The current coronavirus crisis presents an extreme and unforeseeable urgency – precisely for such a situation our European rules enable public buyers to buy within a matter of days, even hours, if necessary.” (Commissioner Breton, Internal Market, 01.04.2020).D. It is impossible to comply with the usual timescales in the PCR: There was no time to run an accelerated procurement under the open, restricted or competitive procedures with negotiation that would allow it to secure the provisions of a management system to track PPE as DHSC were already receiving large amounts of PPE stock at rapid rates to protect those on the front line in the NHS. E. The situation is not attributable to the contracting authority: DHSC has not caused or contributed to the Coronavirus crisis, which justifies the need for extreme urgency.