Agenda item

Report CS16037

The Portfolio Holder presented a report seeking permission to approve call-off for two contracts from the Public Health Agreement Framework for Category I: Point of Care Testing Service to Support the NHS Health Checks Programme, and Category L: Laboratory Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infection.

The Public Health Framework was put in place in April 2014 following a full tender exercise and approval from the Council’s Executive for Framework arrangements, and was subsequently approved for extension to 31^st March 2018.  Following transfer of Public Health duties to the Local Authority on 1^st April 2013, the contracts for Category I: Point of Care Testing Service to Support the NHS Health Checks Programme and Category L: Laboratory Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infection were awarded to the existing providers through a direct call-off from the Framework for a period of one year from 1^st April 2015 to 31^st March 2016 with an optional extension of one year.

Alere Ltd was the existing provider of Point of Care Testing to Bromley, and delivered an efficient and high quality service which was trusted by GPs to provide accurate results.  The Commissioner was satisfied that Alere remained the best option to ensure the key outcomes of each contract continued to be achieved and was therefore seeking an exemption from tendering and permission to grant a new contract.  As Alere Ltd was the only provider of this service appointed to the Public Health Framework Agreement, it was proposed to directly call-off this contract from the Framework and approve the award of the contract to Alere Ltd for a period of one year from 1^st April 2016 to 31^st March 2017, with an optional extension of one year. 

Two providers were appointed to the Framework with regard to Laboratory Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infection, however The Doctor’s Laboratory was the only provider in the Framework that could satisfactorily demonstrate the capacity and capability to offer tests that covered all six common Sexually Transmitted Infections and which offered an end-to-end service of dispatching internet orders to processing the test with results notification.  The Doctors Laboratory had consistently performed to the standard and quality required by the Local Authority and offered value for money for the proposed service provision.  Consideration was being given to the potential of a joint procurement process with Greenwich and Bexley for an end-to-end process for laboratory testing, with a new contract expected to be in place before April 2017.  It was therefore recommended to directly call-off this contract from the Framework and approve the award of the contract to the Doctor’s Laboratory for a period of one year from 1^st April 2016 to 31^st March 2017, with an optional extension of one year if the re-procurement did not take place within the given timeline.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

1)  Call-off the contract for Point of Care Testing Service to Support the NHS Health Checks Programme and approve the award of contract to Alere Ltd for a period of one year from 1^st April 2016 to 31^st March 2017 with an optional extension of one year, with authority to extend the contract delegated to the Chief Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Care Services.

2)  Call-off the contract for Laboratory Testing for sexually transmitted infection and approve the award of contract to The Doctors Laboratory for a period of one year from 1^st April 2016 to 31^st March 2017 with an optional extension of one year, with authority to extend the contract delegated to the Chief Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Care Services.