Regular Asymptomatic Testing in NI Special Educational Needs Schools

CPV: Health services

Procedure method

Negotiated without publication of a contract notice

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)

Procurement category

Services

Notice status

Awarded

Procurement threshold

Unspecified in notice

Regulatory regime

Standard

Commercial structure

Stand-alone contract (no framework)

Competition type

Competitive procedure

GPA / WTO covered

Yes (GPA)

Recurring procurement

Unspecified in notice

First published

29 Jan 2021, 16:08 GMT

Last source update

29 Jan 2021, 16:08 GMT

FTS notice number

2021/S 000-001871

Classification (CPV)

Health services

Delivery area

00

Official registry OCID

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Why no open competition

The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons; Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority/entity and in accordance with the strict conditions stated in the directive

Published justification

The weekly asymptomatic testing service of 10,000 special school staff (teaching, non-teaching and ancillary) and students with special educational needs is urgently required due to the emergency situation regarding Covid-19 within Special Educational Needs schools in Northern Ireland and will ensure that these schools can remain open during the current period of restrictions. The service will run in all 39 Special Educational Needs schools within Northern Ireland from February 2021 to the end of June 2021.

The samples will be tested using the direct LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) method as this is a viable and readily available deliverable method and is less invasive for children in Special Educational Needs schools and therefore uptake is likely to be maximised and testing objectives met.

Queen’s University Belfast is part of the UK national plan for testing and is the only laboratory that is accredited within Northern Ireland to provide all elements of the testing service including the requirement for the testing to be turned around with results within several hours.

The aim of this service is to find asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases so they can be isolated along with their contacts, therefore reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the school settings, and consequently the wider community.

Special Educational Needs schools are remaining open during the current period of restrictions, and while children, even those with significant underlying medical conditions, do not generally become very unwell if they contract COVID-19, some children in Special Educational Needs schools have extremely complex medical needs and all possible steps must be taken to protect them from COVID-19. Any infection can be serious for them as their baseline condition is so fragile.

The provision of this service will also contribute to reducing the rate of infections in Special Educational Needs Schools as regular testing will identify cases either before they are symptomatic, or asymptomatic cases, allowing immediate self-isolation, thereby reducing the potential for wider transmission, both within the school and in the contact groups of pupils and staff.

• Queens University BelfastAwarded supplier University Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT7 1NNContact emailShow contact details

No document links were published on the notice.