HSE 19532 - Multi-Supplier Panel for Sourcing COVID- 19 Swabbing Personnel for HSE Locations under HSE Staff Supervision
The HSE invites tenders from suitably qualified service providers to provide, within specified timeframes, suitably trained and Garda vetted swabbers to work alongside CHO / NAS Teams in c.30 test centres, or any other locations that may be identified from time to time, should a need arise for additional PCR swabbing capacity. These test centres, led by the HSE, will be located one in each county, with two locations in Co. Cork (one city and one county), two in Co. Tipperary and four locations in Co. Dublin (one per local authority area) or any other locations that may be identified from time to time.
The identified personnel will, under the governance of the HSE, provide COVID-19 PCR swabbing and associated administration services at nominated sites identified and prioritised by the HSE. They will, work alongside NAS / CHO staff, and undertake swabbing procedures and associated administration in keeping with the prevailing Health Protection and Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance. They will also prepare samples for dispatch to the designated laboratory. Services will be provided at these locations 7 days per week, between the hours of 8am to 8pm (based on surge demand).
The service provider will be required to be adaptable and flexible in their resource response in line with any evolving needs of the programme. Under this agreement, the successful candidate will be required to rapidly i.e. within 24 hours of the HSE making the request, provide the identified trained swabbing personnel to augment the services at the identified site/s. The HSE will provide the required training in the HSE systems used to manage testing referrals and to track and trace PCR samples.
Successful tenderers will be appointed to a Panel in order to meet the need for such short-term temporary COVID-19 swabbing personnel as part of a temporary/surge/emergency response requirement. The HSE may cancel this competition or, for the avoidance of doubt, any part of the competition at any time prior to a formal written contract being executed by or on behalf of the HSE. The award of a contract does not confer exclusivity on the successful Tenderer.
The estimated potential value of purchases under this panel is €2,000,000.00 (two million Euros) based on requirements for HSE contingency to respond to any possible future requirement to increase testing capacity. The potential total value of the expenditure over an estimated 3-year lifetime of the contract is therefore €6,000,000.00 (six million Euros). Expenditure will be dependent on the number, scale and duration of the surge/emergency response if activated.
The required services are listed as Annex XIV services, and accordingly, only Articles 74 to 77 of Directive 2014/24/EC apply to the award of any contracts that arise from this process. As such, the HSE has some flexibility in conducting the tender process. Notwithstanding this, the HSE intends to conduct this competition in a fair, equitable and transparent manner and in accordance with the methodologies defined in this and the other tender documentation.