Provision of the Armed Forces Compulsory Drug Testing Programme.

Descriptions

Urologist services. The Authority is inviting tenders for the provision of Urine Specimen Analysis and Supporting services to the Armed Forces Compulsory Drug Testing (AFCDT) Programme. The AFCDT programme is designed to reduce the incidence of drug misuse in the Armed Forces by detection and deterrence. Samples are collected by Service Collection Teams and transported to the Contractor's laboratory for them to carry out the analysis. It is estimated that the Contractor will be required to conduct testing on between 100 000 and 120 000 samples per year for a period of 3 years plus a 1 year option, commencing from date of contract award which is expected to be early December 2015. However, the Authority cannot provide guarantees to the number of tests that may be required per year.Batches for analysis range in quantity from a single sample to approximately 1 000; the average batch contains 250 samples. Samples are delivered to the Contactor usually 2 or 3 times a week but this may vary according to demand. The Contractor must be prepared to receive and process consignments outside normal working hours. The Contractor is required to test for a number of drug groups controlled in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and/ or identified in emerging legislation e.g. New Psychoactive Substances. This will include, but not limited to: Amphetamine, Benzodiazepine, Benzoylecgonine, Bufotenin, Heroin, Ketamine, Steroids and THC. The Contractor will be expected to have the ability to screen for additional drug groups in the instance they become controlled substances. There is also a requirement for additional analysis services such as DNA and hair analysis. The Contractor shall also be expected to provide specimen collection kits, provide chain of custody forms, store samples, destroy bio-hazardous waste and deliver training packagesThe Contractor and any sub-contractor employed in the delivery of the contract must have a current UKAS accreditation for urinalysis or accreditation by a body which is a signatory of an equivalent agreement. For clarity this will be the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA), the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) or the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).The Contractor must be able to cope with the impact of changing science and patterns of drug abuse and advise on methods to keep the CDT at the leading edge of occupational drug testing.Expressions of interest to participate in this requirement are to be submitted on the DCO by completing the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ). Details to access the PQQ can be found under ‘Advertising regime DCB’. Interested parties are required to complete the PQQ to provide information that allows the Authority to evaluate the suppliers capacities and capabilities.Note that in accordance with Regulation 53 to PCR 2015 the draft Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents have been made available within the Supportting Documents section of this Notice. Note that the ITT documents are for information purposes only at this stage and, for the avoidance of doubt, not for completion. They may be subject to change prior to formal issue, and only those companies who are deemed successful following a PQQ application will be formally invited to tender at a later date.