CBC Building - Filton

This contract is subject to a Voluntary Transparency (Directive 2014/23/EU). Published Identifer: 2021/S 000-018203.

The new CBC facility is complex in design and engineering which requires a specialist service provider to maintain the validated status of the facility for NHS Blood and Transplant's MHRA license. The supplier who has been awarded this contract were part of the design and completed the build, they have the necessary expertise, skills, and knowledge to undertake these activities in a competent manner.

The maintenance contract incorporates specialist services that must be provided by third parties as there is currently no in house expertise including the building and environmental monitoring systems, water plant, production gas systems and clean room requalification services. The service provider must have the necessary knowledge to be able to manage, coordinate and execute these within tight timeframes to limit the downtime of the facility to minimise impact to NHS Blood and Transplant production schedules.

The successful Supplier is able to manage all of these activities competently on behalf NHS Blood and Transplant to agreed timescales under a single contract in an efficient manner.

To change the service provider would pose a risk to the validity of the warranty of the new facility, if another provider did not follow or maintain the facility in line with the conditions of the warranty. Any change of provider will have to be managed carefully to ensure that critical aspects of the maintenance are undertaken by a provider who has been trained by the incumbent Supplier and can demonstrate the necessary competencies.

NHS Blood and Transplant have undertaken benchmarking of the maintenance agreement pricing and concluded that the pricing is comparable to the market price.

There are clear benefits for continuing to maintain the facility with the initial design and build company over the term in order to maximise the life of the new facility.