Stockpile resilience for the supply of Enteral Feed and Consumables for COVID-19 Patients

Stockpile resilience for the supply of Enteral Feed and Consumables for COVID-19 Patients.

Four contracts awarded in preparation for the expected Winter/Spring surge in COVID-19 hospital ICU admissions.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has (on behalf of NHS bodies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) awarded four contracts in preparation for the expected Winter/Spring surge in COVID-19 hospital ICU admissions. The aim was to create a stockpile of Enteral Feed and the associated consumables needed to administer the feed into patients, ensuring a continuity of supply of these essential life-saving products.

These four contracts were awarded to the following organisations:

• Abbott Laboratories Limited;
• Fresenius Kabi Ltd;
• Nutricia Ltd;
• Nutricia Ireland Ltd

The specific goods include:

• Enteral water,
• High protein enteral tube feed
• Enteral pumps specifically compatible for giving these specific goods.

The aggregated maximum value of this contract's initial term is estimated to be £5,412,000.00 + VAT. The volumes identified are based on clinically identified and validated assumptions.

The four Contracts commenced 1st October 2020 and expire on 30th June 2021 and contain an option to extend to a maximum of 30 June 2022 (in order to respond to further waves and surges) to a maximum of £11,711,998.

Each hospital across these NHS bodies have pre-existing contracts in place for the same product ranges procured under these contracts, with the awarded suppliers. These NHS Bodies have pre-existing capital equipment installed for the purpose of administering enteral feed to patients under their care. The manufacturer of that capital equipment also supplies the enteral feed and the associated consumables to be used with their equipment. The feed and consumables required as part of this stockpile are tied to the manufacturer of installed capital equipment (i.e., one manufacturer's feed or consumables is not compatible with another manufacturer's equipment). All of these products have been clinically accepted at each organisation, and the staff have already been trained on their appropriate use. DHSC has awarded contracts to three manufacturers whose installed capital equipment base provides coverage across the majority of the NHS bodies, to ensure sufficient volume of the enteral feed and consumables products.

Each awarded supplier is required to: manufacture above their annual Business As Usual (BAU) volumes of products; store and manage a stockpile of those products; and distribute through each NHS bodies established procurement and logistics routes. DHSC is not purchasing the stock up front - this will be purchased by the NHS in their usual way. However, any unsold above BAU products remaining at the end of the contract will be bought by DHSC, allowing DHSC to ensure the NHS has available sufficient volume of product available when needed.