Public procurement

Where our life sciences clients are supplying to public sector customers, such as to an NHS body, we provide invaluable advice in helping them navigate through the maze of the public procurement regulations.  When participating in regulated competitive procurement processes, they benefit greatly from our advice on the procurement process and how best to shape their tender so that it scores as high as possible in the competition. Our public procurement specialists can also help suppliers of products or services to the public sector negotiate direct awards within the exemptions from competition that the public procurement regulations provide for.

Recent experience includes:

Biopharmaceutical company

Advising a global biopharmaceutical company on various public procurement matters in relation to its contracts to supply pharmaceutical products to the NHS. This has included advising on NHS frameworks and advising on the client’s rights where a tender has been unsuccessful. We have also provided training to the sales team on how best to respond to public tenders in regulated competitions so as to maximise the tender’s chance of success.

International diagnostics group

Advising an international diagnostics group on a series of directly awarded contracts to supply COVID-19 testing kits and instrument platforms to the UK Department of Health and Social Care.

UK Specialist Hospitals Limited

Advising UK Specialist Hospitals Limited on its bid for a number of contracts to build and operate new treatment centres under the UK Department of Health’s Independent Sector Treatment Centre programme. The contracts included the provision of clinical services in relation to various elective procedures.

Hitachi Europe

Advising Hitachi Europe on its bid in a procurement process run by the Christie NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for a contract to develop a National Proton Beam Therapy Service treating up to 1,500 patients a year over two sites.

Impregilo

Advising Impregilo on its bid to the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust for a PFI project at the Churchill Hospital. The contract included the construction and operation of a 35,000 m2 hospital building, including provision of medical equipment and facilities management services.