The services cover end‑to‑end management of biological samples, including receipt, verification and secure storage in controlled ultra‑low‑temperature environments. Samples are processed through a range of laboratory workflows that include DNA and RNA extraction, quality control testing, normalisation, and preparation for downstream sequencing all delivered on a per‑sample basis, there is no fixed maximum number of samples. Additional activities include aliquoting, pooling, reformatting into required labware, and arranging shipments to designated laboratories. Project‑specific workflows may be developed to meet bespoke requirements.

Procurement Act 2023

Direct award The delivery of services under a new contract with the existing supplier is proposed in accordance with Schedule 5, Paragraph 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, which enables a direct award where a change of supplier would result in incompatible goods or services and where such incompatibility would give rise to disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance. The remaining activity represents a continuation of established work already underway within the programme, and the new contractual arrangement does not introduce any additional or materially altered services. Transitioning to an alternative supplier at this stage would require substantial changes to embedded methodologies, operational processes and systems integration, resulting in significant incompatibilities with the established technical approach. Crucially, a change of supplier would also necessitate the transportation of a substantial volume of biological samples to a new provider. This introduces a material and unacceptable risk of contamination, loss, degradation or compromise of sample integrity, given the heightened handling requirements, increased logistical steps, and the sensitivity of the sample types involved. Such risks would directly threaten the comparability, consistency and scientific validity of programme outputs. Managing these transportation risks-alongside the need to migrate complex datasets, workflows and sample handling processes-would introduce disproportionate technical difficulties, as anticipated under Schedule 5, Paragraph 7, and would undermine the robustness of the study's established operational and analytical frameworks. Maintaining service delivery with the incumbent supplier therefore ensures continuity of technical methodologies, operational processes and quality controls, safeguarding the reliability and stability of the remaining programme work. In these circumstances, awarding a new contract to the existing supplier meets the criteria under Schedule 5, Paragraph 7, as a change in supplier would result in incompatible services and introduce unreasonable and disproportionate technical and logistical difficulties. The direct award is therefore the most appropriate, proportionate and compliant procurement route under the Procurement Act 2023.