Blood Glucose Meters & Associated Consumables

Concepts

• blood testing reagents
• cardiff
• point of care testing
• supply of blood testing equipment
• glucose meters
• blood glucose meters
• supply of blood glucose
• concentration of glucose
• blood
• consumables

Location

Swansea Bay University Health Board Hospital sites and Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend

Description

Supply of Blood testing equipment (Glucose Meters) & associated consumables (Test-strips), together with EQA & IQA

Total Quantity or Scope

Blood glucose monitoring refers to testing the concentration of glucose in the blood to aid the management of Diabetes types 1 & 2. Similarly, monitoring the presence of ketones in the blood is also important as high levels can result in complications such as Ketoacidosis. This procurement will involve the supply of Blood glucose monitoring equipment (meters) and associated consumables (Test-strips) for the Point of Care Testing (POCT) Service at Swansea Bay University Health Board & Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend. This will be to renew the existing arrangement with Abbott Laboratories for a further two years.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 33696200 - Blood-testing reagents

Legal Justification

The current contract with Abbott Laboratories ended on the 30th September 2021. The Health Board's intention was to enter into a 2 year contract with Abbott Laboratories through a direct award, under the terms of a Public Sector Framework. this would enable sufficient time for NWSSP Shared Services Procurement to undertake a formal market-test exercise, to award a new All Wales Framework in Autumn of 2023. Currently, the Health Board's POCT Service are not able to contemplate an alternative supplier for the reasons outlined below: Within SBU there are 3,279 active operators and the POCT Team also support another 937 on the Princess of Wales site, under the terms of an SLA. The migration of operators to a completely new device would need to be completed on a rolling basis, with full training to every member of staff. The POCT Team are not in a position to support this due to the extra training demands in relation to Covid-19 and clinical areas are finding it difficult to release staff to attend training due to staffing pressures. The current management of testing allows for staff to move flexibly from one area or site to another. During the process of migration, this flexibility will be lost to some degree with some areas using the new meter and other areas using the existing. This could expose the Health Board to risk, given current staffing pressures. Abbott Laboratories have now advised that they are withdrawing from all national framework agreements, for commercial reasons, with immediate effect. Consequently, the opportunity to direct award under the auspices of a Public Sector Framework to Abbott Laboratories is no longer feasible. Therefore, for the reasons outlined above and to ensure continuity of service for patient care, the Health Board has no option but to extend for two years without any formal underpinning Framework. In the interim, the Health Board is committed to the All Wales market test which will come to fruition in Autumn 2023 for a new formal contract for Point of Care Blood Glucose & Ketone Testing.

Other Information

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