Life Technologies - Provision of Assets for PCR testing

DHSC discharges duties on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health within scope of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004). Lighthouse Laboratories perform approved and accredited PCR testing using Thermo Fisher Scientific instruments. Continued use of this assay ensures interchangeability and interoperability with the existing equipment installations. In response to the recent COVID-19 outbreak and to expand capacity in the existing Lighthouse Lab network, DHSC will purchase RNA extraction and PCR testing robots for automation from Thermo Fisher to ramp up testing. This is a nationwide requirement and will include the purchase of hardware and consumables to support in these unforeseen circumstances. In light of this, DHSC has awarded a direct award under Lot 1 of the PHE Microbiology framework to Thermo Fisher Scientific (Life Technologies) for the provision of robots for use in PCR testing and RNA extraction.