Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reasons are for the time her Department's tendering process has taken for testing cattle for tuberculosis.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra Network Procurement followed the procurement process defined in the Public Contract Regulations 2006 amended 2009.
To ensure that all tenderers had sufficient knowledge and information relating to the tender, five supplier engagement days were held in both Wales and England for all registered interested parties. These were held in September 2013, April 2014 and May 2014, which helped the Authority to finalise the contract specification.
In response to feedback from the veterinary profession, the tendering period of the procurement was extended from the normal period of 40 days to 60 days. The Invitation to Tender was published on 7 July 2014.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent timetable her Department has set for the tendering process for testing cattle for tuberculosis.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has signed contracts with the two Delivery Partners for Wales and anticipates these services going live in April 2015. We are currently handling a legal challenge to the award of contracts in England and until such time as this has been resolved no timetable to the commencement of the service for England is available.
Until such time as Defra is able announce details on the commencement of the service for England, the current arrangements for TB testing will continue, where testing is carried out by either an official veterinarian (under the direction of the Animal and Plant Health Agency {APHA}), or a member of APHA staff.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what fees her Department has proposed for veterinarians who bid successfully in the tendering process for testing for tuberculosis in cattle.
Answered by George Eustice
Details of the fees payable by the successful bidders are subject to commercial confidentiality and not shared. Redacted copies of the awarded contracts will be available on Contracts Finder once these have been awarded. However, within the Invitation to Tender documentation it was clear that Defra was seeking the ability to deliver a consistent quality assured service, which would be important in identifying successful suppliers. Other factors, including the provision of a locally responsive service and the use of small businesses which otherwise support a sustainable livestock farming industry and wider rural economy, would also be important whilst cost would still be a factor. Tenderers were invited to submit tenders for each Geographical Lot based on their fees not exceeding the annual reference value of each the Geographical Lots (2013/14) and, in three Geographical Lots, the estimated value of the Total Reference Value less 10%.
Asked by: Sarah Wollaston (Liberal Democrat - Totnes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to keep veterinarians informed on the timetable of her Department's tendering process for testing cattle for tuberculosis.
Answered by George Eustice
Since the new model for the supply of veterinary services was announced in July 2013, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) (previously the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency) has continuously provided detailed information and progress updates through the APHA website, regular Official Veterinarian (OV) newsletter and in specific letters and briefings sent directly to OVs. This information was also provided to veterinary professional bodies such as the British Veterinary Association (BVA), the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). APHA provided open fora in both Builth Wells (Wales) and Weybridge (England) in September and October 2013.
An Invitation to Tender was published on 9 July 2014 which included a timetable leading to the announcement on contract awards in January 2015. To further aid potential suppliers, two further clarification days were held in Builth Wells and Weybridge in July and August 2014.
On 6 January 2015, prior to the award of contracts for veterinary services, APHA wrote to the BVA, BCVA and RCVS, to update them on the award process and timescales involved. On 27 January, APHA informed professional bodies and OVs of the award of contracts in Wales and will now work with the contractors to inform veterinarians in Wales of the transitional timetable and arrangements. APHA is not yet in a position to award contracts in England, as this is dependent on the outcome of an ongoing legal process, but has reaffirmed its commitment to providing ongoing information and support to the veterinary profession.