This week, BIVDA released our much-anticipated White Paper examining the UK Government’s procurement of COVID-19 tests, written by Dr Luke Butler of the University of Nottingham.
BIVDA felt strongly that a comprehensive examination of the Government’s Covid-19 test procurement strategy was needed to accurately catalogue the events of this particular aspect of the pandemic. This could then be used as a springboard to better understand what challenges were faced and therefore what could be improved in future to ensure thorough pandemic preparedness and closer engagement between Government and industry.
Discoveries from the research reflected the frustration that many of our members experienced during the pandemic – notably that the Government were reliant upon a high number of direct awards to select companies, while imposing a higher regulatory burden upon remaining companies. This limited market access to established suppliers who have provided diagnostics to the NHS over many years, including several of our members.
Additionally, we hope that this White Paper will help the Government to evaluate the impact their decisions have upon business. Complex legislation requires transparency and guidance to support it, as not everyone can be experts. However, if legislation must be complex, then the processes and support available for those operating within it, both in the public sector and industry, must be sufficiently simple and clear to deliver the intended outcomes.
A wider understanding of the sector overall and the consequences of decisions are not insignificant, and BIVDA advocates engagement with trade bodies across their expertise to support, guide and assist with the alignment needed in all situations, not only in emergency circumstances.
The paper can be read here and BIVDA’s press release can be viewed here.
