The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (hereafter "THL" or "Customer") requests your tender for Sampling device for collecting buccal epithelial cells for human identification (hereafter "buccal swabs").
The contract period is about two years. The procurement contains two option years to extend the contract. The Customer can extend the contract one or two years at a time.
Estimated quantity for the procurement (including options) is 56 000 buccal swabs.
The contract will be awarded to one Supplier based on a comparison of tenders. Tender that is economically the most advantageous will win the competition.
Please note that all times given in the Call for tender refer to local time in Finland.
Tender annexes:
Annex 1 Contract
Annex 2 JYSE 2014 Supplies (Updated April 2017) (link)
Annex 3 Handi Service
The Forensic Genetics Unit uses buccal swabs for collecting buccal epithelial cells for forensic genetic examinations. The samples are further processed for production of DNA-profiles; based on the analysis of these profiles forensic examination reports are issued for official purposes e.g. in paternity or family reunification cases.
A great majority of the samples are collected by untrained amateurs (also from newborn babies), which sets technical demands for the swabs. The samples are not stored in the sampling place, but instead they are mailed upon collection to the laboratory analyzing the samples. The delivery time of taken samples can be several days or even months.
Here, we take that a swab consists of a brush (the actual sampler), which is connected to a handle by a shaft. The brush and the shaft need to be protected by a holster.
The subject of procurement and the mandatory requirements relating to it are described in detail in this Call for Tender and its Annexes. The contract will be awarded to one Supplier based on a comparison of tenders. Tenders will be compared in the manner described in section "Grounds for decision" of the Call for Tender.
The procurement contains two one-year option periods to extend the contract for the periods 2023 and 2024. Estimated quantity for one option period is 14 000 buccal swabs. The Customer can extend the contract one year at a time. The Customer will supply a written notification before the end of the previous contract period.