The Fleming Fund

Introduction The UK Government has recently announced the development of the Fleming Fund; a high profile programme between £150 - £300 million in Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds over the next five years to support low and middle income countries in improving laboratory capacity and surveillance networks for Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR).

Both the Prime Minister and Chief Medical Officer have announced that tackling Anti-Microbial Resistance both at home and abroad is a key priority and that the UK will help to lead a global challenge on this work.

Drug-resistant infections could kill an extra 10 million people across the world every year by 2050 if they are not tackled.

By this date they could also cost the world around $100 trillion in lost output: more than the size of the current world economy, and roughly equivalent to the world losing the output of the UK economy every year, for 35 years.

Scope The Department of Health is seeking to publish a tender for a management agent to deliver key elements of the Fleming Fund.

The agent will be an organisation or consortia and will manage the programme itself with its country and regional projects.

It is anticipated that the management agent will need to: draw on relevant technical expertise in AMR; manage and monitor multiple country and regional projects around the world; undertake due diligence on country projects; develop evidence briefs aimed at influencing policy and general practice in selected countries; support regional and global data sharing; and directly procure goods and equipment that will help to build laboratory capacity in selected countries.

Pre-procurement engagement In the early stages of developing this programme, the Department of Health will be hosting a pre-procurement engagement event for interested suppliers and those with experience in the field of AMR and/or grant management in low and middle income countries.

The event will test some of the key questions around the scope, challenges, opportunities and potential costs of the fund; as well as discussing in more detail the role and remit of the management agent before this tender is finalised.

The event will form part of a number of engagement activities on this programme.

It is anticipated that during December 2015 and January 2016, the Department will continue to engage with the market, conduct one-to-one's with organisations that express an interest, develop additional information and consult on draft documentation outlining the requirements and these will be published through the Contracts Finder website in due course by updating this notice.

Next steps The supplier engagement event will be held on Thursday 3rd December, 14:30 - 17:30 at the Department of Health, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, SW1A 2NS.

Organisations that have an interest in engaging with the Authority should express an interest via email to FlemingFund@dh.gsi.gov.uk by 12 mid-day on Monday 30th November 2015.