Blood Sample Analysis - Soft Market Testing 2023

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS FOR SOFT MARKET TESTING PURPOSES ONLY**

University of Essex is seeking to engage with a supplier to support our plans to analyse blood from members of a general population sample of the UK. The basic requirements are that the supplier:

1. Receives a weekly secure data-flow from Kantar Public, containing the name, address, and a unique identifier of a participant of Understanding Society, who has agreed to have this information passed on.

2. Posts out a kit to eligible participants, with a unique barcode, to enable them to take a capillary blood sample, and to return it to the laboratory through the post. The recipients will be based across the UK. The outer packaging will have a clearly identifiable UN Hazard Logo (UN3373). The kit should contain everything needed to collect the capillary blood samples. It should also include instructions, a covering letter from the study, and the necessary packaging to return the sample through the post. The number of participants will vary each week, depending on uptake rates, but we estimate around 10,000 kits will be sent out across the 30 months of the project. Interviews numbers are higher in the first year of the project with a mop up period in the 3rd year. Given this, we estimate 950 kits may be required per month at the start of the project and only 60 in the last few months.

3. Analyses the blood to provide a range of analytes. Provides to industry standards, and provides information on the quality of the samples and results.

4. Uploads to a secure portal the results of the blood analysis connected to the unique identifier of the participant. Turnaround time between receiving the sample and uploading the results should be no longer than 2 weeks.

5. Aliquots and freezes blood for transfer to long term storage.