Norway – Veterinary services – Intention notice - procurement of clinical veterinary duty services and day practice for production animals and horses.

In accordance with the Animal Health Personnel Act § 3a, the municipalities have a requirement to ensure satisfactory access to services from animal health personnel, as well as responsibility for organising clinical veterinary duty outside ordinary working hours. The scheme shall ensure that clinical guard services are established for veterinary surgeons in all parts of the country so that the necessary veterinary help can be provided outside ordinary working hours. The duty scheme applies from 16.00-08.00 on weekdays and on weekends and on public holidays. The veterinary duty is a necessary part of the stand-by against serious infectious animal diseases and it is important for maintaining good animal welfare. Emphasis is put on the fact that the veterinary surgeons included in the duty scheme have overall responsibility for the coordination of the veterinary duty that involves small animals and production animals. Harstad municipality intends to enter into a contract for veterinary duty services in the duty district, which includes Harstad, Kvæfjord, Tjeldsund and Evenes municipalities. Harstad municipality intends, thus, to enter into a contract with the veterinary company Meike and Kent AS, c/o veterinary surgeon Meike,, as well as the company Vet i Nord AS c/o Nina Munch Lerke (org. no. 931 369 978) applicable veterinary duty scheme for large animals. The contracts will cover 50% of the duty scheme outside ordinary opening hours and 100% of day practice. The contract will be signed without a competition and a voluntary notice of intent. Several conversations and meetings with the market have been held to map out possible competition. As the market appears today, there is a lack of competition in the current area. Based on supplier mapping, we know at the current time who will submit a tender. In order to ensure veterinary duty, tenderers cooperate on covering the guards. It will therefore not be effective use of time and resources if a competition is held for the current area, cf. the objective provisions in the Public Procurement Regulations § 1. The value of the contract is estimated to be just under NOK 1 million per annum. The contract will be valid for 5 years, with an option for 1+1 year, with a mutual notice of 3 months.