A UK-based health monitoring and screening provider needed to build PCR diagnostic capacity fast, under intense pressure. Vertage took ownership end to end, standing up a national laboratory network and mobilizing the specialists to run it.
The provider needed to build and scale PCR diagnostic capability at pace, with no laboratory network yet in place.
Vertage sourced, fitted out and launched multiple lab sites, mobilized analytical teams and coordinated the roll-out with the client.
The client became a premium diagnostics provider, scaling to 350 staff across 18-plus sites with year-one ISO accreditation.
A UK-based health monitoring and screening provider needed to build PCR diagnostic capability and scale it fast, in response to a sudden, large-scale surge in demand for testing (the COVID pandemic). The provider had to move from a standing start to a working national testing operation in a matter of months, then keep pace as demand kept climbing.
Requirements kept shifting, the timeline was shrinking and every part of the build competed for the same scarce resources. Finding and launching new laboratory premises, recruiting scientists with the right skills, and sourcing specialist equipment each presented a considerable barrier. Any one of them could have slowed the whole program.
Vertage took ownership of several parallel workstreams at once: sourcing, fitting out and launching multiple new laboratory sites; running a recruitment campaign to build and mobilize analytical teams; and working with the client's scientific leads to coordinate roll-out and manage operational performance.
Experienced laboratory operations and project management professionals scouted existing lab facilities and alternative commercial space across every region, secured lease agreements, managed design and build, and drew on a deep industry network to source and commission infrastructure and equipment.
In parallel, a dedicated team of Regional Lab Managers worked alongside specialist recruiters to build a flexible team of sample technicians, assay scientists and senior analysts, capable of handling the full workflow from sample receipt to result confirmation, while giving the client visibility and control throughout.
Centralized Training and Technical Managers, based at a purpose-built facility, supported QA/QC, ISO accreditation and protocol development, keeping quality high and the operation ready to respond as requirements changed.
Through detailed reporting and close collaboration, Vertage delivered a network of fixed and mobile testing facilities quickly and at pace, so the client could launch new services and act on new opportunities as they emerged.
With Vertage, the client quickly positioned itself as a premium provider of diagnostic services to sectors including defense, elite sport, and TV and film. The operation grew to 350 scientific staff across more than 18 locations, capable of fast-turnaround PCR testing anywhere in the world.
By prioritizing quality and building in resilience and training from the outset, the expanded organization secured ISO accreditation within year one, ready to pivot back toward wider health screening and diagnostics as demand shifted.
The network, the trained teams and the accreditation became a platform the client could keep building on, long after the initial push.
