The laboratory will place Orchid Cellmark close to its customers in the North West of England and is expected to provide expansion capacity to accommodate the award as well as future growth.
Three-year contracts are expected to be executed shortly for the nine police forces under which Orchid Cellmark will provide forensic services, including DNA testing of database crime scene samples, forensic casework and PACE samples (DNA database samples taken under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act).
David Hartshorne, commercial director of Orchid Cellmark’s UK operation, said: “The new facility will not only allow us to serve customers under the North West/South West and Wales regional tender but also positions the company to address future opportunities.”