Consultancy Services

Through its large team of experienced forensic staff, project consultants and partner scientists, Cellmark delivers a range of forensic consultancy services to police and government agencies in the UK and overseas. In addition to laboratory design and building project consultancy, we offer bespoke forensic training packages in a number of scientific disciplines, as well as training, mentoring and support in achieving ISO quality accreditation.

Revolutionising Laboratory Design

More than a decade ago Cellmark revolutionised the way that forensic laboratories were designed and built in the UK by introducing clean-room technology to assist with contamination control and to support the use of high sensitivity DNA analysis techniques.

Our facilities comprise 9,000m² of total floor space including 3,500m² of laboratories. Our laboratories include seven different forensic cleanroom laboratory suites comprising 47 cleanroom laboratories, 17 GLP laboratories and two containment laboratories with level 2 and level 3 capability. Each laboratory facility is designed for business continuity with suitable UPS and generator supplies installed where necessary.

Infrastructure Consultancy - Laboratories

Cellmark offers extensive experience of constructing high specification forensic laboratories suitable for the delivery of ISO 17025 accredited evidence recovery and the provision of a range of forensic analytical services including high sensitivity DNA analysis. This covers the planning and design stage, project management (both onsite and remote) of the facilities installation, the commissioning of HVAC air handling systems, IT infrastructure and laboratory equipment, testing and validation sign-off for laboratory use, plus ongoing maintenance and monitoring to ensure that the facilities remain within specification.

Infrastructure Consultancy - Systems

We provide in-country consultancy for the selection and implementation of forensic laboratory and National DNA database software. Through our UK Software Development partner and our own IT Systems Support and Programming teams we can provide consultancy for software selection, implementation and development as well as user training. DNA database solutions may be for intelligence, crime investigation, Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), missing persons, the protection of vulnerable people or for staff elimination purposes.

Infrastructure Consultancy - Accreditation

Cellmark’s forensic DNA service was first accredited to ISO 17025 in 2000, and we have continued to extend the scope of accreditation as new services have been developed and introduced. Cellmark’s extensive ISO 17025 scope of accreditation for forensic laboratory services (including DNA analysis) is detailed on the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) website (Lab No. 2045).

We hold accreditation/certification to ISO 17020 (Forensic Analysis at Crime Scenes); ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System); ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management); ISO 27001:2013 (Information Security Management); and Cellmark has been an accredited supplier of DNA profiles to the UK’s National DNA Database (NDNAD) since 1998.

With a strong history of quality accreditation, Cellmark has an experienced Quality Management Team who provide training and consultancy and who have been successfully involved in projects both in the UK and overseas to support the achievement of ISO 17025 accreditation. We provide assessment advice, quality management training, QMS and procedure review, as well as ISO 17025

History of forensic laboratory construction:

2004	DNA Crime Scene Stain laboratory
2005	High throughput DNA reference laboratory (mouth swab)
2006	Specialist high sensitivity DNA facility
2006	Design and oversight of 1,850m2 laboratory build
2007	Forensic Casework search laboratories
2009	Forensic Casework search laboratories
2010	Chemistry and microscope laboratories
2010	Chemistry and biology search laboratories
2010	Forensic Casework search laboratories
2011	Toxicology lab build and additional search capacity
2011	Forensic Casework search laboratories and SEM room
2012	Forensic chemistry search laboratories
2013	Forensic consultancy, design and validation for British Army
2014	Forensic reagent manufacturing and chemistry search laboratories
2015	International forensic consultancy, design and training project
2018	DNA Crime Scene Laboratory at the EMSOU Arrow Centre
2019	DNA Crime Scene Laboratory at Cellmark’s Chorley laboratory