Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
Unit D, New Hythe Business Park, Magnitude House, New Hythe Lane
Aylesford
ME20 6WT
Contact
Jo Newton-Smith
Telephone
+44 1622926745
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKJ44 - East Kent
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Health
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Portable Low-Field MRI System
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 33113000 - Magnetic resonance imaging equipment
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust has awarded a contract via a negotiated procedure without prior publication for the provision of a portable low-field (0.064 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The contract will also include associated peripherals, training, support and maintenance services for a period of five (5) years.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £280,000
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 33113100 - Magnetic resonance scanners
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ4 - Kent
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (the "Trust") has awarded a contract for the provision of a portable low-field (0.064 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The contract will also include associated peripherals, training, support and maintenance services for a period of five (5) years commencing on the date of delivery of the products to the agreed final shipping location.
The MRI scanner will be used for the purpose of accelerating and developing local place-based neuroimaging research into the process of assessment and diagnosis of dementia, in which timely access to neuroimaging is frequently a rate-limiting step. The scanner will also be available for researchers addressing other mental health disorders, such as research aligned to the new Kent Complex Psychosis Service and investigation of non-dementia mental illness in older and younger adults.
A key focus will be to aid the development of new AI algorithms in the assessment of structural change in dementia and cognitive decline – to decrease the need for high field MRI brain assessment in specialist centres and avoid the associated restrictive environment.
In order to support the its research objectives, the Trust required a system which fulfilled the following requirements:
• Approved for commercial sale in the UK (UKCA marked);
• Small and highly portable design in order to fit through doorways and elevators, and to provide ease of manoeuvrability;
• Magnetic configuration to enable researchers to work safely with participants during testing;
• Ability to be powered through standard electrical outlets;
• Low power consumption to reduce running costs;
• Open design to reduce participant anxiety; and
• Controlled through portable user-friendly wireless device (e.g. tablet).
two.2.5) Award criteria
Cost criterion - Name: Value for Money / Weighting: N/A
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
two.2.14) Additional information
The Trust considers that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice was permitted by Part 2 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015.
The Trust published a voluntary ex ante transparency notice (2023/S 000-036285) on 8th December 2023, expressing its intention to award a contract via a negotiated procedure without prior publication.
Prior to the award of contract, the Trust observed a standstill period of at least 10 days following the publication of the voluntary ex ante transparency notice (2023/S 000-036285), beginning with the day after the date on which the notice was published.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development
- The services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
It is considered that the award of the contract following a negotiated procedure without prior publication is lawful in accordance with regulation(s) 32(5)(a) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, whereby the portable low-field MRI system will be "manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experimentation, study or development, and shall not include quantity production to establish commercial viability or to recover research and development costs".
The portable low-field MRI scanner will be used for the purpose of accelerating and developing local place-based neuroimaging research into the process of assessment and diagnosis of dementia, in which timely access to neuroimaging is frequently a rate-limiting step. The scanner will also be available for researchers addressing other mental health disorders, such as research aligned to the new Kent Complex Psychosis Service and investigation of non-dementia mental illness in older and younger adults.
A key focus will be to aid the development of new AI algorithms in the assessment of structural change in dementia and cognitive decline – to decrease the need for high field MRI brain assessment in specialist centres and avoid the associated restrictive environment.
The portable low field scanner will therefore be used in clinical research in alignment with current NHS England priorities, including reducing time to diagnosis and increasing dementia diagnosis rates, and to the priorities of clinical services both nationwide and internationally.
The portable low field MRI scanner has previously been used for Clinical Research in the NHS, gaining Health Research Authority (HRA) and UK Ethics approvals:
• 12/LO/1247 – West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee,
• 19/LO/1384 – City & East Research Ethics Committee.
It is also considered that the award of the contract following a negotiated procedure without prior publication is lawful in accordance with regulation(s) 32(2)(a)(ii) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, whereby "competition is absent for technical reasons".
Following market research, the Trust is confident the required product and associated services are only capable of being provided by a single supplier. The Trust’s guiding principles being the requirement for a portable low field MRI system most suitable for the acceleration and development of local place-based neuroimaging clinical research. This includes:
• Approved for commercial sale in the UK (UKCA marked);
• Small and highly portable design in order to fit through doorways and elevators, and to provide ease of manoeuvrability;
• Magnetic configuration to enable researchers to work safely with participants during testing;
• Ability to be powered through standard electrical outlets;
• Low power consumption to reduce running costs;
• Open design to reduce participant anxiety; and
• Controlled through portable user-friendly wireless device (e.g. tablet).
It is the Trust’s belief that the awarded contractor was the only economic operator capable of supplying an existing product within the Trust's timescales, and which fulfils these requirements in order to support the Trust’s objectives for undertaking local place-based neuroimaging clinical research.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2023/S 000-036285
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
22 December 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Hyperfine Operations, Inc.
351 New Whitfield Street
Guilford
CT 06437
Telephone
+1 8667966767
Country
United States
NUTS code
- US - United States
Internet address
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £280,000
Total value of the contract/lot: £280,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
royalcourtsofjustice.jc@gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom