Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust
Beacon House, William Brown Close
Cwmbran
NP44 3AB
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
http://nwssp.nhs.wales/ourservices/procurement-services/
Buyer's address
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0221
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
NHS 111 Wales Online Symptom Checkers
Reference number
2425-100-STA-WAS
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
This contract is for the supply of an online symptom checker software solution for members of the public to access via the 111 Wales Website. The symptom checkers are required for public use, to aid decision making, provide self-care information and access to urgent unscheduled care.
The symptom checkers provide an alternative service to the 111 Wales telephony service and this contract will enable the symptom checkers to be based on those triage algorithms currently used by non-clinical call handlers within the 111 Wales telephony service.
The symptom checkers will enable a member of the public to answer a series of questions about their symptoms and then provide health information. Depending upon the outcome a person may for example be signposted to contact another service such as a pharmacist. The solution will also enable an end user to enter their demographic details and through integration with other 111 Wales systems enable subsequent remote clinical assessment and call back to be facilitated.
The solution is required to be accessible from the 111 Wales Website however whilst the solution will be interoperable with the 111 Wales Website the 111 Wales Website itself is out of scope of this contract.
This contract is also for the supply of professional services to enable the implementation of the solution as well as the associated licences for the software. The contract also includes the supply of ongoing support and maintenance services.
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: £765,000
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 48800000 - Information systems and servers
- 48810000 - Information systems
- 48814000 - Medical information systems
- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
- 48100000 - Industry specific software package
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKL - Wales
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This contract is for the supply of a new software solution to replace the online symptom checkers currently deployed on the 111 Wales website.
This solution will include a web application providing the public facing front end for the online symptom checker software solution that will be separate to but integrated with the existing 111 Wales website. The 111 Wales online symptom checker software will capture a patient’s symptoms and, through the application of an algorithm, provide more information about those symptoms. The output includes details regarding where to go for help, which care services to potentially contact next, and where to find more information about the symptoms. The online symptom checkers will provide educational content and care-service signposting only and does not offer any form of diagnosis or treatment in relation to the symptoms.
The purpose of the online symptom checkers is to provide an alternative service to the 111 Wales telephony service based on the same solution (“algorithms”) as the non-clinical triage algorithms currently used by call handlers within the 111 Wales telephony service.
The solution is required to assess a range of symptoms and health conditions, using clinically validated algorithms and providing no less than the 76-symptom checkers currently available online via the 111 Wales Website. The solution must also provide triage outcome levels that are the equivalent as the 111 Wales telephony service.
The online symptom checkers are required to provide clear and easily understood health information that can contain links to other 111 Wales Website pages to provide the end user with additional information where required. The solution is also required to have the ability for an end user to input demographic information at the start of self-triage to provide tailored triage flow and results. In addition, the solution is required to enable demographic information to be transferred to other call handling and triage systems to allow subsequent remote clinical assessment from the 111 Wales telephony service and other local health and wellbeing services across Wales to be able to facilitate a call back if needed.
The software solution will be hosted locally within the Trust’s datacentres using existing infrastructure already in-place that is currently used to deploy other 111 Wales systems.
In addition, this contract is for the supply of professional services to enable the implementation of the solution as well as the relevant software licences for the software itself. The contract is also for the supply of the associated ongoing support and maintenance services.
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
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
The current system used by non-clinical call takers in the 111 Wales telephony service uses proprietary algorithms and the proposed system will be based on these algorithms. No alternative or substitute exists to meet the capability currently in use that could reasonably be configured and/or deployed in the timescale required by the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust (the ‘Trust’) or without the Trust unreasonably investing a disproportionate amount of public money and Trust time (for example, by deploying clinically validated algorithms based on those currently used within the 111 Wales telephony service and through mitigating the need to invest in new datacentre hardware infrastructure). The proposed contract would be complementary to the current 111 Wales decision support software that is live and in widespread use across the 111 Wales service and configured to specifically fit the Trust processes.
The proposed supplier, Priority Solutions Inc is the only supplier capable of supplying a solution that will have the same level of triage outcome levels as the current 111 Wales telephony service. This requirement is essential given the new online symptom checker solution will be required to capture patient demographic details and integrate with and transfer data in real-time to the 111 Wales call handling and triage systems. As well as enable transfer of information and call back from other service providers such as GP Out of Hours. Currently patients are advised to call 111 which then impacts the demand for 111 telephony services. To ensure the appropriate flow of patients between services it is essential triage outcome levels are the equivalent to the existing 111 telephony service.
Additionally, there is a lack of a commercial product available with NHS England for example having developed their own in-house solutions. Symptom Checker solutions in the marketplace are generally not targeted towards 111 services but for primary care and emergency departments. Accordingly, there is currently no readily available symptom checker solution capable of deployment in a 111 environment. Only Priority Solutions Inc can supply an interoperable and complementary system.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract/concession
Contract No
2425-100-STA-WAS
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
21 February 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Priority Solutions Inc.
110 S Regent St, STE 500
SLC
84111
Country
United States
NUTS code
- US - United States
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £765,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
The Contract Value provided in this VEAT Notice is in aggregate and is inclusive of the 48-month term of contract.
(WA Ref:148349)
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Telephone
+44 2079477501
Country
United Kingdom