Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust
Queen's Hospital, Rom Valley Way
Romford
RM7 0AG
Contact
Daniel Montague
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKI52 - Barking & Dagenham and Havering
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/
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
Electronic Patient Records System Contract Extension (VEAT Notification)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Contracting Authority is not awarding a new contract. This VEAT notice is in respect of a proposed modification to extend the existing Electronic Patient Records System contract to include additional services. See sections II.2.4 and IV.1.1 for further details.
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: £1,521,012.40
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 48180000 - Medical software package
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
Main site or place of performance
London, UK
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This is not a new contract opportunity, but rather a VEAT notice to inform the market that the Contracting Authority is seeking to extend its existing contract for the provision of an electronic patient records system and associated hosting services which was originally awarded in September 2023.
This contract modification will provide the Contracting Authority with the Nuance Dragon One Medical solution, a voice recognition system, for an initial term of 2 years.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: 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:
This VEAT notice relates to a modification to the contract originally awarded in 2023 following a competitive award process. The Contracting Authority considers that the modification is permitted under each of Regulation 72(1)(a) and 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Under the contract, the services specification references optional solutions which are available to be called off by the Contracting Authority to facilitate its healthcare and related services. This specifically includes Nuance Voice Recognition. In addition, the charges schedule permits the Contracting Authority to add such optional solutions to the scope of the Service Provider's solution deployed under the contract. It is clear that the contract's intention was to future proof the contract to the extent possible, and Nuance was envisaged at the time of the contract.
The Contracting Authority considers that the original contract permitted this modification and envisaged Nuance at the time of the contract. In addition, this modification would not alter the overall nature of the contract. Therefore, the Contracting Authority's intention to modify the contract is justified on the basis of Regulation 72(1)(a).
Secondly, the technology offered by the Nuance solution aligns with the Contracting Authority's long-term goals to have an intelligent ambient speech recognition solution which safely and appropriately records (natural) conversations between patients and healthcare providers, which are then seamlessly transferred to the electronic patient record. The Contracting Authority recognises that Nuance's products, which are critical to the delivery of the functionality that must be available at the point of go-live of the electronic patient record system, are already integrated and/or embedded into the Millenium solution provided by the Service Provider (and their deployment is therefore consistent with the licences and products already held by the Contracting Authority). Due to the way the overall EPR solution is being delivered by the service provider under the contract, it would not be feasible for another supplier to provide these additional services and adding another supplier would leave the EPR solution open to disruption, which would not be acceptable due to the critical nature of the EPR solution which is ultimately vital for patient care. In addition, the overall cost for including the Nuance solution in this contract will not exceed 50% of the value of the contract.
Therefore, the Contracting Authority's intention to modify the contract is also justified on the basis of regulation 72(1)(b).
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract/concession
Title
Electronic Patient Records System Contract Extension (VEAT Notification)
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
26 June 2024
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
Cerner Limited
Reading
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
Companies House
02519305
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £1,521,012.40
five.2.5) Information about subcontracting
The contract/lot/concession is likely to be subcontracted
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
This VEAT notice relates to a modification to the contract originally awarded in 2023 following a competitive award process. The Contracting Authority considers that the modification is permitted under each of Regulation 72(1)(a) and 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
Under the contract, the services specification references optional solutions which are available to be called off by the Contracting Authority to facilitate its healthcare and related services. This specifically includes Nuance Voice Recognition. In addition, the charges schedule permits the Contracting Authority to add such optional solutions to the scope of the Service Provider's solution deployed under the contract. It is clear that the contract's intention was to future proof the contract to the extent possible, and Nuance was envisaged at the time of the contract.
The Contracting Authority considers that the original contract permitted this modification and envisaged Nuance at the time of the contract. In addition, this modification would not alter the overall nature of the contract. Therefore, the Contracting Authority's intention to modify the contract is justified on the basis of Regulation 72(1)(a).
Secondly, the technology offered by the Nuance solution aligns with the Contracting Authority's long-term goals to have an intelligent ambient speech recognition solution which safely and appropriately records (natural) conversations between patients and healthcare providers, which are then seamlessly transferred to the electronic patient record. The Contracting Authority recognises that Nuance's products, which are critical to the delivery of the functionality that must be available at the point of go-live of the electronic patient record system, are already integrated and/or embedded into the Millenium solution provided by the Service Provider (and their deployment is therefore consistent with the licences and products already held by the Contracting Authority). Due to the way the overall EPR solution is being delivered by the service provider under the contract, it would not be feasible for another supplier to provide these additional services and adding another supplier would leave the EPR solution open to disruption, which would not be acceptable due to the critical nature of the EPR solution which is ultimately vital for patient care. In addition, the overall cost for including the Nuance solution in this contract will not exceed 50% of the value of the contract.
Therefore, the Contracting Authority's intention to modify the contract is also justified on the basis of regulation 72(1)(b).
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The High Court of England and Wales
7 Rolls Building, Fetter Lane
London
EC4A 1NL
Country
United Kingdom