Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2020-12-24
Buyer: Norsk Helsenett SF
Country: NO
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 72315200: Data network management services
Estimated value: 2000000 NOK
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: The Norwegian Institute of Public Health intends to sign a contract with the service provider Netcompany Norway AS for on-premise ICT operation of a system for digital infection tracing. Norsk helsenett SF assists the Norwegian Institute of Public Health by virtue of its role as a purchasing centre for the health administration.
In October 2020 the Norwegian Institute of Public Health held a contest under a dynamic purchasing system for assistance with a system for digital infection tracing. It was then determined that backend systems should be operated by Norsk Helsenett SF on the cloud-based Azure platform. The tender documentation contained requirements that the app should be prepared for future integration with the EU's joint system for interoperability between the contact tracing applications based on the ENS framework (European Federation Gateway Service — EFGS). In November 2020, on the background of the Schrems II judgement and consequent guidelines, the latest of 25 November 2020, it was clarified that connection to EFGS assumes that data cannot be stored in the cloud. This has lead to the backend systems still not being subject to cloud-based operation, but must be operated ‘on-premise’.
See the voluntary ex-ante transparency notice published in Doffin in Norway (ID no. 2020-320870) and in TED in the EU/EEA (ID no. 2020/S 237-586759) on 2 December 2020. There were no objections or appeals after this voluntary ex-ante transparency notice.
A contract has therefore been signed with Netcompany for operation of backend systems, currently for 12 months, with an option for both extension and shortening. The final duration of the operation contract will depend on multiple external factors related to both infection development, effects of vaccination etc. as well as how and whether and possibly how quickly Norsk Helsenett SF can establish a separate operating environment.
The contract length is provisionally 12 months, with an option to both extend and shorten the contract. The final duration of the operation contract will depend on multiple external factors related to both infection development, effects of vaccination, etc. as well as how and whether and possibly how quickly Norsk Helsenett SF can establish a separate operating environment.
Legal basis: PPR Section 13-4 (a) and PPR Section 13-4 (b) (2). NIPH held a contest in October 2020 under a dynamic purchasing system for assistance for a system for digital infection tracing. It was then determined that backend systems should be operated by Norsk Helsenett SF on the cloud-based Azure platform. The tender documentation contained requirements that the app should be prepared for future integration with the EU's joint system for interoperability between the contact tracing applications based on the ENS framework (European Federation Gateway Service - EFGS). In November 2020, on the background of the Schrems II judgement and consequent guidelines, the latest of 25 November 2020, it was clarified that connection to EFGS assumes that data cannot be stored in the cloud. This has lead to the backend systems still not being subject to cloud-based operation, but must be operated ‘on-premise’. Norsk Helsenett SF will not be able to establish an on-premise operation system in time for roll-out of the system on 21 December 2020, and a quick investigation in the market shows that no IT operation suppliers will be able to established a testing and production environment to support the roll-out date. Netcompany, the service provider selected to assist the Norwegian Institute of Public Health with the development, has however an operating environment for on-premise operation of the Danish infection tracing system, that has sufficient capacity to also be able to operate the Norwegian Institute of Public Health's system within the deadlines the project is operating under. The project has therefore decided to sign a contract with Netcompany for operation of backend systems, currently for 12 months, with an option for both extension and shortening. The final duration of the operation contract will depend on multiple external factors related to both infection development, effects of vaccination etc. as well as how and whether and possibly how quickly Norsk Helsenett SF can establish a separate operating environment.


Winner: Netcompany Norway AS
Award value: 2000000
Number of bids: 1