Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2024-12-18
Buyer: HUS Group
Country: FI
Region: FI1B1
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 48000000 | 72000000
Submission deadline: 2025-05-02

Technical requirements: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

This document is a request for information, not a procurement notice or a request for tender. With this request for information, HUS launches a market consultation to prepare a procurement. The aim of this prior information notice is to find suppliers operating in this field of business, get information of the solutions available in the market, and inform our plans and requirements for the forthcoming procurement.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE OF THE PROCUREMENT

HUS Diagnostic Center produces over 400 000 pathology examinations annually and operates at 150 locations. Our main area of operation is the specialized healthcare of the HUS Group and the primary healthcare of the welfare areas belonging to HUS. We are also responsible for the laboratory and imaging operations of the Kymenlaakso and South Karelia welfare areas. We are nationally responsible for several examinations requiring special expertise and for research and teaching belonging to the University Hospital. 

The goal is to acquire several artificial intelligence (AI)  tools to facilitate the pathologist's work. The tools must fit naturally into the pathologist's workflow.

In connection with the AI tool, the role of an open AI platform promoting the adoption of possible future AI tools will also be examined.

Below is a list of AI tools that the pathology department of the HUS Diagnostic Center is initially interested in
1. CE/IVD certified for prostate sample diagnostics 
2. CE/IVD certified for breast sample diagnostics 
3. CE/IVD certified for gastroscopy sample diagnostics 
4. CE/IVD certified for lymph node metastasis diagnostics 
5. CE/IVD certified for immunostaining interpretation
6. CE/IVD certified for cancer cell identification in tissue 
7. Application for checking the quality of digitized images and/or immunostainings 
8. Platform/application for creating own (in-house) AI applications

We acknowledge that we might not be able to get all solutions from the same supplier. Please let us know which of the above mentioned you would be able to provide.

The aim is to be able to offer patients more effective diagnostics and good care also in the future. The goal is also to speed up the pathologist's analysis and increase the accuracy of diagnostics.

The acquisition is planned to be completed during 2026. The plan is preliminary and may change.

The procurement authority has preliminarily identified at least the following themes as areas from which questions will be asked. The actual questions will be presented in more detail:

- Whether it's a cloud service or an on-premises solution?
- What is the supplier's view of the aspects related to the AI platform in terms of the operating environment in both the testing and production phases?
- HUS will test the functionality of the systems during the market dialogue phase. How would the supplier implement
     • technical testing/validation?
     • clinical testing/validation?
- How is the algorithm's performance monitored during continuous use, e.g. if changes occur in the laboratory process?
- We use a viewer and image management system produced by Vitec Neagen and an LIS implemented by Mylab. What is the supplier's view on issues related to integrations?
- What is the supplier's view of the implementation issues?
- What is the supplier's view on maintenance and reliability issues?
- What kind of pricing model does the solution have?


INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWERING

Respondents are requested to consult the contents of this request for information and deliver their answers especially to questions asked above.

Within their answer respondents may also attach any brochures available of the products/services.


INFORMATION FOR THE PROCEDURE

HUS may specify the subject of the procurement in a subsequent contract notice. The requirements for a subsequent procurement and invitation to tender will be determined on the basis of the needs of the contracting entity, with the aim of taking into account the information obtained in the market survey. 

The request for information does not oblige the procurement unit to carry out the actual procurement, but the decision to initiate a possible procurement process is made separately. Neither the request for information nor its replies are binding on either party. Responding to a request for information does not affect the position of the tenderer in the forthcoming tender.

The costs associated with responding to a request for information are borne by the respondent, and HUS does not pay compensation for responding to a request for information or participating the procurement procedure.


RESPONSES TO THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Answers to this request for information should be submitted by 31.1.2025 12:00 GMT+2 at the latest to the email address: kilpailutus.ict@hus.fi. The title or message field of the e-mail should mention: HUS 668-2023 AI-based tools for pathology.