Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2021-07-02
Buyer: Health Service Executive (HSE)
Country: IE
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 32570000 | 32571000 | 48510000 | 48972000 | 72212972
Estimated value: 158464 EUR
Award criteria: Lowest price

Technical requirements: Support services for the contingency of communications workstream and cliniscript to output labels throughout the Cyber attack incident.
In the early hours of 14.5.21, the HSE became aware of a major cyber-attack which severely impacted its ICT services and affected other organisations which rely on HSE infrastructure, i.e. Tusla. The HSE’s ICT systems were impacted through the criminal infiltration of these systems using Conti Ransomware. As a result, all HSE ICT systems were shut down before 8 a.m. on Fri 14th May. This event was thought to be the most serious cyber-attack on the country’s critical infrastructure and a major incident response was triggered by HSE. Healthcare services across the country were severely disrupted with real and immediate consequences for the thousands of people who require health services every day.
Given the seriousness of this attack and the impact it had on those people who are dependent on health services, the Board of the HSE immediately began work on putting in place an effective cyber-security incident-response team (CSIRT). Clear roles and responsibility were established which enabled internal coordination and fostered a united approach. The CSIRT acted as the recognised point for external coordination. The process was designed with a focus on damage-limitation to the HSE’s services, its data assets, its network, and its application infrastructure.
The HSE sought specific support from PwC in the Communications Workstream and PwC worked with HSE to provide advice and assistance to ensure a formal, focused and coordinated approach to responding to the major incident. In addition, the Chief Pharmacist of the National Cancer Control Programme, Ms Patricia Heckmann reported an urgent and critical need in relation to a number of hospitals who utilize Clinichemo (provided by Clanwilliam) for the production of worksheets and labels to support compounding of chemotherapy. The system also allows an electronic record to be held of the patient’s treatments.
HSE used the negotiated procedure without prior publication in accordance with Article 32(2)(c) of Directive 2014/24/EU to award this contract. The HSE is satisfied the tests permitting use of the negotiated procedure without prior publication (Article 32(2)(c)) were met, as set out below.
The Authority was responding to the Cyber-attack immediately because of public health risks presenting a genuine emergency.
The extent of the Conti Ransomware attack is thought to be the most serious cyber-attack on the country’s critical infrastructure. The level of impairment on hospitals, and other health institutions to provide treatment, could, certainly, not be foreseen and planned in advance, and thus constitute an unforeseeable event for the contracting authorities.
It cannot be doubted that the immediate needs of the hospitals and health institutions to have their ICT systems effectively restored had to be met with all possible speed. It was judged to be a situation of extreme urgency making compliance with general deadlines impossible. Procurement following the usual timescales under Directive 2014/24/EU, including accelerated options, was impossible in this case as these timescales would not meet the public health needs and would put lives at risk.
As documented above, the Conti Ransomware attack is the most serious cyber-attack on the country’s critical infrastructure and presented a serious risk to human life. The HSE acted proportionately and without delay in its response to this most serious cyber-attack.


Winner: PricewaterhouseCoopers
Award value: 158464
Number of bids: 1