Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2019-12-16
Buyer: North Bristol NHS Trust
Country: UK
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 48000000 | 48180000 | 48814000: Medical information systems | 48814200 | 48814400
Estimated value: 24600000 GBP

Technical requirements: This contract is for the provision of an integrated enterprise-wide Electronic Patient Record (EPR) solution.
The solution is required to meet all aspects of patient administration including but not limited to patient registration, in-patient care, waiting lists, out-patients, coding in all statutory formats, case note tracking, bed management, clinical data collection and operational and management reporting. Additionally, the solution is required to meet other clinical requirements comprising order communications, results reporting, electronic prescribing and medicines administration, clinical documentation, nursing documentation and observations. Also, the solution is to include integrated functionality to manage all clinical and administrative aspects of emergency care, provide theatre management functionality and meet maternity patient record needs. As well as requirements for system implementation, hosting and system support.
This contract is for the provision of an integrated enterprise-wide Electronic Patient Record (EPR) solution that meets with the BNSSG STP and NHS Digital approved strategy of system convergence across local trusts.
The Trust will procure an Electronic Patient Records (EPR) solution using the Direct Award procedure under ‘Lot 1 – Enterprise-wide Electronic Patient Records Systems’ of the NHS England Health Systems Support Framework Agreement (the ‘Framework Agreement’).
The solution is required to meet all aspects of patient administration including but not limited to patient registration, in-patient care, waiting lists, out-patients, coding in all statutory formats, case note tracking, bed management, clinical data collection and operational and management reporting.
Additionally, the solution is required to meet other clinical requirements comprising order communications, results reporting, electronic prescribing and medicines administration, clinical documentation, nursing documentation and observations. Also, the solution is to include integrated functionality to manage all clinical and administrative aspects of emergency care, provide theatre management functionality and meet maternity patient record needs.
In addition, this requirement is for the supply of professional services to project manage and implement the solution and as well as the provision of the relevant software licences this requirement is also for the supply of the associated ongoing system support and maintenance services.
In accordance with the terms of the framework agreement, the justification for making a direct award is as follows:
The Bristol and North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP) long term plan sets out how the region will develop more effective and joined up integration of systems between acute and community providers. This includes the convergence of technical system platforms across acute trusts as outlined in the NBT Digital Vision published in October 2018.
The adoption of the same solution will provide a solid foundation that will enable NBT to collaborate and interoperate with BNNSG Acute providers and share developments in the future. Both University Hospitals Bristol and Weston Area Health Trust are aligned on the System C solution and so to deliver the goals outlined by the NBT Digital Vision and STP LTP, NBT need to also align the platform.
A reduction in the level of divergence leads to the ability for faster flow of information, assessment and clinical decision making where there is cross-Trust patient flow.
There is considerable clinical traffic between NBT and UHBristol and to improve patient safety and continuity of care it is essential to establish full information flows and cross-patient management between providers at the point of care across BNSSG using the same systems.
Many clinicians work across NBT and UH Bristol and there is a need to reduce the complexities for end users of having to learn and use different systems and a common IT solution will reduce this burden.
The timescales for convergence outlined in the NBT Digital Vision and STP Long Term Plan are rapid and can only be achieved if BNNSG providers work together and reduce the level of system divergence by adopting the same solution across BNSSG and also taking into consideration the level of investment already undertaken by partner organisations.
To be able to establish an integrated EPR solution integration and data sharing factors, technical platform implications, user interface design aspects, bed management issues and the availability of live application program interfaces’ (API’s) need to be considered.


Winner: System C Healthcare Ltd
Award value: 24600000