Sheffield Children's back in PAS market

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has re-entered the market to replace its legacy McKesson patient administration system, following the cancellation of a tender earlier this year.

The trust issued a tender for an electronic patient record in November 2011, but as reported by eHealth Insider in February later informed suppliers that the tender notice had been postponed.

At the time, Isabel Hemmings, chief operating officer at the trust, said that the organisation needed to do further work on its strategy before re-tendering and had recruited a consultant to support it.

In a statement to EHI last week, Hemmings, said: "The trust's current patient administration system is more than 25 years old and as the supplier will no longer be upgrading the system it will cease to operate from March 2014.

"The trust is currently seeking to replace its PAS as the first phase of potentially developing an electronic patient record.

"A robust system will be needed to replace the current system and the specification is being finalised.

"Options for the development of an EPR are being developed with a view to gaining substantial benefits from moving to a new and fully integrated system.

“The timescale and phasing for the development of a full EPR are still to be determined and this matter is likely to be explored further during the current procurement phase."

While the initial tender wanted the “installation and commissioning of an electronic patient record”, the latest notice only requires a replacement patient administration system with “options for electronic patient record functionality.”

The new tender provides specifics regarding the length of the contract, which were not included originally. The trust foresees that the deal will last for seven years with an option to extend for a further three years.

Sheffield Children’s describes its requirements as the installation and commissioning of a PAS and emergency department system and its “associated consumables and maintenance”, with an “optional capacity to be expanded at a further date to elements of an EPR.”

The trust says its initial needs are clearer than its long-term requirements, which depend on its financial state, the changing NHS market and its ability to implement new parts to the system installed.

The project is set to be split into two parts – stage one providing the “immediate must haves with a short timescale of implementation and procurement” followed by a “more slower phased” stage two, which will be dependent on the needs of the trust and what benefits can be delivered.

Interested suppliers are required to have the parts described already available and must be capable of implementing the PAS and A&E component by October 2013.

Otherwise they must at least be able to detail how they would “ensure that the trust can continue to operate in the interim between secession of the existing PAS and the successful go-live of the new PAS.”

Suppliers are required to apply for the pre-qualification questionnaire by 20 July. The deadline for receipts of tenders is 9 August.