National Framework Agreement for Teleradiology, Telepathology and Telemedicine Services

While the demand on radiology services is increasing with the quantity of scans and required reports going up, the number of radiologists is decreasing resulting in backlogs and pressure on existing staff. Teleradiology offers trusts an alternative to manage routine, urgent or specialist workload, and supports with the reduction of backlogs in care.

Teleradiology is the transmission of patients' radiological images between different locations for the production of a primary report, expert second opinion or clinical review. Telepathology is the electronic transmission of pathological images, usually derived from microscopes, from one location to another, for the purpose of interpretation and diagnosis. The different locations can be within the same organisation or in different organisations, within the same country or across international boundaries.

Other areas of telemedicine are also now being explored, including but not limited to telepathology, telemicrobiology and teledermatology. The scope of this agreement will include these and other specialties of telemedicine to allow for expansion into new services during the term of the agreement, to help support the NHS with elective recovery.

Radiology workflow management systems are designed to improve productivity and efficiency in radiology departments. As business intelligence systems they allow precise forecasting of reporting capacity, enabling optimisation of departmental rotas and highlight areas for strategic recruitment based on supply and demand. These systems can reduce the costs of outsourcing and support radiology departments to operate as efficiently as possible.

Proposed Framework

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, through its Commercial Procurement Services, wishes to award a national framework agreement with three Lots:

Lot 1 - Teleradiology and Telemedicine Services Lot 2 - Telepathology Services Lot 3 - Radiology Workflow Management Systems

Tenders may be submitted for one or more Lots.

Additional information: How to express interest and bid for this opportunity

1. Browse to the esourcing portal https://www.nhssourcing.co.uk and click on view current opportunities;

2. Select the title of the ITT.

3. Review the ITT, framework agreement specification, prerequisites and list of eligible users (you may do this without registering).

4. Register your organisation on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once).

5. Accept the portal terms and conditions and click 'continue', enter your organisation and user details; note the username you chose and click 'Save' when complete; you will shortly receive an e-mail with your unique password (please keep this secure);

6. Login to the portal with the username/password.

7. Click the 'PQQs/ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link (These are pre-qualification questionnaires or invitations to tender open to any registered supplier).

8. Click on the relevant PQQ/ITT to access the content.

9. Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page. This will move the PQQ/ITT into your 'My PQQs/My ITTs' page (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only). You can now access any attachments by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'PQQ/ITT Details' box.

10. Responding to the ITT. Click 'My Response' under 'PQQ/ITT Details', you can choose to 'Create Response' or to 'Decline to Respond' (please give a reason if declining).

You can now use the messages function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification. Note the deadline for completion, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the ITT There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the 'Submit Response' button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help or contact the eTendering help desk.