Award

National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) Service

BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION I T S

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

04 Sep 2023 at 12:14

Award

10 Aug 2023 at 13:26

Summary of the contracting process

The Business Services Organisation I T S has awarded a contract for the National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) Service, which is an IT services project aimed at improving digital pathology test exchange among UK laboratories. The procurement was completed under a limited procurement method, with a single supplier, X-Lab Ltd, selected without prior competition. The contract value is £343,500, signed on 10th August 2023 in Belfast, United Kingdom.

This tender presents opportunities for businesses in the IT services industry, particularly those with expertise in consulting, software development, and Internet support. Given the focus on implementing a national digital hub for pathology test exchanges, businesses with experience in developing similar digital solutions and working with healthcare organisations could be well-suited to compete. The award of the contract to X-Lab Ltd highlights the importance of technical expertise in delivering this critical healthcare infrastructure project.

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Notice Title

National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) Service

Notice Description

The National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) was developed in 2009 by X-Lab Systems as a product they call Labnostics. It is a national digital hub allowing pathology test requests and results to be sent between UK laboratories irrespective of the type of LIMS that each lab is using. The Core LIMS project has secured via its approved Full Business Case (FBC) funding for NPEx services that will provide an electronic solution to eliminate manual workflows associated with referring tests to other laboratories outside of the HSC.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) was developed in 2009 by X-Lab Systems as a product they call Labnostics. It is a national digital hub allowing pathology test requests and results to be sent between UK laboratories irrespective of the type of LIMS that each lab is using. The Core LIMS project has secured via its approved Full Business Case (FBC) funding for NPEx services that will provide an electronic solution to eliminate manual workflows associated with referring tests to other laboratories outside of the HSC. During 2022 Trusts within HSC sent out ~45,000 tests to other labs across the UK to utilise specialist testing that is not catered for or has limited capacity within Northern Ireland. This is currently a labour-intensive manual process and demand for the service is expected to increase as more specialist technologies and tests are made available. The consequences of not utilising NPEx are increased manual work for clinical staff supporting this process, increased timeframe, failure of the project to achieve key benefits that provided justification for the FBC, and continued risk to patient safety due to failure to remove the manual processes associated with this work.

Procurement Information

The National Pathology Exchange (NPEx) was developed in 2009 by X-Lab Systems as a product they call Labnostics. It is a national digital hub allowing pathology test requests and results to be sent between UK laboratories irrespective of the type of LIMS that each lab is using. The Core LIMS project has secured via its approved Full Business Case (FBC) funding for NPEx services that will provide an electronic solution to eliminate manual workflows associated with referring tests to other laboratories outside of the HSC. During 2022 Trusts within HSC sent out ~45,000 tests to other labs across the UK to utilise specialist testing that is not catered for or has limited capacity within Northern Ireland. This is currently a labour-intensive manual process and demand for the service is expected to increase as more specialist technologies and tests are made available. The consequences of not utilising NPEx are increased manual work for clinical staff supporting this process, increased timeframe, failure of the project to achieve key benefits that provided justification for the FBC, and continued risk to patient safety due to failure to remove the manual processes associated with this work. X-Lab Ltd is the single supplier at of this solution and its support. Only the supplier of the solution, has the technical expertise to carry out this work and provide connectivity to the other Labs that use the NPEx

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-03eeb4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026057-2023
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support


CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£343,500 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Sep 20232 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
9 Aug 20232 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION I T S
Additional Buyers

BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION ITS

Contact Name
Catherine Fegan
Contact Email
cathy.fegan@hscni.net
Contact Phone
+44 2895362561

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT7 2JD
Post Town
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
TLN Northern Ireland

Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Belfast South and Mid Down

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

X-LAB

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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