Award

KMPT Portable Magnetic Resonance Imaging System (2025)

KENT AND MEDWAY NHS AND SOCIAL CARE PARTNERSHIP TRUST

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

19 Nov 2024 at 17:10

Summary of the contracting process

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust has completed the award stage of a public procurement process to acquire a portable low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, along with associated peripherals, training, support, and maintenance services. The procurement, valued at approximately £353,919.45, falls under the goods category and is intended to support neuroimaging research efforts within the Trust. This contract, identified as OCDS-h6vhtk-04bd0b-037433-2024, is awarded to Xiel Limited, with contract signing anticipated in December 2024. The MRI system will be deployed in the UKJ4 region (Kent) and is aimed at enhancing the diagnosis of dementia and other mental health disorders through innovative AI algorithms and accessible imaging technology.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specialising in healthcare technology, particularly those involved in medical imaging and AI-enhanced diagnostic tools. SMEs with expertise in manufacturing and maintaining portable, low-field MRI systems are well-suited to engage in similar future tenders. The negotiation without prior publication of a contract notice indicates a preference for suppliers who can deliver highly specialised and technically unique products. Firms with capabilities in developing research-oriented medical devices, especially those approved for commercial sale in the UK, can find substantial growth opportunities by aligning their offerings with the research and clinical objectives of NHS and similar health and social care organisations.

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Notice Title

KMPT Portable Magnetic Resonance Imaging System (2025)

Notice Description

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (the "Trust") is expressing its intention to award a contract via a negotiated procedure without prior publication for the provision of a portable low-field (0.064 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The contract will also include associated peripherals, training, support and maintenance services for a period of five (5) years.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (the "Trust") is expressing its intention to award a contract via a negotiated procedure without prior publication for the provision of a portable low-field (0.064 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The contract will also include associated peripherals, training, support and maintenance services for a period of five (5) years.

The MRI scanner will be used for the purpose of accelerating and developing local place-based neuroimaging research into the process of assessment and diagnosis of dementia, in which timely access to neuroimaging is frequently a rate-limiting step. The scanner will also be available for researchers addressing other mental health disorders, such as research aligned to the new Kent Complex Psychosis Service and investigation of non-dementia mental illness in older and younger adults.

A key focus will be to aid the development of new AI algorithms in the assessment of structural change in dementia and cognitive decline - to decrease the need for high field MRI brain assessment in specialist centres and avoid the associated restrictive environment.

In order to support the Trust's research objectives, the Trust's requires a system which fulfils the following requirements:

* Approved for commercial sale in the UK (UKCA marked);
* Small and highly portable design in order to fit through doorways and elevators, and to provide ease of manoeuvrability;
* Magnetic configuration to enable researchers to work safely with participants during testing;
* Ability to be powered through standard electrical outlets;
* Low power consumption to reduce running costs;
* Open design to reduce participant anxiety; and
* Controlled through portable user-friendly wireless device (e.g. tablet). Additional information: The Trust considers that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice to be permitted by Part 2 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

The Trust is publishing this voluntary transparency notice to express its intention to enter into the contract.

The Trust shall not enter into the contract before the end of a period of at least 10 days beginning with the day after the date on which this notice was published. The date in section V.2.1 'Date of conclusion of the contract' is therefore not correct. The Trust anticipates that it will enter into a Contract with the Supplier in December 2024.

The Trust expressly reserves the right not to award any contract as a result of the publication of this notice.

Procurement Information

It is considered that the award of the contract following a negotiated procedure without prior publication is lawful in accordance with regulation(s) 32(5)(a) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, whereby the portable low-field MRI system will be "manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experimentation, study or development, and shall not include quantity production to establish commercial viability or to recover research and development costs".<br/><br/>The portable low-field MRI scanner will be used for the purpose of accelerating and developing local place-based neuroimaging research into the process of assessment and diagnosis of dementia, in which timely access to neuroimaging is frequently a rate-limiting step. The scanner will also be available for researchers addressing other mental health disorders, such as research aligned to the new Kent Complex Psychosis Service and investigation of non-dementia mental illness in older and younger adults.<br/><br/>A key focus will be to aid the development of new AI algorithms in the assessment of structural change in dementia and cognitive decline - to decrease the need for high field MRI brain assessment in specialist centres and avoid the associated restrictive environment. The portable low field scanner will therefore be used in clinical research in alignment with current NHS England priorities, including reducing time to diagnosis and increasing dementia diagnosis rates, and to the priorities of clinical services both nationwide and internationally.<br/><br/>The portable low field MRI scanner has previously been used for Clinical Research in the NHS, gaining Health Research Authority (HRA) and UK Ethics approvals:<br/><br/>* 12/LO/1247 - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee,<br/>* 19/LO/1384 - City & East Research Ethics Committee.<br/><br/>It is also considered that the award of the contract following a negotiated procedure without prior publication is lawful in accordance with regulation(s) 32(2)(a)(ii) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, whereby "competition is absent for technical reasons".<br/><br/>Following market research, the Trust is confident the required product and associated services are only capable of being provided by a single supplier. The Trust's guiding principles being the requirement for a portable low field MRI system most suitable for the acceleration and development of local place-based neuroimaging clinical research. This includes:<br/><br/>* Approved for commercial sale in the UK (UKCA marked);<br/>* Small and highly portable design in order to fit through doorways and elevators, and to provide ease of manoeuvrability;<br/>* Magnetic configuration to enable researchers to work safely with participants during testing;<br/>* Ability to be powered through standard electrical outlets;<br/>* Low power consumption to reduce running costs;<br/>* Open design to reduce participant anxiety; and<br/>* Controlled through portable user-friendly wireless device (e.g. tablet).<br/><br/>It is the Trust's belief that Xiel Ltd is the exclusive UK distributer of the Hyperfine(r) Portable MR Imaging(r) System, and is therefore the only economic operator capable of supplying an existing product which fulfils the above requirements in order to support the Trust's objectives for undertaking local place-based neuroimaging clinical research, and which can be delivered within the Trust's required timescales.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04bd0b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037433-2024
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products


CPV Codes

33113000 - Magnetic resonance imaging equipment

33113100 - Magnetic resonance scanners

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£353,919 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Nov 20241 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
19 Nov 20241 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
KENT AND MEDWAY NHS AND SOCIAL CARE PARTNERSHIP TRUST
Contact Name
Jake Fisher
Contact Email
kmpt.procurement@nhs.net
Contact Phone
+44 1622926732

Buyer Location

Locality
AYLESFORD
Postcode
ME20 6WT
Post Town
Rochester
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ46 West Kent
Delivery Location
TLJ4 Kent

Local Authority
Tonbridge and Malling
Electoral Ward
Larkfield
Westminster Constituency
Chatham and Aylesford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

XIEL

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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