Award

Terminology Server

BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION PROCUREMENT AND LOGISTICS SERVICE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

06 Oct 2025 at 09:08

Award

14 Aug 2025 at 16:04

Award

14 Aug 2025 at 16:01

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process, led by the Business Services Organisation Procurement and Logistics Service, involves the acquisition of a centrally hosted Terminology Server solution for Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI). This process falls under the scope of IT services with a focus on consulting, software development, and Internet support. The buying organisation operates from Belfast in the UK and follows public authority guidelines as part of the central government. The procurement method employed was a direct award, justified by technical reasons, which resulted in DH OPCO UK LTD being selected as the supplier. The contract, valued at £780,000 exclusive of VAT, was awarded on 6th October 2025 and spans from 1st February 2026 to 1st February 2029, with possible annual extensions up to 2031. The procurement has reached the award stage, indicating the completion and initiation of the contract period.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in IT services, particularly those offering solutions for healthcare organisations. The need for a cloud-based, managed service accessible in real-time highlights a growing demand for businesses proficient in delivering innovative and reliable IT infrastructure tailored for healthcare systems. Companies with expertise in clinical and administrative coding systems, like SNOMED CT and ICD-11, stand to gain from participating in similar procurement processes. By engaging in such projects, businesses can expand their portfolio in the healthcare sector, underpin larger frameworks, and establish a credible reputation within the public sector, specifically by demonstrating the capacity to support large-scale, national digital strategies.

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Notice Title

Terminology Server

Notice Description

The procurement is for a centrally hosted Terminology Server solution to support the management and distribution of clinical and administrative coding systems (e.g. SNOMED CT, ICD-11, OPCS) across Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI). The solution will be cloud-based, delivered as a managed service, and accessible to clinical and operational systems in real-time or via scheduled synchronisation. Accurate and governed use of standardised terminologies is essential to ensure patient safety, clinical interoperability, compliance with data standards, and quality health analytics. HSCNI currently lacks a unified mechanism to manage terminology content, resulting in duplication of effort, local variations, and missed opportunities for system integration. A central Terminology Server will enable HSCNI to safely manage terminology releases, ensure consistency across systems, and support transition to national standards such as ICD-11 and SNOMED CT. It is our intention to complete a Direct Award to the value of PS780,000.00 (exclusive of vat).

Procurement Information

Single supplier - technical reasons The procurement is for a centrally hosted Terminology Server solution to support the management and distribution of clinical and administrative coding systems (e.g. SNOMED CT, ICD-11, OPCS) across Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI). The solution will be cloud-based, delivered as a managed service, and accessible to clinical and operational systems in real-time or via scheduled synchronisation. Dedalus is the only supplier with a proven, national-scale Terminology Server solution (Ontoserver) currently deployed and operational across the UK and Ireland. It supports terminology infrastructure for: NHS England, covering SNOMED CT, dm+d and national content distribution; NHS Scotland, aligned to their national digital strategy; HSE Ireland, selected following open competition in 2025. Dedalus was previously the sole supplier on the now-expired NHS England terminology server framework, and whilst it is expected that they will succeed in the renewal framework, given the timing of this procurement, no active framework is available. We wish to rely on schedule 5 section 6 (a) due to Dedalus being the only supplier for technical reasons. They are the only supplier able to provide the services.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-058867
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062392-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
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
£780,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£780,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Oct 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
13 Aug 20256 months ago
Contract Period
1 Feb 2026 - 1 Feb 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION PROCUREMENT AND LOGISTICS SERVICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
keli.mcteague@hscni.net
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT2 8DQ
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
Not specified

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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

DH OPCO

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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