Barts tenders for new PACS/RIS

Barts Health NHS Trust has issued a tender for a new radiology information system and “multi format picture archive and communication system.”

According to the notice, which was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union, the London trust originally envisages awarding a five year contract for a managed service, with the option to extend for further periods up to ten years.

Data from the EHI Intelligence NHS Trust Database suggests that the new systems will replace the trust’s current package, which includes GE Healthcare’s Centricity PACS and iSoft’s, now CSC’s, RadCentre RIS.

Barts appears to be the first London trust to go out to tender for a new PACS/RIS. The national contracts for PACS systems placed by the National Programme for IT in the NHS run out a year later in London than in other parts of the country, where there has already been significant tendering and contracting activity.

The tender stipulates that Barts wants to purchase a RIS that is a “fully integrated” solution and a multi format PACS, cardiology system, breast screening system and “allied clinical systems”, which will sit alongside a vendor neutral archive.

The trust expects the systems to be accessible on a “multi-site basis” with the provision of “seamless voice recognition” included within the clinical reporting workflow.

The tender continues by stating that the successful supplier will be responsible for data migration and for interfacing its systems with the trust’s current offering. The trust expects the systems to be updated throughout the length of the contract to ensure “the technology and functionality are kept at the leading edge.”

The trust also plans to engage in dialogue with suppliers and interested suppliers must have the capability of acting as a prime contractor for all systems procured. The deadline for the receipt of tenders is 19 July.