Northern Ireland GP Digital Care Services Framework Agreement

The Business Services Organisation (BSO) intends to procure NI GP IT systems and related services. The NI GPDCS Framework Agreement together with connected call-off agreements will provide contract vehicles for BSO to purchase systems and services via the NHS England Digital Buying Catalogue. This will replace the current arrangements for the provision of NI GP Systems of Choice and related services procured pursuant to OJEU contract notice 2013/S 101-173284. The NI GPDCS Framework Agreement will be procured and managed by BSO.

The services provided under the NI GPDCS Framework Agreement will cover the following:

— provision of applications, which will be described as “Catalogue Solutions”, to meet the business requirements of general practice and broader primary care.

Catalogue solutions will meet business requirements which are expressed at the highest level as capabilities.

Capabilities represent the functions a system needs to be able to undertake.

Capabilities fall into 2 defined categories:

— foundation capabilities which are functional capabilities that form the minimum, base or foundation set of functional capabilities required to support the day to day operation of general practice, and

— non-foundation capabilities which offer any form or operation of system functionality required by users in general practice and broader primary care.

Alongside Catalogue Solutions there will be a range of:

— associated services which are services associated with the implementation or optimisation of a catalogue solution, that the call-off ordering party (BSO) has the option as to whether to purchase in association with its purchase of the catalogue solution, and

— additional services which are an augmentation of a catalogue solution provided by the supplier that may have its own charges and that may require the purchase of one or more of the associated services applicable to the catalogue solution it augments.

Catalogue Solutions in Northern Ireland will be based on compliant Catalogue Solutions on the Digital Buying Catalogue varied to meet the requirements of Northern Ireland GP practices. Further detail is provided in the procurement documents available at https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps/home.do

Call-off agreements awarded through the NI GPDCS Framework Agreement may provide services to GP practices and broader primary care.

Services procured under the NI GPDCS Framework Agreement will generally be procured on the basis of Software as a Service (SaaS) with licences granted to customer users where appropriate.

Organisations seeking to be awarded a NI GPDCS Framework Agreement must confirm in their tender response that they have an NHS Catalogue Solution:

1. with all Foundation Capabilities, and Additional Services and Associated Services; and

2 that is currently available for order.

Call Off Agreements under the NI GPDCS Framework Agreement will be for a term of 5 years with 2 optional extension periods of 1 Year each and must be entered into before the expiry or termination of the NI GPDCS Framework Agreement.