National Framework Agreement for Teleradiology, Telepathology and Telemedicine Services

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust wishes to establish a Framework Agreement under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (and as amended) (the PSR) for use by all Relevant Authorities (and any future successors to these organisations). "Relevant authority" is defined in section 12ZB(7) of the National Health Service Act 2006. It means a combined authority, an integrated care board, a local authority in England, NHS England, an NHS foundation trust or an NHS trust established under section 25 of that Act.

For the avoidance of doubt, any successor bodies of any of the above entities shall be entitled to place Orders and shall be deemed Relevant Authorities for the purposes of this Framework Agreement. The demand on radiology and pathology services is increasing. Teleradiology and telepathology services offer trusts an alternative to manage workload and support with the reduction of backlogs.

Teleradiology is the transmission of patients' radiological images between different locations for the production of a primary report, expert second opinion or clinical review. Telepathology is the electronic transmission of pathological images, usually derived from microscopes, from one location to another, for the purpose of interpretation and diagnosis. The different locations can be within the same organisation or in different organisations, within the same country or across international boundaries.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, through its Commercial Procurement Services, wishes to award a national framework agreement with two Lots: Lot 1 - Teleradiology and Telemedicine Services Lot 2 - Telepathology Services The term of the framework agreement will be 4 years. Additional information: This is a Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Contract Notice. The awarding of this contract is subject to the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime)Regulations 2023.

For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do not apply to this award. Supplier instructions how to express interest and bid: 1) Browse to the esourcing portal nhssourcing.co.uk and click on view current opportunities; 2) Register your organisation on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once); 3) Accept the portal terms and conditions and click 'continue', enter your organisation and user details; note the username you chose and click 'Save' when complete; you will shortly receive an e-mail with your unique password (please keep this secure); 4) Login to the portal with the username/password; 5) Click the 'PQQs/ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link. (These are pre-qualification questionnaires or invitations to tender open to any registered supplier); 6) Select the title of the ITT; 7) Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page.

This will move the PQQ/ITT into your 'My PQQs/My ITTs' page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only). You can now access any attachments by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'PQQ/ITT Details' box; 8) Review the ITT documents; 9) Responding to the ITT.

Click 'My Response' under 'PQQ/ITT Details', you can choose to 'Create Response' or to 'Decline to Respond' (please give a reason if declining). You can now use the messages function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification. Note the deadline for completion, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the ITT.

There may be a mixture of online and offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available). You must then submit your reply using the 'Submit Response' button at the top of the page. If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.