A total of 46 firms make the cut in procurement vehicle for document-management tools and printing services
Credit: Piqsels
Suppliers have been chosen for a major framework designed to provide NHS organisations with specialist clinical systems, digital records, and printing services.
The Digital Documents Solutions (DDS) deal came into effect at the start of last month; over the course of its four-year term, its estimated value for the 46 featured firms is £5bn.
The deal is not split into lots but, according to procurement notices, is intended to cover a wide range of products comprising “all digital document solutions plus any associated hardware or software”.
The contract notice adds: “This can be summarised as follows: internal print; external print; digital mail room; scanning; document storage; electronic document record management solutions; digital dictation; workflow processes; [and] contract centre.”
Within these broad categories, the framework is intended to address NHS organisations’ digital document and IT system needs in nine specific clinical areas.
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These include: patient administration; electronic health and care records; pathology; radiology; pharmacies; artificial intelligence and automation; patient support; specialist clinical systems; and shared care records.
These categories will encompass a range of specialised extra functionality such as, in the pathology system segment, laboratory information management and blood science systems. The radiology platforms on offer should deliver “vendor-neutral” tools to store and share images, while specialised clinical systems might include platforms dedicated to maternity services, cardiology, or renal care.
The framework is run by buying group the NHS London Procurement Partnership (LPP). It can be used by all NHS entities throughout the UK – including hospital trusts, GP groups, clinical commissioning groups, and specialist care centres – as well as the wider public and third sectors.
“LPP have achieved our vision of an innovative and agile route to market for digital document solutions through a single lot, outcome-based framework structure,” the buying group said. “This allows suppliers to not only evolve the functionality of their existing product portfolio throughout the lifetime of the framework but also to expand their range into new solution areas.”
The 46 suppliers featured on the framework are: Restore; CFH Docmail; Nuance Communications; Bluewire Technologies; Landscape Printing; Conduent; Hyland Software; Gateway Bureau Services; Cleardata; Swisspost Solutions; ASL; MBA Group; Hugh Symons Information Management; FlowForma; Kyocera Document Solutions; Print Search; 3M M*Modal; Academia; Apogee; LGDavis; Canon; Corona Corporate Solutions; NHS Business Services Authority; Corporate Document Services; Continuous Dataprint; Synertec; IMMJ Systems; Harlow Printing; HH Global; Ricoh; Capita Business Services; PSL Print Management; Civica; Ratcliff & Roper; Konica Minolta Business Solutions; CSP; Vision; Altodigital Networks; CCube Solutions; HP; G2 Speech; Bramble Hub; Iron Mountain; Xerox; Exela Technologies; Crown Records Management.
