Purchase and Maintenance of Neurology Equipment

Procurement reference

CAV-DIR (25-26) 246

Procurement description

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CAVUHB) provides specialist neurosurgical care and treatments for patients. Neurosurgery is a high risk and complex specialty with a high proportion of emergency and urgent work. It is a diverse specialty and includes acute and longer term care, of patients with disorders of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, skull and spine. It incorporates the management of patients with tumours, haemorrhages, hydrocephalus, trauma, spinal degenerative disease, congenital abnormalities, intractable pain, movement disorders, epilepsy and some mental disorders.Specialist robotic equipment is critical for the accurate placement of multi-electrodes for epilepsy surgery and other type of neurosurgical tumour procedures, such as deep seated tumours as well. Appropriate maintenance and servicing is also critical for patient safety as the robot needs to be calibrated regularly to ensure ongoing accuracy and correction of inevitable drift. This Procurement will include the purchase, on-going specialist consumable requirements and any maintenance required to continue procedures safely.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Renishaw Neuro Solutions Ltd

Procedure type

Direct award

Description of how these justifications apply

A Neuromate Sterotactic robot is critical for epilepsy surgery and other type of neurosurgical tumour procedures, such as deep-seated tumours as well. The Health Board has owned a Neuromate Robot and requires a new system due to the old system being end of life. Therefore, the Health Board intends to purchase a new robot, with additional maintenance and support packages included. The Supplier is the only provider with the necessary capability to supply the machine and provide complex specialist support for this robotic equipment. The robot must be calibrated regularly to ensure ongoing accuracy and correction of inevitable drift. This is critical for effective procedures and patient safety.

The selected supplier is the only provider whose neuro machine already meets all Health Board technical specifications, including:

• Required clinical functionality and performance standards

• Compatibility with existing diagnostic and IT systems

• Compliance with relevant regulatory, safety, and clinical standards

No alternative suppliers currently offer an equivalent system with the necessary capabilities. Health Board Clinical and technical staff are already trained and accredited on the supplier’s systems.

Direct award justification

Single suppliers intellectual property exclusive rights

Description of risks to contract performance

There is a risk of service disruption due to the Health Board’s full reliance on a single specialist supplier for installation, calibration, and maintenance of the Neuromate robot. Any delays in support, parts, or engineer availability could affect surgical scheduling. As the system requires regular calibration to maintain accuracy, any lapse could compromise clinical safety and lead to procedure delays. Technical faults or extended downtime would also directly impact neurosurgical activity, given the absence of alternative providers.