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 single supplier approach is required due to the highly specialised nature of the neurosurgical robotic equipment and its associated consumables. The system must ensure precise and accurate placement of electrodes and instruments, which is critical for patient safety in complex procedures such as epilepsy surgery and deep‑seated tumour interventions. The equipment, consumables, and maintenance are intrinsically linked and must be fully compatible to maintain calibration accuracy and performance. Only the original manufacturer (or authorised supplier) can provide the necessary specialist consumables, software updates, and servicing to ensure the system operates safely and within required clinical tolerances. Introducing alternative suppliers would risk incompatibility, loss of accuracy, and potential safety issues, particularly given the need for regular calibration and correction of system drift. Therefore, a single supplier is technically justified to ensure continuity, reliability, and compliance with clinical safety standards.

Direct award justification

Single suppliers technical reasons