Contract award notice
Results of the procurement procedure
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER
PARKGATE ROAD
CHESTER
CH14BJ
UK
Contact person: Procurement Services
Telephone: +44 1244512395
E-mail: procurement@chester.ac.uk
NUTS: UKD63
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.chester.ac.uk
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Education
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Oxford Medical Simulation (OMS) VR Platform Licenses
Reference number: 2022-Mar-V-01
II.1.2) Main CPV code
48100000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
II.1.4) Short description
The University of Chester has been awarded funding from Health Education England for the OMS VR Platform for 5years. This follows the publishing of Voluntary ex ante transparency notice 2022/S 000-007413.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
416 632.50
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKG
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The University of Chester has been awarded grant funding from Health Education England ("HEE") for the OMS VR Platform for 5 years. Using the OMS platform clinicians have the opportunity to manage patients in a safe and secure learning environment, learning from their experiences to optimise decision-making, critical thinking and clinical reasoning. This evidence-based approach aligns with NHS policies and procedures to improve the confidence and competence of medical students and practitioners.
Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology and, in medical education, is in its infancy. Oxford Medical Simulation (OMS) have created a medical education and training platform that delivers learning using unique, engaging, immersive and interactive methods. It is specifically designed to translate theory to practice to influence patient care.
OMS are named in the HEE grant agreement.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Price
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
The contract can be extended following the agreement of both parties.
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
II.2.14) Additional information
The University is contracting with OMS for a 5 year period and published its intention in this regard via a VEAT notice to maximise transparency and to confirm the process to be followed. The University has left over 10 days standstill period between the publishing of the VEAT notice and this award notice.
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition
Justification for selected award procedure:
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights
Explanation
Grant funding for this contract has been provided by HEE which has strict conditions with regards
to:
- timelines by which the funding provided has to be spent. This requires full utilisation of the investment by 31st March 2022.
- Compliance with the terms of the grant funding; including sums to be spent with named suppliers.
Any delay in awarding this contract would risk HEE withdrawing funding from University of Chester. Failure to adhere to the grant funding terms would also entail clawback.
Virtual reality is an emerging immersive technology in medical training. OMS has been created by clinicians for clinicians. The platform provides training to healthcare professionals in a unique and interactive way allowing learners to practice and learn from their mistakes in a way that is safe and supported.
The OMS Platform has been trialed by several other HEE regions and is now being adopted more widely as an everyday teaching tool. Additionally, OMS was selected as one of only 12 companies to be part of the NHS Innovation Accelerator in 2021, after undergoing a rigorous evaluation process. This
initiative supports high- impact, evidence-based innovations to scale within the NHS - which provides a further level of evaluation.
Health Education England detailed the Oxford Medical Simulation platform in their grant confirmation of funding letter issued to the University of Chester on 9th March 2022, creating an exclusive right.
As a result, University of Chester believes that Public. Contracts Regulations 2015, Regulation 32(2)applies.
Regulation 32(2) states:
"The negotiated procedures without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:-
(b) where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons:-
(ii) competition is absent for technical reasons,
(iii) the protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights,
(c) insofar as is strictly necessary where, for reasons of extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the contracting authority, the time limits for the open or restricted
procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with."
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2022/S 000-007413
Section V: Award of contract
Contract No: 2022-Mar-V-01
A contract/lot is awarded:
Yes
V.2 Award of contract
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
30/03/2022
V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Oxford Medical Simulation
201 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1JA
UK
NUTS: UKI
The contractor is an SME:
Yes
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot:
: 416 632.50
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
University of Chester
Chester
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
30/03/2022