Germany - Within the scope of this award procedure, the AG intends to extend the function

Description

The AG intends to implement the functional expansion of the epias ED software in the emergency outpatient departments of the three locations with an initial fixed term of three years as part of this award procedure, whereby it should be noted that the measure is financed by funds from the Hospital Future Fund. In this respect, it should be noted that in order to be eligible for funding, at least one of the functional requirements for the relevant funding element 1 must be fulfilled. Beyond the initial fixed term, the AG is entitled to a two-time extension option. It may extend the term of the contract by one year each time, i.e. up to a maximum contract term of 5 years, by means of a unilateral written declaration.
In accordance with the tender documents, including the (partially) functional service description, the contractor shall be commissioned with the extension of the existing emergency department information system "epias ED", which is ready for acceptance, i.e. essentially free of defects and compatible with the current IT landscape. In this respect, all necessary services are to be provided in accordance with the functional service description, from project planning and planning of the expansion of the existing "epias ED" emergency department information system to installation and commissioning through to support and service.

The planned expansion measures of the complex emergency department information system can only be provided by epias GmbH, as only epias GmbH can guarantee complete and secure integration of the required additional performance functions into the "epias ED" software, which has been available since 2016. In the interests of system security and functionality, it is therefore permissible to exclude any potential risk associated with the combination of different and complex IT system components and to choose the most reliable single-vendor strategy.
The collection of medical histories and patient documentation in particular are extremely critical treatment steps in which information must not be lost or falsified. Incorrect data transfer can lead to incorrect treatment decisions and thus to direct harm to the patient (e.g. if allergy information from a medical history form is transferred incorrectly due to an incorrectly programmed interface). In addition, the AG must and wants to exclude the risk of a temporary system failure due to the incorrect implementation of an individually programmed interface in order to ensure patient safety. The specification of "epias ED" is therefore justified for this reason alone.

Furthermore, it is recognized that the parallel operation of different operating systems requires additional administrative effort, which constitutes an objective reason for specifying the system already implemented in the existing IT structure.
The additional administrative effort for the AG to be expected when procuring third-party software also justifies the specification of "epias ED". The personnel expenditure required to implement third-party software is estimated at 30 man-days. Furthermore, around 180 nursing staff and 800 medical colleagues need to be trained. This results in an additional effort of 490 man-days (980 people*4 hours per training\/8 hours per man-day). Irrespective of the financial requirements generated by the additional expenditure of 520 man-days in total, the additional administrative work would result in a significant reduction in the quality of patient care, which could pose an acute risk to patients. Accordingly, it is also justified for this reason to specify the "epias ED" product to implement the functional expansion of the existing emergency department information system.
Maintenance services can only be provided by epias GmbH, as only epias GmbH has the source codes.

Opportunity closing date

21 November 2024

Value of contract

to be confirmed