Liverpool NHS Trusts seek IT service provider in deal worth £31.5m

Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust (LWFT) and Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust (AHFT) are looking for a partner to provide all their ICT services for at least the next seven years.

According to an online tender, both trusts are looking to deliver efficient, cost-effective, transformational IT through a new IT services contract.

AHFT is looking to pay £2.5m a year for the services, and LWFT £2m a year, which over the life of the contract comes to £31.5m.

The tender reads: "Both LWFT and AHFT recognise they need to improve the speed at which they can access new innovations, capabilities and technologies, while at the same time increasing ICT flexibility and scalability.

"The provider will also be expected to undertake transformational projects within each of the trusts' clinical areas to increase the value for money the trusts each derive from their investment in ICT."

The chosen service provider will be expected to supply the following:

• 24-hour helpdesk, including all technical, hardware, software, non-clinical and clinical systems support;

• unified communications, which will include telephony, paging, bleeps and mobiles;

• networks (LAN, WLAN and WAN), including firewalls, remote access to VPN and web-filtering;

• datacentre services;

• desktop, mobile and tablet repair, engineering, support and installation;

• decomissioning of systems, software and hardware.

Those interested in participating in the tender process have until 22 February to express interest to the trusts.