Official UK procurement notice
Patient Administration System (PAS)
Authority: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBolton NHS Foundation Trust (“the Trust”) intends to undertake preliminary market engagement (PME) in advance of a forthcoming procurement exercise for the provision of a new PAS solution to replace its existing PAS. The existing PAS is based on iSOFT’s i.PM product and the latest release in use by the Trust is referred to as ‘Lorenzo i.EPR 2.2.1001’. We will refer to this existing PAS as the ‘Legacy PAS’. The Legacy PAS was first implemented at the Trust in late 2008.
The Legacy PAS is maintained and supported by Dedalus under a contract which can be extended until 31 August 2028. Dedalus also hosts the Legacy PAS using the AWS public cloud service.
The Trust intends to use PME to assess potential PAS suppliers and their products and to inform a strategic decision by the Trust about whether to procure a new standalone PAS solution to replace the Legacy PAS or to procure an integrated EPR and PAS solution.
Information about the PME process and expected activities can be found below, under the heading “Pre-Market Engagement”, and in a separate RFI document published at the same time as this notice.
If the Trust decides to proceed with the procurement of a new PAS solution to replace the Legacy PAS, the current expected scope of service includes the following:
- the right to use the new PAS solution (a licence)
- an implementation project, including programme management, design, configuration and build, testing, early life support, training (most likely in the form of train the trainer), data migration, integration with pre-existing systems, reporting
- maintenance and support of the new PAS solution
The Trust is keeping an open mind about whether the new PAS solution would be hosted by the Trust ‘on premise’ or hosted by the new supplier (suppliers’ hosting services may be based on public cloud services from Azure, AWS or Google Cloud Platform, or provided through a data centre).
The services will need to be provided on-site and/or remotely, depending on the nature of the services.
CPV: Computer support and consultancy services · Computer-related services · Data services · Hardware consultancy services · IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support · Information systems and servers · Information technology services · Software programming and consultancy services · Systems support services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 10 yrs from 31 Aug 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
- “Patient Administration System (PAS)” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
Competition for Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222), and who usually turns up
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has too little published record in this market to describe on its own. Published market evidence for the same work stands beside whatever it has. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Across this market, small firms won 0% of awards with a known supplier size.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means the winner is registered in the region where that contract was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Across this market, 17% of winners were registered in the delivery region.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 136 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Across this market, at least 65% of awarded procurements had no recorded rival.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid3%
2–327%
4–624%
7+45%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 7222Estimate not published
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 21 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid5%
2–343%
4–629%
7+24%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 10 Jul 2026, 14:31 BST
- Last source update
- 10 Jul 2026, 14:31 BST
- Authority reference
C454523- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-065223- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c8a9Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
10 Jul 2026 → 31 Aug 2027 · 3 dates- Planning notice published103 days ago10 Jul 2026, 14:31 BST
- Market engagement88 days ago24 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
Intended Procedure:
Further Competition Procedure under the London Procurement Partnership (LPP) CDHS Framework.
Publication date of Tender Notice (estimated):
To be confirmed
Pre-Market Engagement:
Please note that this PME does not constitute a call for competition and any future procurement will be conducted in compliance with the relevant procurement laws. Participation in any stage of the PME is entirely voluntary and is not a condition of any future participation in a procurement.
Without, in any way, restricting or limiting the Trust’s freedom to set such Conditions of Participation (including as to technical capability and/or experience) as it so chooses, the Trust welcomes participation in the pre-market engagement by all suppliers with demonstrable capabilities in the implementation, management and maintenance and support of PAS solutions.
The Trust reserves the right to conduct the PME in such flexible way as best suits its needs, but it currently intends to begin PME on or around Friday 10 July 2026 by undertaking the following activities:
- Issuing a Request for Information at the same time as publishing this notice, containing questions which require written answers to be provided by no later than 4 PM on Friday 24 July 2026. The answers are subject to word count limits.
- Having reviewed the answers to the questions in the RFI, the Trust may then (at its sole discretion) request further information from any responder and/or may request to meet (on-line or in person) with any one or more of the responders to the RFI, in each case to clarify their responses and/or obtain such further information from them as the Trust so chooses.
- The Trust may also, at any time during the PME, modify, supplement or request further information from any one or more of the parties remaining interested in the procurement at that time, as it so chooses.
- The Trust’s estimated date for closing the PME is 30 August 2026 (although this may slip because of Trust or supplier resources being unavailable because of holidays).
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 314 days31 Aug 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published10 Jul 2026, 14:31 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender