Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust to Defend Against EPR Procurement Court Claim
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust stated that it will defend itself vigorously against allegations of breaking procurement rules in a £65 million electronic patient record (EPR) contract. The trust’s current EPR supplier, System C, filed a claim with the High Court regarding the evaluation process of competing bids for the EPR system contract.
According to court documents seen by HSJ, System C claims that the trust modified the award criteria or used undisclosed criteria during the competitive process, favoring the winning bidder, a partnership between Insight Direct and Altera Digital Health.
System C is seeking a judgment declaring the trust’s actions unlawful and requesting the procurement process be abandoned. Additionally, they are seeking unspecified damages.
A spokesperson for Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust emphasized their commitment to governance and transparency in all operations, including procurement processes. The trust will present a robust defense against System C’s claims, focusing on patient care and digital transformation.
System C alleges that the trust disregarded higher scores given to their bid in favor of lower scores, impacting their overall evaluation. They claim that limited evaluation records suggest discrepancies among evaluators, breaching procurement rules.
In response, a spokesperson for System C stressed the importance of a fair procurement process for all parties involved, supporting the trust’s digital transformation objectives.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust, a newly formed trust resulting from a merger, awarded a contract to Apira Ltd for EPR procurement support in November 2023.
System C’s existing contracts with the trust’s predecessors are set to expire, prompting the ongoing legal dispute over the EPR procurement process.
