HSE initiates procurement process for outbreak surveillance system

The HSE is seeking a vendor to provide a national infectious disease outbreak case and incident management system (OCIMS).

The OCIMS will be used for the public health management and surveillance of infectious diseases and other health protection threats, such as environmental hazards.

The value of the contract is estimated at approximately €5 million, which the HSE anticipates will apply for an initial term of five years.

The contract relates to the development/delivery of the OCIMS and the ongoing management of the system.

After five years, the contract has the potential to be renewed for two five-year extensions, according to tender documents.

The need for an OCIMS has been recognised for some time and the procurement of the system has been a priority of the current public health reform programme.

The Report of the Public Health Reform Expert Advisory Group, which was published in September, highlighted the need for such a system.

The report stated the importance of surveillance, modelling, and evidence synthesis was clear during the Covid‑19 pandemic.

“Ireland should consolidate the innovations that were driven forward and build on this,” according to the document.

“This will involve integrating, embedding and further developing national surveillance, modelling, evidence synthesis and horizon scanning capacities and ensure that the fruits of these functions are available both at national level and also at regional and local levels. This should include development of an integrated infectious disease case management system, which fully integrates outbreak, case, and incident management with national indicator and molecular-based surveillance, for European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control standard surveillance and control of communicable diseases.”

According to the report, “immediate work” is required to support public health activities.

In addition to the OCIMS, it stated the need for increased capacity for surveillance and modelling and the integration of datasets relevant to health and wellbeing.

The deadline for interested parties to respond to the tender request is 20 November.