# Karolinska/Stockholm procurement of Digital health platform (CDR, tools, services, consultants) **Category:** [Procurements](https://discourse.openehr.org/c/procurements/24) **Created:** 2023-09-15 14:42 UTC **Views:** 5847 **Replies:** 27 **URL:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/karolinska-stockholm-procurement-of-digital-health-platform-cdr-tools-services-consultants/4457 --- ## Post #1 by @erik.sundvall Following https://discourse.openehr.org/t/the-swedish-openehr-platforms-and-tools-rfi-2023/3840 by seven Swedish regions, **Karolinska University Hospital is coordinating a procurement for several organisations active in Region Stockholm and Region Gotland**. Listed organisations besides Karolinska are: Södersjukhuset AB (SÖS), Södertälje sjukhus AB, Danderyd Sjukhus AB, Tiohundra AB, St Eriks Ögonsjukhus, Ambulanssjukvården i Storstockholm AB (AISAB), Hälso- och sjukvårdsförvaltningen (HSF), Stockholms läns sjukvårdsområde (SLSO), Region Gotland. The official EU-tender call is available at https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:555615-2023:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0 that in turn links to the call at the procurement portal: https://tendsign.com/doc.aspx?UniqueId=affnznjxli&GoTo=Docs. Anybody interested in actually responding to the tender should register there (for free) to get notifications of changes and responses to questions. The **documents will very likely get updated several times and the copies attached to the Wikipage https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/resources/pages/416514052/Procurement+of+openEHR-related+systems+and+services may be out of date and erraneous by the time you read this**. Following this forum thread is no guarantee to get all updates, instead subscribe to updates in the portal. Framework agreement period is 2+1+1 years. Estimated start of (framework) contract is 2024-02-01. Phase 1 (qualification) closes 2023-10-12 23:59 Estimated total value 154 000 000 SEK (all areas added together, over the full length of framework agreements) A simplified explanation of the process and scope follows (it is not necessarily a legally correct description, see the procurement portal for the real thing. --- There are three areas. 1. openEHR-based Software. With subcategories: * 1a. Software for storage and management of openEHR-based data (CDR etc) * 1b. Software for fine-grained access control * 1c. Software for fast development, publication and maintenance of openEHR-based applications * 1d. Software Services 2. Software for openEHR content Creation and Transformation 3. Consulting Services Note that many actors/providers will likely be interested in responding to only to one or two of the three areas, and thus do not need to bother about the details of the other areas. --- There are several phases (following each other in time) ![image|690x343, 75%](upload://lTiKsux04bNNIYVvLKPUd7ossH1.png) The first Phase published today, closes October 12. It's purpose is to qualify and reduce number of candidates allowed to make bids for framework agreements. If you pass this you get an invitation (activity #2 above) to submit a framework tender/bid. When the framework has started (activity #5 above) and any of the organisations behind the agreement (for example Karolinska or Södersjukhuset) actually need to buy e.g. platforms, tools or services from any of the three "areas", every supplier that has won a framework agreement for that area gets a chance to bid for that specific item in a relatively simple and fast process. Also the requrements, for example for a consultancy assignment, tool or platform, will be specific for the task at hand which makes the process easier for everybody involved. Personally I would recommend starting by reading relevant parts of Appendix 2, the "Area description". A snapshot version is available at https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-DHP2023-Appendix%202%20Area%20description.pdf?api=v2 --- ## Post #2 by @erik.sundvall Does openEHR have any simple way to contact e.g. all https://openehr.org/community/professional_members/ and hint about e.g. area 3 above? Even though there is room for several suppliers in each "area" described above, I believe that some actors e.g. small consultant firms or small tool/application-providers might find it smart to band together in order to supply a broader range of services/products. See requirements to figure out what gives extra "points" in evaluation. The partly related Appendix 5 “Consultancy experience matrix“ sadly seems to be missing currently, but will likely be added next week. Also is there a way to contact all https://openehr.org/community/industry_partners/ and hint about the procurement? --- ## Post #3 by @JillRiley Hi Erik, send me a note of what you'd like sending and I can email both Professional and Industry Partners, separately or together for you. Detail to comms@openehr.org --- ## Post #4 by @erik.sundvall Some issues have been found in the current procurement material (especially the response form in the Tendsign procurement portal). An improved/clarified version is in the works coming days. Make sure to subscribe to notifications in the procurement portal! --- ## Post #5 by @erik.sundvall I hope those interested in responding to the procurement have already registered in the procurement portal (Tendsign) and by now have discovered updates to the main procurement documents, including things like that the selection criteria numbered 2.11.1-2.11.4 now have gotten the previosly missing response fields and that several response lenght recommendations have been clarified (we don't want long essays, just the essence). I uploaded a copy to the [openEHR wikwipage about procurements](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/resources/pages/416514052/Procurement+of+openEHR-related+systems+and+services) and dated it with today's date [Karolinska-DHP2023-Phase1-invitation-snapshot-2023-09-28.pdf ](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-DHP2023-Phase1-invitation-snapshot-2023-09-28.pdf?api=v2) Also note that appendix 5 was added about 10 days ago; a copy of it is uploaded to [Karolinska-DHP2023-Appendix 5 Consultancy experience matrix.xlsx ](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-DHP2023-Appendix%205%20Consultancy%20experience%20matrix.xlsx?api=v2) If you are a non-european company you may want to dump the ungrateful task of filling out most of chapter 3. "European Single Procurement Document (ESPD)" onto a European partner company ;-) That chapter fills more than half the procurement document and includes standard questions about all kinds of things, ranging from registrations in EU databases to questions about corruption and child labour... --- ## Post #6 by @erik.sundvall Please note that tomorrow is the last day to respond to the first qualification phase of this procurement. The procuring organisations in Stockholm & Gotland will, once the framework agreement (phase 2) in place, only be able to procure the requested solutions and services via the framework for the 2-4 years it lasts. So if you want to do business with us during that period, please respond either: * by yourselves *(probably impossible by now if you have not started writing a response already)* * or as subcontractors to somebody else who has written almost everything in a response already *(still doable if you find the right partner)*. --- ## Post #7 by @erik.sundvall Last dance, make a move now... * if you either would like the possibility to work with us the next 2-4 years but have not yet found a partner to be subcontractor for... * ...or if you have prepared a nice response but still are open for some more good subcontractors... ...then make a shoutout, for example here in this thread to match up! --- ## Post #8 by @fredriklinden Hej Erik och Lotta (VD), jag tror att [igrant.io](http://igrant.io) LCubed AB borde vara med efter det att vi vann en av system demonstratorerna och vi är med i CRANE PCP. Guide gärna Lotta till ett consortie. tack Fredrik --- ## Post #9 by @erik.sundvall [quote="fredriklinden, post:8, topic:4457"] jag tror att [igrant.io](http://igrant.io) LCubed AB borde vara med [/quote] You are sadly a couple of hours late. The qualification phase closed 23:59 yesterday as annouced previously in this thread. --- ## Post #10 by @erik.sundvall Thanks for all procurement responses in phase one. There is healthy competition within all three procurement areas. We are now preparing for phase two of the process and qualified participants from phase one will recieve an invitation to it. --- ## Post #13 by @erik.sundvall We'd like to remind all responders to continously watch/read procurement portal messages, in case you during the process get questions or requests for clarifications etc. that sometimes may have fairly tight reponse deadlines. --- ## Post #14 by @erik.sundvall The first phase of the procurement and its evaluation is now finished, and an invitation to submit tenders for framework agreements has been sent out to a number of potential tenderers within all three earlier mentioned procurement areas, a healty competition remains in all areas. (That invitation contains a lot of requirements that we hope to be able to later also publish in this thread for potential reuse by others.) Last day to respond in this phase is January 17, but the opportunity to ask questions and ask for clarifications closes earlier, so make sure to check all documents and dates in the procurement portal. --- ## Post #15 by @erik.sundvall The companies that will be awarded framework agreements were announced via the procurement portal yesterday. There is now a period of 10 days that needs to pass before contracts may be signed (due to procurement rules). Companies in the three procurement areas, alphabetically ordered within each category: **1. openEHR-based Software** (CDR+PMI+Form/UI solutions etc.) * Better d.o.o * Medblocks * Tietoevry AB **2. Software for openEHR content Creation and Transformation** (tools, auxillary systems etc). Information about offered products from each vendor within Area 2 will be published after contracts have been signed and publication detalis have been discussed. * Better d.o.o * Cambio Healthcare Systems AB * Cuviva AB * Eweave AB * Medblocks * Ocean Informatics UK Limited * Service Well AB * Tietoevry AB **3. Consulting Services** * Better d.o.o * Cambio Healthcare Systems AB * CGI Sverige AB * Eweave * freshEHR Clinical Informatics Ltd * Medblocks * MedMod AB * Ocean Informatics UK Limited * Service Well AB * Tietoevry AB Congratulations to all! Information about most of these suppliers can be found on the list of https://openehr.org/community/industry_partners/ This part of the procurement, coordinated by Karolinska University Hospital on behalf of several organisations active in Region Stockholm and Region Gotland will be concluded when the framework agreement contracts are signed. During the following framework agreement period (2+1+1 years) call-offs of different products and services can be done by the following organisations jointly or separately. Procurement groups at these organisations can get acccess to detailed responses and ceiling prices of products and consultancy rates: *Karolinska University Hospital, Södersjukhuset AB (SÖS), Södertälje sjukhus AB, Danderyd Sjukhus AB, Tiohundra AB, St Eriks Ögonsjukhus, Ambulanssjukvården i Storstockholm AB (AISAB), Hälso- och sjukvårdsförvaltningen (HSF), Stockholms läns sjukvårdsområde (SLSO), Region Gotland.* --- ## Post #16 by @erik.sundvall *This morning the following was sent out to framework agreement partners of Tender Area 1, by Espen Sigvartsen (Manager department Datastorage and Application Development, Karolinska University Hospital). I am resharing it here with his permission:* For your information Karolinska University Hospital is planning a first call-off on the framework agreement Digital health platform. The first call-off will be in **Tender Area 1** Open EHR- based Software. Our plan is to publish the call-off week 19 in May 2024 [the week that starts with May 6], with a response required within two weeks. We are planning to ask for the following (but not limited to): * An openEHR-based Clinical Data Repository (CDR) initially delivered as a service (SaaS), with possibility to change to on-prem during the contract period. * Collaboration project regarding configuring and developing functionality for fine-grained access control. * Services related to the above. There will also soon be another call-off for informatics expert consultancy within **Tender Area 3** regarding integration (openEHR modeling and mapping) from our legacy EHR (TakeCare) to openEHR, initially in the form of a PoC (Proof of Concept). One of the first domains to map will be medications, several other medical domains will follow. For **Tender Area 2** we have not yet scheduled a call-off. --- ## Post #17 by @joostholslag [quote="erik.sundvall, post:16, topic:4457"] Collaboration project regarding configuring and developing functionality for fine-grained access control. [/quote] Hi Erik, I’m also working on access control for openEHR. Would be great to discuss maybe in a seperate topic? https://github.com/jorritspee/openEHRxNuts/issues/11 edit: new topic https://discourse.openehr.org/t/access-control-for-openehr-resources/5144 --- ## Post #18 by @Daniel.Alomar Please, let me know where this topic will be discussed. I am also interested on. --- ## Post #19 by @tangit86 Hi, would also be very interested in keeping up to date on how the discussion for this proceeds. Had some debates regarding an implementation of this recently and was quite astonished to see that even for the underlying mechanism, there is a trend to also push the access control/consent management to smart contract implementations. --- ## Post #20 by @birger.haarbrandt @joostholslag please keep us in the loop how things are going for OPAL. Our architects made an evaluation and then decided to go with XACML 3.0 instead of OPAL, but I don't have the details. --- ## Post #21 by @erik.sundvall I just want to clarify that non-Swedish suppliers in this framework agreement do not need to be afraid of the somewhat unusual Swedish laws/rules for fine-grained access control if customers now or later in the framework agreement ask you for this. As mentioned earlier in other contexts my analysis is that any CDR with a decent ABAC-capable policy engine that can run evaluation rules based on... - CDR content, - external API calls and - stuff in the incoming http request (including access tokens) ... can solve this if you add some fairly simple cache/storage of patients' consent and preferences regarding blocking of access. So don't be afraid to respond to call-offs during the framework period! --- ## Post #22 by @erik.sundvall 5 posts were merged into an existing topic: [The Swedish openEHR platforms and tools RFI 2023](/t/the-swedish-openehr-platforms-and-tools-rfi-2023/3840/20) --- ## Post #23 by @erik.sundvall The first call-off in **Tender Area 1** Open EHR- based Software was sent to the framework partners in Tender Area 1 ( Better d.o.o., Medblocks and Tietoevry AB) this past monday (with some parts added today). The response was required to be submitted within three weeks. The call-off documents (including requirements) will be publicly published some weeks after a contract has been signed, so maybe later in the summer. However, we are now allowed to publish the documents from the **framework-agreement**, regarding **all three** tender areas. All eleven (11) documents have been uploaded to the wikipage https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/resources/pages/416514052/Procurement+of+openEHR-related+systems+and+services as attachments with the prefix "Karolinska-2024FA-". For Platform/CDR-interested people, perhaps the following from **Tender area 1** are the most useful * [Requirements Specification](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024FA-Appendix%202.1.1.2%20Requirements%20Specification%20%E2%80%93%20Tender%20area%201%20openEHR-based%20Software%20-%20version%202.xlsx?api=v2) - many of the "should" requierements in this were candidates for "shall" requirements in the later call-off * [Referral of potential requirements that may be used in later call-of](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024FA-Appendix%202.1.1.3%20Referral%20of%20potential%20requirements%20that%20may%20be%20used%20in%20later%20call-off%20%20%20Tender%20area%201%20openEHR-based%20Software.xlsx?api=v2) - some of these were candidates for requirements in the later call-off. * A [Price form](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024FA-Appendix%202.1.1.4%20Price%20Form%20-%20Tender%20area%201%20openEHR-based%20software.xlsx?api=v2) intended to cater for several different pricing models **Tender Area 2** was very open ended and mainly expressed as requirements in a part of [the Main procurement document](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024FA-Main%20procurement%20document.pdf?api=v2) **Tender Area 3** had requirements in parts of [the Main procurement document](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024FA-Main%20procurement%20document.pdf?api=v2) but also had e.g. * a [Consultancy experience matrix](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-DHP2023-Appendix%205%20Consultancy%20experience%20matrix.xlsx?api=v2).xlsx as a way to describe (and during evaluation filter) access to experienced consultants, and a * pricing [rate card](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024FA-Appendix%203.1.2.1%20Rate%20Card.xlsx?api=v2) The framework agreements awarded based on the above were described [in post #15](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/karolinska-stockholm-procurement-of-digital-health-platform-cdr-tools-services-consultants/4457/15?u=erik.sundvall). --- ## Post #24 by @erik.sundvall The first call-off from Tender Area 1 the framework agreement in this forum thread has now been signed. The winners, Tietoevry have made a press release: https://www.tietoevry.com/en/newsroom/all-news-and-releases/press-releases/2024/07/tietoevry-care-wins-an-openehr-based-platform-procurement-for-a-large-swedish-university-hospital/ As you may know Tietoevry and Better are business partners so the contract includes a combination of CDR, tools etc. from Better and Tietoevry's Care Desktop and other framework parts (that are used e.g. in Finland). If all extension possibilities etc. over the years would be used in this contract, then it is likely the largest call-off that fits under the 4-year framework agreement. As mentioned previously in this forum thread... [quote="erik.sundvall, post:16, topic:4457"] There will also soon be another call-off for informatics expert consultancy within **Tender Area 3** regarding integration (openEHR modeling and mapping) from our legacy EHR (TakeCare) to openEHR, initially in the form of a PoC (Proof of Concept). One of the first domains to map will be medications, several other medical domains will follow. For **Tender Area 2** we have not yet scheduled a call-off. [/quote] ...we will now focus on other call-offs, they will be published in normal official procurement portals when ready and likely also mentioned in this forum thread. --- ## Post #26 by @erik.sundvall The procurement documents used in the first call-off from Tender Area 1 in the framework agreement have now been uploaded with the prefix Karolinska-2024-A1C1 to the openEHR wiki page https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/resources/pages/416514052/Procurement+of+openEHR-related+systems+and+services and may be of interest to others making (or responding to) openEHR procurements. Of special interest are likely: * [Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Appendix2 Requirement Specification.xlsx](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Appendix%202%20Requirement%20Specification.xlsx?api=v2) that contains the meat of technical requirements etc. * Those interested in pricing models might also be interested in [Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Appendix 3 Price List.xlsx](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Appendix%203%20Price%20List.xlsx?api=v2) ... * ...and to understand the pricing model the definition of "Medical record use vs Data lake/archive use" on page 5 in [Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Appendix 12 Definitions (Version 2).pdf](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Appendix%2012%20Definitions%20(Version%202).pdf?api=v2) should be read * The duration of the contract is stated in [Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Contract text extracted.docx](https://openehr.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/416514052/Karolinska-2024-A1C1-Contract%20text%20extracted.docx?api=v2) as "thirty-six (36) months with the possibility of extension options of eighteen (18) + eighteen (18) months" I have not (yet) been able to access and share the content of the procurement portal forms, but hope that the files uploaded to the wiki page will cover most of the interesting things. --- ## Post #27 by @erik.sundvall I have now gotten permission to tell you about a second call-off that the framework agreement partners in tender area 3 were asked to respond to. [quote="erik.sundvall, post:16, topic:4457"] There will also soon be another call-off for informatics expert consultancy within **Tender Area 3** regarding integration (openEHR modeling and mapping) from our legacy EHR (TakeCare) to openEHR, initially in the form of a PoC (Proof of Concept). One of the first domains to map will be medications, several other medical domains will follow. [/quote] It was split in a part A and B and is described in [Appendix 2, Project description.pdf|attachment](upload://xSc1SSbsbNtiZ42sRAF3u0Yaoyp.pdf) (1012.4 KB) Winners were: * Part A: freshEHR (informatics) * Part B: Tietoevry (integration and visualization) --- ## Post #28 by @erik.sundvall An update regarding the call-off for informatics expert consultancy within Tender Area 3 regarding integration (openEHR modeling and mapping) from our legacy EHR (TakeCare) to openEHR: The project was a success and a final report is now being finalized. This will be brieflly described (in English) during Karolinska's presentation at https://discourse.openehr.org/t/highmed-openehr-symposium-31-1-25/5311 A slide (in Swedish) from one of the project's demo sessions [se English in update below]: ![image|690x389](upload://AkhnWbMY0POT1RZ3POqATmino2o.png) Update 23 January 2025: Now there is an english version available (made for The HiGHmed coference 31 January. ![image|690x388](upload://3bJtcUDdcjWK4wlpBR7LaDJy49G.png) --- ## Post #29 by @JuhaMuinonen Hello Erik, Interesting Slide - looks a bit complicated, but it is how it is. My question to you is that how soon you will get rid of all this and will have one openEHR based EHR? Best regards and a successful year 2025, Juha --- ## Post #30 by @erik.sundvall That last post with the "complicated" graph is about how to ultimately take care of decades of important EHR data from millions of patients in our current EHR, so we do NOT want to get rid of that _data_, just get rid of the old _system_ before it stops being supported. @JuhaMuinonen, I am not the one deciding to buy old-fashioned monolith EHR systems, so I can not answer your question. But I do know it takes more time than _technically_ necessary even in companies that have a decent vision: In 2009 (!) I was involved a bit in the very clever approach that @rong.chen spearheaded to show how the proprietary Cambio COSMIC system could start using openEHR more in the care documentation module, see https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1472-6947-9-33. But the customer group (healthcare region representatives) and the company did not prioritize this then so the features were never introduced in the main system then. Now, more than 15 years later most Swedish regions (including recent additions) are still entering new information into COSMIC's care documentation module, using mostly proprietary models and non-standardised forms. For some vital parameters etc. hardcoded openEHR-archetype-inspired structures are used in COSMIC though, so at least those will be easier to reuse in a fully openEHR-based system. The approach with integration-archetypes etc. described above for TakeCare should be applicable to converting data from other proproetary EHR systems too, including COSMIC, Melior and other systems used in Sweden (see e.g. http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/SHTI190645) - if there is an understanding for the value of it... Educating decision makers is a challenge. --- ## Post #31 by @Seref [quote="erik.sundvall, post:30, topic:4457"] Educating decision makers is a challenge [/quote] If Pandora's box was a sentence in English, this would be it. --- **Canonical:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/karolinska-stockholm-procurement-of-digital-health-platform-cdr-tools-services-consultants/4457 **Original content:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/karolinska-stockholm-procurement-of-digital-health-platform-cdr-tools-services-consultants/4457