Channel Register

CfH eyes NPfIT supplier catalogue

Somewhere to go when things go wrong

By Kablenet • Get more from this author

Posted in Software & Security, 10th October 2006 15:34 GMT

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Connecting for Health (CfH) is to create a catalogue of suppliers for the National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

Intellect, the UK trade association for IT suppliers, said it welcomed the move to set up a catalogue which will enable CfH to draw on extra capacity to help deliver the £6bn programme.

However, he warned the use of a catalogue would only be successful if the government "collaborated with the industry".

Intellect market intelligence director Nick Kallsperas told GC News: "Collaboration with the IT industry, introducing sensible procurement and timeframes, is fundamental to its success."

CfH has announced it wants to create the catalogue in light of recent supplier problems including the departure of systems integrator Accenture, subcontractor iSoft's financial difficulties, and the replacement of GE Healthcare (formally IDX) in the London and southern NPfIT clusters.

The catalogue will bypass restrictions placed on public bodies around options available legally in the event of things going wrong. The catalogue will give CfH a list of places to go to.

Tendering for framework deals to provide extra capacity such as local clinical systems and installation expertise will start in the next few weeks, according to CfH.

This article was originally published at Kablenet.

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