HC Deb 08 December 1986 vol 107 cc70-1W
Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give for each tender submitted to Wessex regional health authority in relation to the computer contract subsequently awarded to Arthur Andersen and Co. (a) the name of the tenderer, (b) the tender price and (c) the date the tender was received; and if he will give the closing date for tenders as originally set by the regional health authority.

Mr. Newton

The recent Wessex regional health authority computer procurement was for three separate sub-systems forming part of the new regional information system: accounts, hospital information and manpower.

The companies that tendered for each sub-system were as follows:

Accounts

  • Arthur Andersen & Co. Ltd.
  • Digital Equipment Co. Ltd.
  • ICL (UK) Ltd.
  • Istel Ltd.
  • McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Ltd.
  • Package Programs Ltd.

Hospital information

  • Arthur Andersen & Co. Ltd.
  • British Medical Data Systems Ltd.
  • ICL (UK) Ltd.
  • McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Ltd.
  • NCR Ltd.

Manpower

  • Arthur Andersen & Co. Ltd.
  • Digital Equipment Co. Ltd.
  • ICL (UK) Ltd.
  • Hewlett Packard
  • McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Ltd.
  • Package Programmes Ltd.

All bids were received by the closing dates for tenders which were 16 December 1985 for the accounts and manpower systems and 13 January 1986 for hospital information: they were opened and witnessed on those dates in accordance with the authority's standing orders.

Tender prices are submitted in commercial confidence and it is not the practice to publish unsuccessful bids.

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services is he will place in the Library the terms of reference established by Wessex regional health authority for the tendering for the computer contract awarded to Arthur Andersen and Co.

Mr. Newton

I am arranging for copies of the following Wessex regional health authority documents to be placed today in the Library:

  • Invitation to tender for the hospital information system.
  • Invitation to tender for the manpower and personnel system.
  • Invitation to tender for the accounting system.
  • User requirement for a hospital information system.
  • User requirement for a manpower and personnel system.

These documents were issued to all tenderers in the region's recent computer procurement.

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps were taken to ensure that the awarding of the computer contract to Arthur Andersen and Co. by Wessex regional health authority fully complied with the code of practice for the use of computer consultants and software houses by Government Departments issued by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency; and if he will place the code of practice in the Library.

Mr. Newton

I understand that the guidance to which the hon. Member refers was issued in 1973 by the former Central Computer Agency and has been largely superseded by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency's "IT Management Guide". Both documents are already available for consultation in the Library, but neither applies to the National Health Service.

Computer procurements undertaken by health authorities are subject instead to the "Guidance on Computer Hardware and Software Procurement and Contractual Procedures" issued by the Department. It was for the Wessex regional health authority to ensure that its recent procurement fully complied with this guidance and it has given an assurance that it did so.