RFP PHSA 11525 Community Patient call bell solution

Solicitation number BC174831

Publication date

Closing date and time 2023/08/21 15:00 EDT

Last amendment date

Description
PHSA is looking for qualified vendors to supply Community Patient call bell as outlined in the attached RFP document.
Qualified vendors should submit their responses as outlined in the attached RFP document.
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Questions from vendor with answers (Amendment#1 , Aug 4th, 2023):
  1. I’m wondering if the intention for the call bell solution to serve community living centers such as long-term care, assisted living, and/or independent living facilities? Or is the intent to serve vulnerable patient populations on a broader scale in their individual living situations (private homes, etc.)?
Answer: Our current focus is vulnerable patients in their home or temporary home (which is sometimes private LTC/assisted living facilities rooms that we lease).  This includes community health services and hospital in the home.  This is the core requirement for ourselves at the moment.
However we, at Island health, have been including owned and operated LTC in discussions as we see an opportunity for a solution in these locations as well.  Our hope is one solution that can support both these environments.  I don’t believe the other health authorities are considering this possible just yet as their focus is Hospital in the home.
We currently do not operate assisted living/independent living facilities but we do have affiliate relationships. There are many private LTC facilities as well where we have affiliate relationships.  We are typically (historically) have not been responsible for technologies in these settings. I believe this holds true for all health authorities.
  1. Reflecting the August long weekend and personal vacation schedules of several team members, would it be possible for BCPHSA to grant an extension to the submission deadline by two calendar weeks (from Monday, August 21st to Tuesday, September 5th)?
Answer: Unfortunately we are unable to grant an extension as measures have been take to plan and coordinate the activities of the participants that follow the closing of the RFP.
  1. To minimize the consumption of physical materials and fossil-fuel based delivery, would BCPHSA consider allowing a two-part email based submission instead of USB flash drives, with all other packaging requirements met as stated per envelopes 1 and 2?
Answer: No, proposals must be submitted in accordance with the instructions outlined in the RFP.
  1. Can you indicate which specific Health Canada standard(s) this solution would fall under? (e.g., software as a medical device? ISO / IEC etc.)? (Appendix I, Q FR001)
Answer: This is dependent on your solution architecture /design and the scope of what your solution can do.  It is the responsibility of vendors to know what certifications are required to provide services within Canada.  Please tell us what if any certifications you have. This question is specifically asked from a clinical perspective if your solution has elements that require Health Canada approval.  If yours does not, simply state that.
  1. Please describe the needed decibel levels of the devices. Please describe if the user would be needing to adjust volume, or an administrator/supervisor/caregiver at the PHSA.( Appendix I, Q FR007c)
Answer:  Yes the volume would need to be adjustable.  Some patients are sensitive to sound (sometime due to wearing hearing aids) while others are hard of hearing.   We are open to hearing how your solutions’ volume is adjustable (either at the device level by the patient or at the device level by a system administrator/clinician, or solely as a system as a whole) the more flexibility at a patient level the better given the unique needs of those we serve.  From a decibel level please describe the range of capabilities your solution can provide.
  1. How is 'medical grade' measured (e.g., established standard of some sort)? (Appendix I, Q FR009)
Answer: There are standards that can be referred to via ISO the intention is to ensure that the solution supports us to re-use a device between patients and ensure that the quality of the device is a quality product that allows for durability, ability to properly clean with materials we typically use in a hospital or clinical setting without degrading the materials over time.
  1. What level and type(s) of configuration are needed? (Appendix I, Q FR0012)
Answer: With the advancements recently in technology we wondered whether any solution had the capability/was smart enough through AI or algorithms to “know” that a device was not being worn by the patient.  It is possible that the industry is not this sophisticated at this time which is why we lowered the weight on this question in comparison to others.
  1. Is there an existing solution in place that is being used today? If yes, can you provide the vendor name?
Answer: We cannot accommodate your request at this moment.
  1. If the vendor intends to provide solution support virtually during the implementation phase and throughout the contract, do they require HSCN attestation? Would they fall under the guest classification?
Answer: The suppliers who will provide services virtually, i.e. working remotely with the health authorities, are exempt from this requirement.
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Contract duration

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Trade agreements

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Contact information

Contracting organization

Organization
Provincial Health Services Authority (Incl. BCCSS)
Contracting authority
Fereshteh Kardoost
Email
fereshteh.kardoost@phsa.ca
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Summary information

Notice type
Other
Language(s)
English