Procurement of Telesurgery Capable Robotic Surgical Equipment - Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency Notice

Contract summary

Industry

• Medical equipments - 33100000

Location of contract

Gibraltar

Value of contract

£2,295,650

Procurement reference

GHA001

Published date

25 June 2025

Closing date

7 July 2025

Closing time

11:59pm

Contract start date

8 July 2025

Contract end date

7 July 2032

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Negotiated procedure without prior publication (above threshold)

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

No

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

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Description

This notice is only for transparency purposes only and does not seek any expressions of interest or response.

The Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) intends to enter into a contract for the direct procurement of a telesurgery capable robotic surgical system. This system forms Phase 1 of the GHA's partnership with a 3rd party clinic to embed robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery within local (Gibraltar) clinical practices. Phase 2 will support the development of telesurgery functionality through a secure connection with UK centres of excellence.

The equipment must meet clinical grade technical specifications for telesurgery applications and is only available from a single source due to proprietary technology and intellectual property restrictions. No reasonable alternatives or substitutes exist at this time.

Justification for the Direct Award without Prior Publication:

The contract is being awarded without prior publication of a contract notice in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Procurement (Public Sector Contracts) Regulations 2016.

This decision has been taken based on the following considerations:

Continuation of Essential Public Health Services
The introduction of robotic-assisted surgery represents a significant advancement in the delivery of surgical care and aligns with patient safety and outcome improvements prioritised by the GHA.
The equipment must be compatible with both current clinical infrastructure and future telesurgical applications.

Market Engagement and Competitive Process
Market engagement has indicated that the robotic system capable of meeting the technical requirements (particularly for telesurgery) is only available from a single supplier, due to proprietary technologies, software integration, and interoperability standards.
The supplier has confirmed exclusivity based on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and no reasonable alternatives have been identified.

Urgency and Timing Constraints
The implementation of this system is time sensitive, linked to agreed collaboration milestones with a 3rd party Clinic.
Delays in procurement could jeopardise the partnership opportunity and impact service modernisation efforts.

Regulatory Compliance and Risk Mitigation
Upon internal review, it has been confirmed that the total contract value exceeds the threshold under Procurement (Public Sector Contracts) Regulations 2016 (PPSCR16). In line with transparency and legal compliance, the GHA is publishing this VEAT notice.
This approach ensures that the GHA adheres to procurement best practice, mitigates legal risk, and allows any market challenge to be raised within the prescribed period.

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Award information

Awarded date

25 June 2025

Contract start date

8 July 2025

Contract end date

7 July 2032

Total value of contract

£2,295,650

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Microport Medical B.V.

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About the buyer

Contact name

Lysandra Debono

Address

Gibraltar Health Authority, 7th Floor, - Zone 1,
St Bernard's Hospital, Harbour views Road
Gibraltar
GX111AA
England

Telephone

+35020072266

Email

lysandra.debono@gha.gi

Website

https://www.gha.gi