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

Descriptions

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.