FAQ
Frequently asked questions
This section covers all the questions regarding the call for tender.
It will be updated regularly with answers to your questions.
“Soundness of the approach to data interfacing with procurer IT systems” is not clearly reflected within the impact sections, other than its cost impact on 2.2.1 Total cost of ownership, so should this point be addressed transversally in the whole Impact section, or rather the 10 points will be evaluated based on the related requirement within 2.2.1 (i.e. focused on describing the costs associated with interfacing with procurers IT systems)?
The soundness of the concept for the data interface with the client’s IT systems will be assessed in a transversal manner based on all relevant information provided throughout TD6.
We understand from an earlier clarification (FAQ) that the supply will not be subject to VAT. Does this mean that according to section 4.4 of TD1 a fixed total price is to be specified for phase I and an estimated total price for phases II and III, broken down to show unit prices and the number of each unit needed to carry out phase I – given in euros, including any other taxes and duties than VAT,no VAT applicable?
Yes.
In reference to sections 4.4 and 2.5 of the tender documentation, along with the clarification provided regarding VAT, our understanding is that our financial offer should not exceed a maximum of 67,150 Euros
The price for Phase I shall not exceed 85,000 Euro including all applicable taxes and duties. Pursuant to art. 72 co. 1 letter c) of Presidential Decree 633/1972, the supply will not be subject to VAT
What will be the maximum number of tenders that will be selected for Phase I?
Six tenders will be selected for Phase I.
The goal is that the solution can respond to any use case, but not only to those proposed by the Buyers Group, right?
We assume that if the DYNAMO solution can successfully be used for dynamically adapting existing care process pathways for the high-pressure scenarios proposed by the Buyers Group, it can be used for other crisis scenarios as well.
Do the procurers provide a VPN?
No VPN will be provided by the procurers.
In relation to authentication management, will there be a central LDAP?
There is no specific approach prescribed in the call documents. Tenderers should describe the suggested approach together with a reasoning in the proposal.
Do the IPR stay with the selected company or consortium?
Each contractor will keep ownership of the IPRs attached to the results they generate during the PCP implementation. The tendered price is expected to take this into account. Each Contractor is therefore responsible for the management and protection of its IPRs and bears the costs associated with this. Please also see TD1 for IPR related rights of the Buyers Group.
Will the Declaration of Honour on On/Off Award Criteria need to be signed by the entire consortium or just by the lead contractor?
The Declaration of Honour on On/Off award criteria (TD3b) must be provided and signed by:
- in case of single tenderer, the contractor
- in case of joint tenders, the lead contractor.
Will all procurer organisations pilot the DYNAMO solution? Or will it be piloted by selected procurer organisations?
Each procurer organisation has set up a Local Modelling Group that will pilot the DYNAMO solution. As set out in the Challenge Brief (TD2), each group is to be enabled to do so through the provision of appropriate training and guidance.
Will there be face-to-face meetings of the selected consortia with the procurer organisations?
During Phase I of the PCP process, it is planned to have regular online meetings. Later in Phase II when prototypes are expected to become available, there will also be onsite prototype tests to be supported by the selected consortia. During the final phase, the fully functional pilot version will be tested onsite as well.
Are there any plans for the pilot to simulate any crises from the past?
During the pilot phase, it is not intended to simulate handling a crisis as such. The DYNAMO solution is supposed to support the procurer organisations who deliver services in their regions. They will apply the DYNAMO solution for flexibly adapting service pathways they have already in place, with a view to keeping their existing services up and running under the conditions of an assumed crisis. For piloting purposes, dedicated crisis scenarios will be developed based on which the procurement organisations will simulate the adaptation of their existing service pathways.
Do we want to use AI for the simulation?
There is no explicit requirement to utilise AI or any other specific technology for developing the DYNAMO solution. If a tenderer proposes to utilise AI and/or any other specific technology, this should be described in the tender together with a justification.
Should DYNAMO have a constantly functioning monitoring system or is it only started up when a crisis occurs?
The DYNAMO solution is not supposed to be a monitoring system that is always up-and running. If a crisis event occurs, the Local Modelling Group convenes and uses the DYNAMO solution. The Local Modelling Group may however also decide to use the DYNAMO solution to prepare for an anticipated crisis well in advance.
The basis for designing pathways is to understand the risk associated to a given crisis scenario. The question is whether this is a process to be supported by the platform or whether this happens outside the DYNAMO system following existing standards? The question mainly relates to the trigger point of using the DYNAMO system.
The DYNAMO solution is not supposed to automatically trigger the work of the Local Modelling Group. The procuring organisations may, for example, be informed by public authorities of an emerging crisis event, or they may notice an increased influx of patients into their own health and care facilities. They would then activate their Local Modelling Group. Subsequently, the group would use the DYNAMO solution for planning necessary adjustments to existing service delivery processes.
Are there any limitations in terms of a cloud provider that needs to be considered when designing the systems?
There are no specific requirements set out in the tender documents when concerning cloud providers. Tenderers should indicate any cloud providers they propose to rely upon and provide a justification in their proposal.
Should the system comply with ISO 31000 standard?
Compliance with the ISO 31000 standard is not included in the tender documents as a mandatory requirement. Tenderers should indicate any standards they offer to comply with and provide a justification in their proposal.
Beyond importing data sets from existing systems, it is also mentioned in the challenge brief that the solutions shall be integrated with EHR systems. Are there any specific systems to be integrated?
The connection to existing data systems is envisaged as a way to securely transfer data files extracted from other systems in combination with a tool allowing for the pseudonymisation of identifiers in a way that still allows for individual level linkage of different datasets where required. A future requirement will be to have a deeper interface with existing data systems for the automatic extraction of real-time data. Please see TD2 for further explanations.
Can you provide information on the size of the envisaged systems in terms of volumes of data to be processed and the number of users who are envisaged to use the system simultaneously?
There are no estimations about the volumes of data to be processed by the solution. The solution is to be used as a planning tool by a group of experts, the so-called Local Modelling Group, which will be set up at each procurer’s site. The solution is not intended to directly support service delivery to individual patients at the point of care. It is, thus, not envisaged to be used by patients and care staff outside the Local Modelling Group.
Are there any further details available on the data sets that are going to be made available by the procurers?
Beyond the information provided in the tender documents, there are currently no further details available on the data sets that will be made available by the procurers.
At which level of depth should the risk analysis mentioned in the challenge brief be performed?
Tenderers should propose the level of depth they deem feasible and appropriate based on the information available from the tender documents.
The tender documents require the provision of a statutory registration number. Some partners, e.g. from Spain, do not have this kind of number. Would it be sufficient if they provide only their VAT no.?
Tenderers who do not possess a statutory registration number must specify at least their VAT identification number.
In TD1, a link is provided for the legal entity form. The link is not valid anymore. Can you provide a valid link?
The legal capacity and the representation of the bidders shall be proved by a signed Legal Entity Form with its supporting evidence. All tenderers (including all members of the group in case of joint tender) must provide this form. The form is available here.
Is it mandatory to use a digital signature? Or can we sign on paper and submit a scanned version?
It is preferrable to use an electronic signature. However, it is also possible to sign documents on paper and submit a scanned version.
I understand that the tender will be submitted in electronic form. I there anything which we will need to submit my post?
The offer shall be submitted only electronically.
How affects the financial offer of each tenderer in the score of the proposal?For example: a) tender A get a score of 100 points in the Weighted award criteria (the maximum) and the financial offer is 85K€ b) tender B get a score of 90 points in the Weighted award criteria and the financial offer is 60K€. Which tender will score higher?
Tenders must score above the weighted award criteria thresholds given, for each threshold. Tenders that do not reach the minimum quality thresholds will be rejected.
The contracts will be awarded to the most economically advantageous tenders, i.e., the tenders scoring above all thresholds and offering the best price-quality ratio determined in accordance with the formula below.
\[ Total Score_{Tender~i}=90\%\cdot~Quality Score_{Tender~i}+10\%\cdot\left(\frac{lowest~price~of~all~tenders}{Price_{Tender~i}}\cdot 100\right)\]The price applied is to be the total offered price relating to the next specific contract (contract for each phase) in the PCP. For the first tender, the price for phase I will be applied.
The maximum score for a tender is 100 points, of which 90 % correspond to the technical quality and 10 % to the financial offer, as shown in the formula above.
Should there be any doubt as to the application of any of these criteria to a tender / offer, tenderers may be requested to provide additional information.
Which phase we will be able to have data from the regional stakeholders?
Data from the procureres will be made available in Phase II.
The tender refers that we should present the CV of key staff. This CV can be anonymized?
CVs of key staff can be anonymised.
The tender has six use cases: • Antimicrobial resistance, • Heatwave, • Cyberattack, • Pandemic, • Power failure, • Staff Shortage. We should consider all this cases in the solutions design phase (Phase I)?
All high-pressure scenarios and use case descriptions included in TD2 muste be considered.
1. I noticed you had the Q&A Session on March 4, 2024 – are you planning any other Q&A sessions before the deadline date for proposals? 2. Are you open to a clarification call with our team to discuss the questions regarding the tender?
Bilateral talks are not possible during the ongoing tendering process. Another open online Q&A session is planned for 9 April. Details on technical access and the exact time will be announced shortly on the project website.
Section 7 of TD3a (Declaration of Honour on the exclusion criteria) lists the evidence that must be provided on request. Should the listed documents be presented as support of the document validity simultaneously with the submission of the proposal, or should they be presented only if the contracting authority requires them as future evidence? If that’s the case, should they be translated in English or could they be submitted in the language of the prospective contractor?
The evidence listed in Chapter 7 of TD3 must only be submitted upon request. If it will be requested, it shall be provided in English.
To apply for funding, we need to fill out all the documents in the “Complete Tender Document Package,” right?
For details on content and format of the tender, please refer to the published tender documents. TD1 includes a table describing the content of each document that must be submitted as part of the tender.
If I understand correctly, the funding is for private companies, not the public. But in the consortium, public companies and health institutions can participate, right?
Participation in the tendering procedure is open on equal terms to all types of operators from any country, regardless of their geographic location, size, or governance structure. Please note that there are requirements relating to the place of performance of the R&D services as well as to the share of personnel costs in R&D services. For further details on the eligibility of tenders please refer to the published tender documents, in particular TD1.
To solve the problem, the dynamo has a budget of up to €3,350,000 to distribute among the consortia that provide a solution to the challenge.Aspirants will move in three phases:Phase 1: design of solutions (15% of the budget)Phase 2: prototype development (35% of the budget)Phase 3: pilot system test (50% of the budget)So, if I understand correctly, if the project is accepted, it will move on to phase 1, and once it is done with this phase and is one of the best suppliers, it will move on to phase 2, and so on, right?
The R&D process is divided into three stages:
- Phase I: Solution design
- Phase II: Prototype development
- Phase III: Original development an testing of a limited series of products or services.
After each stage, evaluations refine the selection, focusing on solutions aligning with customer needs and value. This iterative model lets contractors refine subsequent phase proposals based on prior feedback. The incrementally enlarging contract scope across phases facilitates small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participation, enabling gradual business expansion. For details on the weighting of the award criteria across the different phases please refer to the published tender documents, in particular TD1.
Main crises in healthcare: propagated epidemics, increased antimicrobial resistance, heatwaves, shortages of personnel, and cybersecurity. So, if I understand correctly, our project needs to be a solution to overcome these main crises, right?
Each DYNAMO procurer establishes a dedicated crisis care planning group, the so called Local Modelling Group (LMG). The members of the LMG will be the users of the DYNAMO solution. They will use the solution to plan the adaptation of existing service delivery process pathways or develop new service delivery process pathways at the level of strategic service planning. The DYNAMO solution will thus not be used to support service delivery to individual patients at the point of care. During the PCP process the procurers’ LMGs will co-develop and pilot the solution in relation to selected high-pressure scenarios. All high-pressure scenarios and related use cases described in TD2 are to be adderssed.
Please clarify this expression of the Tender Specification: “the valid Italian and EU VAT legislation will be applied in the project”. Is the amount available in phase 1 per provider 85.000€ net excluding VAT (+22% VAT = 103.700€), or gross including VAT (-22% VAT = 69.672.13€ net)?
The amount of the supply will not be subject to VAT, pursuant to art. 72 co. 1 letter c) of Presidential Decree 633/1972