Procurement details: EoE SNSDE for R&D - Solution to support data harmonisation, cohort discovery, de-identification, and linkage

• Term or acronym:

  EoE

• Definition:

  East of England

• Term or acronym:

  SDE

• Definition:

  Secure Data Environment

• Term or acronym:

  PRE

• Definition:

  Project Research Environment, the area a approved research can use to interact with their approved data via a virtual data interface

• Term or acronym:

  OMOP

• Definition:

  Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership

• Term or acronym:

  EPR

• Definition:

  Electronic Patient Record

• Term or acronym:

  CDM

• Definition:

  Common Data Model

• Term or acronym:

  UAT

• Definition:

  User Acceptance Testing

• Term or acronym:

  ETL

• Definition:

  Extract, Transform, Load, a pipeline to extract data from multiple locations, transform it and load it into a new data warehouse

• Term or acronym:

  POC

• Definition:

  Proof of Concept

• Term or acronym:

  MVP

• Definition:

  Minimum Viable Product

• Summary of work:

  We are looking for a solution which supports a federated approach to data harmonisation, cohort discovery and de-identification and linkage. During this engagement's proof of concept (POC) stages, this solution will operate on subsets of data from NHS data providers. This solution should be designed with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Five Safes principle firmly at its core. We are looking for an approach which will promote interoperability, scalability and integration with NHS data provider systems. It should provide advanced yet user-friendly tooling to support research and innovation. The selected provider will adapt existing software to deliver a novel solution, alongside operational documentation, to create an extensible MVP within the SDE cloud-based environment and each NHS data provider’s own infrastructure. The solution will be adapted in partnership with the EoE SDE team and the NHS data provider Digital and Information Governance teams. This solution will enable researchers to discovery and gain approved access to a suitable cohort of patient data from the East of England and use it to better understand health care outcomes and drive forward new an innovative solutions while also meeting all information governance requirements.

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  East of England

• Who the organisation using the products or services is:

  The host Contracting Authority is Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The East of England Collaborative Procurement Hub is working on behalf of the Contracting Authority. This is being procured for the East of England Integrated Care System: NHS CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH (C&P) NHS NORFOLK AND WAVENEY (NWPC) NHS SUFFOLK AND NORTH EAST ESSEX (SNEE) NHS BEDFORDSHIRE, LUTON AND MILTON KEYNES (BLMK) NHS HERTFORDSHIRE AND WEST ESSEX (HWE) NHS MID AND SOUTH ESSEX (MSE)

• Why the work is being done:

  Our vision is to deliver a Sub-National Secure Data Environment for Research and Development (SNSDE for R&D) for the East of England (EoE) that: 1. Accelerates research to improve the quality of life and reduce health inequalities for people living within our region, promoting the benefits to secure public advocacy and support. 2. Generates new opportunities for research by providing a simpler, faster, and streamlined research user journey while enhancing the quality and quantity of research – including integration with existing advanced, multimodal data assets. 3. Exemplifies patient and public involvement and engagement in research by working with patients and the public in progressive ways to shape local research efforts, thereby enhancing public trust in how their data is used and protected. 4. Drives economic growth by contributing to the attractiveness of the East of England as a place where life science and tech companies want to locate and fund research. 5. Delivers a technical solution which takes measures to minimise its environmental footprint. The East of England is home to a world-renowned clinical, academic, and life sciences community. It is well-placed to harness longitudinal healthcare data at scale to deliver research and innovation that transforms health outcomes. The existing SDE can provide Project Research Environments (PRE) where Researchers can interact via a Virtual Desktop Interface. The SDE platform design is based on the Standardised Architecture for Trusted Research Environments (SATRE). This interface currently provides Researchers with: • Access to their approved research cohort, which is created via a manual process. • Access to software libraries via package managers like PyPI and CRAN. • The ability to ingress de-identified anonymised data to use alongside the approved research cohort, which is de-identified at source. • The ability to egress anonymised results with oversight by an SDE Data manager.

• The business problem:

  We are looking for a solution which supports a federated approach to data harmonisation, cohort discovery and de-identification and linkage. During this engagement's proof of concept (POC) stages, this solution will operate on subsets of data from NHS data providers. This solution should be designed with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Five Safes principle firmly at its core. We are looking for an approach which will promote interoperability, scalability and integration with NHS data provider systems. It should provide advanced yet user-friendly tooling to support research and innovation. The primary needs of these POCs and Minimal Viable Product (MVP) will need to fulfil are: • Data Harmonisation: Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and other data from NHS data provider organisations will be mapped to the OMOP common data model and vocabulary to provide researchers with a shared language when using these data. • Cohort discovery: To support researchers in exploring whether the East of England NHS data providers have enough patients to meet their research requirements. • De-identification and linkage: To remove and/or minimise personally identifiable information in the selected/approved cohorts being surfaced on EOE-SDE to meet information governance rules and guidelines and provision harmonised data with OMOP schema, original records and transformation scripts within a researcher’s Project Research Environment (PRE) on the SDE. The chosen partner must work with the SDE technical team and NHS data providers to develop and deliver a synthetic data POC by 28 February 2025, a live data POC by 31 March and then the MVP production service by 30 June 2025.

• User type:

  Personas and User Stories

• Definition:

  Descriptions of personas and user stories can be found in 00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec, Appendix 1, SDE Personas and User stories.

• Which phase the project is in:

  Beta

• Existing team:

  Description and organigram of the existing team is set out in Appendix 3 SDE Delivery Team Information.

• Address where the work will be done:

  Remote plus some in person meetings at: Health Innovation East, Unit C, Magog Court, Shelford Bottom, Cambridge, CB22 3AD

• Working arrangements:

  The supplier team is expected to keep to the delivery team's core working hours (09:00-17:00), to maximise knowledge transfer and time available to work collaboratively across organisations. As a minimum we require the supplier to engage with fortnightly sprint cycles, with two stand-ups per week with the SDE programme management office (PMO) and technical teams. Work is expected to be conducted largely remotely, but the supplier team will need to be able to travel to the Health Innovation East office (in Cambridge) as some in person meetings are expected. Reasonable travel expenses (excluding air travel due to carbon impact) to support the working arrangements will be reimbursed, subject to prior approval. EOECPH and the Trusts shall not be liable for or pay any costs, expenses or losses, whatsoever which may be incurred by any Tenderer in the preparation of their Tender submission.

• Security and vetting requirements:

  No security clearance needed

• Latest start date:

  5 December 2024

• Contract length:

  0 years 6 months 0 days

• Optional extension:

  0 years 3 months 0 days

• Indicative maximum:

  The contract value is not specified by the buyer

• Indicative minimum:

  The contract value is not specified by the buyer

• Contracted out service or supply of resource?:

  Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply

• How many suppliers to evaluate:

  3

• Technical Competence:

  60%

• Cultural fit:

  5%

• Social values:

  10%

• Price:

  25%

• Essential skills and experience:

  2%

• Nice-to-have skills and experience:

  1%

• Technical questions:

  97%

• Description:

  1.1 Must be independently assessed and verified by a Government approved external body that it meets the Cyber Essentials implementation profile [BIS/14/696], follow NHS Digital cloud security good practice guide, be NHS Digital Data Security and Protection Toolkit compliant, have appropriate ISO or other relevant certifications such as ISO27001. Evidence must be supplied as part of stage 2 for shortlisted bidders. This question is scored Pass/Fail as set out in the supporting document (00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec).

• Weighting:

  1%

• Description:

  1.2 Must be able to apply fixed data minimisation rules according to information governance rules and guidelines provided by an NHS organisation, such as the suppression of small numbers in cohort discovery queries, respecting the national and local NHS data sharing opt-out and applying the Secondary Use Service’s list of restricted terms. https://digital.nhs.uk/services/secondary-uses-service-sus/secondary-uses-services-sus-guidance This question is scored Pass/Fail as set out in the supporting document (00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec).

• Weighting:

  1%

• Description:

  1.3 Must have the ability to mobilise a team with the required skills, experience, & track record, to deliver the following phases by the given dates - Phase 1 Synthetic data POC February 28th, 2025, | Phase 2 Live data POC by March 31st, 2025, | Phase 3 MVP by June 30th, 2025 This question is scored Pass/Fail as set out in the supporting document (00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec).

• Weighting:

  1%

• Description:

  1.4 Must have a proven track record working with IT within NHS organisations and providing software which handles patient data including relevant experience applying the ‘Five Safes’ principles as defined by the ONS. The weighting for this question is 25% as set out in the supporting document (00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec).

• Weighting:

  25%

• Description:

  1.5 Must have an existing solution which can conduct data harmonisation including mapping from NHS record systems such as EPRs to OMOP. This solution should include facilities for NHS staff to perform quality assurance on the harmonised data. The weighting for this question is 25% as set out in the supporting document (00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec).

• Weighting:

  24%

• Description:

  1.6 Must have an existing solution which can perform de-identification, pseudonymisation, and other data minimisation on the harmonised data and original records and deliver this linked cohort assembled from multiple NHS data providers to the EoE-SDE for use in an approved project. Please provide details on your approach to data linkage across the NHS data providers. The weighting for this question is 25% as set out in the supporting document (00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec).

• Weighting:

  24%

• Description:

  1.7 Must have an existing solution to support federated cohort discovery across multiple NHS data providers. This system must be capable of accepting queries from a third-party service using standard OMOP vocabulary and return counts for all requested attributes while also supressing small numbers. The weighting for this question is 25% as set out in the supporting document (00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec).

• Weighting:

  24%

• Description:

  2.1 Experience delivering user interfaces which can be used as a data catalogue that allows researchers to identify available fields relevant to their research interests from the EoE-SDE.

• Weighting:

  45%

• Description:

  2.2 Experience providing local systems to explore NHS data provider records by researchers based at the provider.

• Weighting:

  45%

• Description:

  2.3 Where a bid is a consortium of suppliers, a proven track record of working together in partnership to deliver solutions to the NHS.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Technical Approach 3.1.1 Please describe your proposed approach and how this meets the requirement for the three deliverable stages, Synthetic Data POC, Live Data POC and Live Data MVP as described 00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec. Please include a summary of any ongoing operational requirements/costs that should be taken into considered for your proposal. Please note that Table 2 of the Commercial Schedule document (Appendix 5) will be used to support evaluation of responses to this question. Please note that we are seeking well-grounded assumptions regarding driving costs and strategies to minimise running costs rather than a comprehensive evaluation of overall costs in this table.

• Weighting:

  8%

• Question:

  Technical Approach 3.1.2 Please describe your approach to data harmonisation as described in section 2.1 of 00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec

• Weighting:

  8%

• Question:

  Technical Approach 3.1.3 Please describe your approach to de-identification and linkage as described in section 2.2 of 00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec

• Weighting:

  8%

• Question:

  Technical Approach 3.1.4 Please describe your approach to federated cohort discovery as described in section 2.3 of 00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec

• Weighting:

  8%

• Question:

  Technical Approach 3.1.5 Please describe how your proposed solution will meet the functional requirements of the personas and user stories set out in Section 2.6 of the Supporting Information file 00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec

• Weighting:

  6%

• Question:

  Technical Approach 3.1.6 Please describe how your proposed solution or approach would scale to cover the whole East of England region with population of ~7 million 20+ NHS data providers variable Electronic Patient Record (EPR) formats and other record systems.

• Weighting:

  6%

• Question:

  Technical Approach 3.1.7 Please describe how your proposed solution will maintain stability if one or more sites have intermittent outages or need to revoke access due to information governance concerns.

• Weighting:

  6%

• Question:

  Security 3.2.1 Please evidence how your organisation and proposed solution complies with the security requirements set out in Section 2.7 of the Supporting Information file 00_EoE-SNSDE_Data_harmonisation_Ptr_spec

• Weighting:

  13%

• Question:

  Security 3.2.2 Please describe how you will work with us to ensure the data harmonization, cohort discovery de-identification and linkage processes are aligned to the Five Safes Framework. https://ukdataservice.ac.uk/help/secure-lab/what-is-the-five-safes-framework/

• Weighting:

  6%

• Question:

  Security 3.2.3 Please describe your process for resolving any issues highlighted through third-party Pen Testing and Security Audits.

• Weighting:

  6%

• Question:

  Team Working 3.3.1 Please detail your proposed delivery approach, including how you will work with the EoE-SDE team to deliver agreed outcomes to stated timescales. You should include details of your engagement and collaboration approach and how this will ensure the MVP is successfully delivered on time and meets all requirements. At a minimum, we require the supplier to engage with fortnightly sprint cycles, with two weekly stand-ups with the SDE programme management office (PMO) and technical teams. Please provide a high-level project plan to support your response.

• Weighting:

  7%

• Question:

  Team Working 3.3.2 We require a project team with proven relevant experience to lead this work. Please provide details of your proposed team and its structure, including a summary of each team member's experience, skillset and background.

• Weighting:

  6%

• Question:

  Training and Documentation 3.4.1 We require the supplier to create a suite of operational documentation, including documentation on monitoring the health of the system, conducting quality assurance on the harmonized, de-identified data and cohort query results and on how the information governance rules are configured and applied. Please describe how you will develop a suite of documents that meets the project needs.

• Weighting:

  7%

• Question:

  Training and Documentation 3.4.2 Please detail your approach to training NHS Data Providers to be able to expand the data harmonisation pipelines to add additional patient records and update existing patient records with new information.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Question:

  Cultural Fit 4.1 Please demonstrate your ability to work with and collaborate effectively with several stakeholders across multiple NHS, academic and commercial organisations.

• Weighting:

  35%

• Question:

  Cultural Fit 4.2 Please evidence how you proactively identify problems/issues and work through them to an effective solution, including communicating and influencing stakeholders, and continually improving ways of working.

• Weighting:

  35%

• Question:

  Cultural Fit 4.3 Please provide an example of engaging in an iterative and agile work approach, incorporating lessons learned and adjusting your course of action as the project evolved.

• Weighting:

  30%

• Question:

  Social Value 5.1 Please evidence your commitment to supporting diversity, inclusion, health and wellbeing in the workplace and how you extend this commitment to the ways that you work and the services that you deliver, including upskilling opportunities and digital apprenticeships.

• Weighting:

  35%

• Question:

  Social Value 5.2 Please outline what activities you commit to undertaking, should you win this contract, to support sector related skills growth and to create employment opportunities within the East of England region.

• Weighting:

  35%

• Question:

  Social Value 5.3 Please explain how you will influence staff, suppliers, customers and communities through the delivery of this contract to support environmental protection and improvement. Please include an example of where you have supported this activity in another contract.

• Weighting:

  30%

• Pricing model:

  Fixed price

• Additional assessment methods:

  Presentation

• Level:

  Pass/Fail

• Score:

  0

• Description:

  Pass - The Bidder is able to confirm they can meet the requirement or, where they are unable to do so, the Authority assesses any reasons provided to be acceptable, such assessment to be at the sole discretion of the Authority. Fail - The Bidder is unable to confirm they can meet the requirement as highlighted in the question or the Authority assesses any reasons provided by the Bidder to be unacceptable, such assessment to be at the sole discretion of the Authority.

• Level:

  Not met

• Score:

  0

• Description:

  Does not meet any requirements or fails to answer

• Level:

  Major concerns

• Score:

  1

• Description:

  Meets few requirements; serious concerns and/or a few major gaps/issues

• Level:

  Some concerns

• Score:

  2

• Description:

  Meets some requirements with one or more key requirement gaps or issues

• Level:

  Acceptable

• Score:

  3

• Description:

  Generally meets all requirements with minor issues/omissions

• Level:

  Good

• Score:

  4

• Description:

  Meets all requirements

• Level:

  Excellent

• Score:

  5

• Description:

  Meets all requirements and offers some added value

• Publication of stage 1:

  12/09/2024

• Clarification period closes:

  18/09/2024 17:00

• Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses:

  26/09/2024 12:00

Return to EoE SNSDE for R&D - Solution to support data harmonisation, cohort discovery, de-identification, and linkage

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