Contracting

Once you have chosen your system, it’s time to make it official with a contract. Although contracts are likely to vary depending on your system choice, needs and resources, there are some important points to remember. Here are some important points to remember

The team you need

Board Members, Legal, Finance Director + Procurement (rest of the team if necessary)

What to do

  • Agree a list of roles and responsibilities

    How will responsibilities be shared between NHS Trusts and the supplier and how much support can trusts expect to get? For example, will the supplier provide a helpdesk or other form of implementation support? Are there things that the trusts need to provide to help the supplier to give that level of support?

  • Choose a lead contact

    How will the relationship with the supplier be managed, and to what extent will the supplier will be able to go beyond its contractual obligations for e,g on customisation?   

    Tip:

    Talk to other trusts that have worked with the supplier to help manage and clarify your own expectations of the supplier

  • Define the expected level of care post go-live

    How closely will the supplier be involved during the implementation and optimisation of the system? How long will you be able to access their support and for what types of queries? What are the on-going system maintenance arrangements? Think about mandatory upgrades/version control as part of this too

What to read

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