Norway - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support - Migration of the accounting system UNIT4 to the tenderer's cloud system for Helse Nord.

The contracting authority intends to enter into a time-limited bridge agreement with Vivicta AS for the continuation of performance critical administrative core functions based on the existing Unit4 platform. The agreement shall ensure the necessary continuity of the operation, management, maintenance, support and necessary technical continuation of the existing production system in a transitional period, whilst the Contracting Authority carries out strategic assessments, market dialogue and any procurements connected to the future administrative digital platform and associated activity critical systems. The existing system and the accompanying system landscape support central administrative core processes, including financial management, accounting, invoice flow, supplier payment, procurement/ordering flow, reporting, data basis, access and role management, integrations with associated administrative systems and the necessary documentation of economic transactions. The bridge agreement only includes services that are necessary to ensure proper continuation of the existing production system and the accompanying business critical administrative functions in the transition period. The contract does not include the procurement of a new system. The contract shall also not be used for significant expansion beyond what is necessary for safe, stable and reliable operation. The justification for awarding to the Contracting Authority assesses that there is a basis for entering into a temporary contract directly with Vivicta AS. The contracting authority will not use this notice as a final choice for future administrative digital target architecture, system model or contract structure. Future strategic direction shall be assessed through a separate management process, market dialogue and any procurements. The justification for the temporary contract is that the contracting authority is in a forced continuity situation connected to the existing production system. The situation is triggered by the manufacturer/supplier ́s technological direction and information that the current delivery platform cannot be continued unlimited. At the same time, future strategic direction for the administrative system landscape is not finally defined. Within the available timeframe, the contracting authority ́s assessment is not a real and reliable alternative that can ensure a continuation of the existing production system and the accompanying performance critical administrative core functions without unacceptable operational risk. The existing system has been established, configured and integrated over a long period of time. It is included in ongoing finance, invoice, reporting, integration and data basis processes. The system has integrations, data, roles, access structures, reporting set-up and management routines that are connected to the existing delivery model and the tenderer's operational and management responsibilities. The contracting authority will assess that clarification of future target architecture, market dialogue and any procurements for this system area will require considerable time. A procurement process is expected to take at least 12 months, and subsequent implementation, migration, testing, training, integration work and production will normally require a further 12-24 months. An immediate competition for full compensation or future target architecture will therefore not be able to help the acute continuity need. Alternative suppliers will also not be able to take over responsibility for the existing production system in a proper manner within the available deadline, without access to the necessary rights, system competence, operational environment, history, configuration, integration knowledge and supplier specific management competence. The agreement is, therefore, time-limited to what is deemed necessary to ensure reliable operation and continuity of the existing production system and the accompanying business critical administrative functions until the contracting authority has completed strategic clarification, market dialogue and any procurements. The agreement period is 3 years, which is the minimum time for binding. Legal basis The contracting authority assesses that the terms for direct contract award are fulfilled for the temporary contract. The legal basis will particularly be assessed against the procurement regulations § 13-4 letter b no. 2 and/or no. 3, where the procurement without a competition can be used when the service can only be delivered by a specific supplier for technical reasons or due to sole rights, provided that there are no reasonable alternatives and that the missing competition is not due to the contracting authority having adapted the procurement to a specific tenderer. The contracting authority emphasises that the assessment concerns a narrow and temporary continuation of the existing production system and associated activity critical administrative functions in a limited transition period. This does not apply to a general assessment of the market for future administrative digital systems and it does not involve a permanent choice of future platform, system architecture or supplier. The contracting authority estimates that at the time of the temporary contract there is not a reasonable and reliable alternative to Vivicta AS in order to ensure continuity of the existing ERP system in the period. The lack of competition is related to time critical and technical/operational continuation of an established production system, not to the contracting authority ́s future strategic needs. Subsidially, the need will also be assessed in light of the narrow exception rules on time-critical conditions and the necessary measures to safeguard continuity, but the contracting authority places decisive emphasis on the contract being for the technical and operational continuation of the existing system, not permanent choice of future ERP system.