Werewolf Coblation Placement Agreement for Evelina

Description

The Trust intends to directly award a 14-month contract to Smith & Nephew for the supply and support of the WEREWOLF™ Automated Coblation System and associated proprietary consumables used within its ENT service. The Trust currently uses Smith & Nephew COBLATION™ technology and is seeking to replace remaining legacy manual systems and standardise on the automated WEREWOLF™ platform. Smith & Nephew is the manufacturer and supplier of the specified system, and the consumables required for its operation are proprietary and are not interoperable with products from other manufacturers. The Trust therefore considers that Smith & Nephew is the only supplier able to meet this requirement and that there is no reasonable alternative compatible with the required technology.

Key facts

Procedure

Direct award

Lots

1

Contact

Marko Kyronlahti

m.kyronlahti@nhs.net

07772175700

Contract period

1 Nov 2026 → 31 Dec 2027

Value incl. VAT

£194k

Category

goods

Awarded suppliers

• Smith & Nephew Plc · GB-COH-00324357 · UKH23, GB

Ground given for limiting competition

The buyer’s own stated reason for awarding without open competition, as published. Their assertion, not a finding.

The direct award is being made pursuant to section 41 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023, on the basis of an absence of competition for technical reasons and/or applicable exclusive rights. Standardising the existing technology will maintain continuity of established clinical practice, avoid the technical and operational complexity associated with introducing an incompatible platform and associated consumables, and avoid additional implementation, training and competency requirements. Having considered the available alternatives and the existing technology estate, the Trust considers the proposed direct award to be a proportionate approach that supports clinical continuity, patient safety and operational efficiency.