EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Tender - Theatre Operating Tables

Hello EBME land.

I'm putting together a tender (not through PASA or any other 'wholesale' organisation that wants a cut), which includes specs., initial questions, scoring template, etc. for all theatre operating tables in my Trust (40+ ish tables!).

My questions are:
"Has anyone done this before?" and if you have the info., "are you allowed
to send it to me?".

All I can offer in return is an Xmas card each year. But I would like to add that you would be helping this Trust achieve its operational potential!

Ed.

The answer is yes, but I need more than a xmas card and as Geoff knows I can be greedy (small joke) just finished a tender for tables, lights, towers etc.

OK, Mr. Ed. Welcome to the forum.

But perhaps it would help people here to be more er, helpful if you provided some clues about who you are, who you represent, and what you're actually trying to achieve etc.

As you are a newcomer, you may not be aware that we get plenty of people coming on here, gaining good advice from experienced people, and then we never hear from them again!

Recently, one even had the cheek to ask us to stop responding to save wasting her time!

See what I'm saying?

So, what are you saying? To me it sounds a bit like you have been handed a task, and you want someone else to do the work for you. Fair enough, I guess ... as long as it's kept within the NHS. Or have I misread your post?

And, by the way, those of us who are UK tax-payers are already "helping your Trust" ... that is, by paying for it!

Hello Geoff.

Just saw your face on your buddies website; I've met you, but I can't remember were! It was probably at one of those EBME meetings or bench clubs.

Quote:

But perhaps it would help people here to be more er, helpful if you provided some clues about who you are, who you represent, and what you're actually trying to achieve etc.

My last posting on this website was in 2005 under AfC when I worked for a London Trust. My background is EBME/ Med. Phys. and I'm currently working at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth compiling data for their medical equipment rolling replacement programme. One of the tenders I'm running is for all theatre operating tables across the Trust and some external hospitals.

Quote:

So, what are you saying? To me it sounds a bit like you have been handed a task, and you want someone else to do the work for you. Fair enough, I guess ... as long as it's kept within the NHS. Or have I misread your post?

Yes, I have been asked to do this task (amongst others), I just don't like reinventing the wheel! If you really think about, there should be one single database with all PPQ's, equipment specs., tenders, etc. that all in the NHS should share and use (as & when). My question to the forum would be "whom of us would want to write what might have been already written ten times before!"

Quote:

And, by the way, those of us who are UK tax-payers are already "helping your Trust" ... that is, by paying for it!

As for my last sentence, my apolgises. The joke was in 'operational', as in tables..................

Kind regards

Ed.

ps Has this site got a spell checker yet?

OK, I give up. Perhaps the clue is in the initials! But all I have so far is "Ed", and (I assume) a surname beginning with "W".

Sorry I missed the pun. Which is a bit unusual, as I generally have a sharp eye for that sort of thing.

I agree with what you're saying about (the lack of) communication within the NHS, the need for a central database, and all the rest. When is it going to be done? But (as surely must be well known by now), I am not an NHS staffer myself.

Wherever it was we met, Oh Mysterious One, it certainly wouldn't have been at any EBME gathering, club get-together, or any other sort of soiree ... as I don't have time for any of that stuff.

Meanwhile, you will find an excellent "industry standard" spelling checker on almost any PC. It's called MS Word!

No but your browser has - even IE!

And ... for technical words (in fact, any word) of your choice ... even TaskMaster!

Meanwhile, Ed ... I guess what Neil was driving at is that professional technical services should be rewarded by professional fees!

Regardless of whether a person is a physician, has a PhD, is an architect, lawyer (whatever), or just good old Neil Porter (or, for that matter, just old Geoff Hannis) an hour of anyone's time still adds up to 60 minutes!

Why is it that the world expects "non-professionals" to work for peanuts, whilst guys who have spent a couple of years training as a so-called professional are automatically on the gravy train for the rest of their days?

Like most, I should imagine, I have worked with architects, surgeons, and all the rest ... and frankly, in my own field, I have yet to meet one that I was less than a match for. C&G, ONC, HNC ... how "high" do you need to go?

OK the clues are you used to work in London

First name is ED

Surname begins with W

Did you work at the Whittington as Head of Medical Physics?

No, sorry Mate. The first name is er, Geoff, surname begins with H ... and nope, I've neither worked at the Whittington, or indeed in "Medical Physics" anywhere. And certainly not as the Head. My Goodness, no.

Mr. ETDW or any of the other members of the NHS, is there a rule/regulation that tenders must be Generic?