9.1 This chapter looks at issues concerned with the supply of information technology and equipment within larger PPP contracts for the provision of hospital facilities and associated services. It does not cover plant and equipment that would normally be expected to be provided as part of the building infrastructure (group 1 equipment). It does cover equipment, including major medical and scientific equipment, which has implications in respect of space, construction or engineering services (group 2 and some group 3 equipment). This chapter also assumes that basic IM&T infrastructure such as cabling will be provided as part of the PPP contract.
9.2 It is ultimately for the NHS body to decide, in the light of its own circumstances, whether to procure IM&T and equipment as an integral part of the main PPP project agreement or separately. An important factor to bear in mind is that the useful economic life of IM&T assets and often equipment is much shorter than for buildings, making contract matching and management more complex. The other important factor is ensuring that the IM&T procured for a larger PPP contract is consistent with the strategic direction of the NHS body.
9.3 The key issues which need to be considered include:
• whether to include IM&T within the main PPP contract. Factors to be considered before making this decision include: the lifetime of existing contracts, the extent to which services are being re-engineered in the larger PPP contract (and which therefore require IM&T support), how affordable it is to include IM&T, how big the risk is of double-counting benefits, whether including IM&T is managerially feasible;
• whether to include equipment within the main PPP contract;
• for both the above, related consideration of payment mechanism issues;
• an allowance for the cost of IM&T and equipment, regardless of whether it is to be included in the main PPP contract, should be made in the affordability calculations for the project;
• if IM&T and/or equipment is to be procured separately from the main PPP contract, how and when will this be catered for in the design and provision of engineering services of the facilities.
9.4 This chapter goes on to look at the advantages and disadvantages of including IM&T and equipment with the main PPP contract.