Objectives

The primary objective is to secure outsourced echocardiography services through a qualified independent contractor to support diagnostic imaging at Port Shepstone Hospital. The arrangement aims to ensure timely, accurate, and clinically compliant echo examinations while maintaining strict regulatory, financial, and governance standards over a twelve-month period.

Scope of Service

The appointed technician will perform and provide preliminary reporting for echocardiography examinations under the clinical oversight of the facility’s medical team. Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE) for adult, paediatric, and neonatal patients, including inpatients, outpatients, and emergency cases.
• Capturing, storing, and archiving echo images and clips within the hospital’s radiology/cardiology information system.
• Compiling preliminary findings and worksheets for review, interpretation, and formal sign-off by a registered Medical Officer or Specialist.
• Triage and prioritisation of urgent and ICU/high-care referrals in consultation with requesting clinicians.
• Maintaining accurate patient records, examination registers, and workload statistics for management reporting.
• Ensuring strict adherence to patient identification, consent, infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols, and patient confidentiality standards.
• Liaising with nursing and medical staff regarding scheduling, patient preparation, and turnaround times.
• Immediately reporting any equipment malfunctions, consumable shortages, or clinical incidents.

Technical Requirements

Bidders must comply with the following operational, administrative, and contractual conditions:

• Service Hours: Availability of up to eight hours per day, maximum twenty working days per month, scheduled in consultation with the Medical Department.
• Turnaround Times: Routine echo worksheets completed within twenty-four hours; urgent and ICU referrals attended to on the same day.
• Compliance Standards: Strict adherence to facility operating hours, IPC policies, patient confidentiality legislation, and the departmental code of conduct.
• Equipment & Supplies: Utilisation of hospital-provided echo machines and consumables. Any defects must be reported immediately.
• Reporting & Invoicing: Submission of a monthly log detailing hours worked, examinations performed, and patients seen, signed off by the supervising Medical Manager. Invoices require supporting attendance registers and worksheet logs. Payment is calculated at a fixed hourly rate, capped at the specified monthly limit, and subject to verification by the Medical and Finance Managers prior to disbursement.
• Contractual Status: The service provider operates as an independent contractor, not an employee. The engagement is interim, does not guarantee permanent employment, and may be terminated upon reasonable notice or immediately for misconduct, non-performance, or policy breaches.
• Evaluation Framework: Quotations will be assessed using an 80/20 preference point system, allocating eighty points for price competitiveness and twenty points for promoting South African-owned enterprises.

Skills and Qualification Requirements

Prospective bidders must demonstrate the following minimum qualifications, registrations, and experience:

• A recognised tertiary qualification (Diploma or Degree) in Cardiac Physiology, Clinical Technology (Cardiovascular), Diagnostic Radiography, or an equivalent field with specialised echocardiography training.
• Current registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) or proof of registration with an equivalent statutory professional body.
• Documented competency in adult transthoracic echocardiography; experience with paediatric or neonatal echocardiography is highly advantageous.
• A minimum of two years’ post-registration clinical experience performing echocardiograms in a hospital or accredited healthcare setting.
• Valid professional indemnity or liability insurance cover.
• A valid police clearance certificate and, where applicable, active registration on the Central Suppliers Database (CSD).

Key Terminology Explanation

To ensure clarity, the following specialised terms used in this tender are defined:

• HPCSA Registration: Mandatory licensing by South Africa’s statutory health regulator, ensuring the practitioner meets national standards for safe clinical practice.
• CSD (Central Suppliers Database): A national procurement platform used by government entities to verify supplier tax compliance, B-BBEE status, and legal business registration.
• POPIA Compliance: Adherence to the Protection of Personal Information Act, which governs the lawful collection, processing, and confidentiality of patient health data.
• 80/20 Preference Point System: A public procurement evaluation model where eighty percent of scoring is based on price, and twenty percent is allocated to designated social/economic goals, such as enterprise ownership transformation.