Request for Quotation (RFQ) for Annotation Platform and PACS Integration
- Post by: Naamii
- March 10, 2025
- No Comment
1. Introduction
Nepal Applied Mathematics and Informatics Institute for Research (NAAMII) is seeking quotations for the procurement and integration of an Annotation Platform and PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) to support the “Ultrasound Blind Sweep Quality Control for Fetal Assessments” project. This initiative is driven by the urgent need to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), where access to essential obstetric ultrasound (OBUS) services is severely limited.
1.1 Project Background
In 2020, nearly 800 women died daily from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, with 95% of these deaths occurring in LMIC. Globally, 2.4 million children died in the first month of life in 2019. These statistics highlight the critical need for improved antenatal care, particularly in resource-constrained environments.
Obstetric ultrasound (OBUS) is a vital tool in antenatal care, providing essential information on fetal development and potential complications. However, up to 50% of mothers in LMIC do not receive ultrasound screening during pregnancy due to the high skill level required to operate and interpret the images. The availability of low-cost handheld ultrasound devices (HHUDs) is insufficient to address this gap, as the expertise needed to obtain and interpret the images remains a significant barrier.
1.2 Research Aim
To address these challenges, NAAMII is collaborating with a large multi-national ultrasound company to develop deep learning-based solutions for quality control of ultrasound clips that are going to be taken by non-experts and analysed by automated deep learning models.
1.3 Scope of Work
This RFQ seeks to procure an Annotation Platform and integrate it with existing PACS to support the quality control of ultrasound images. The Annotation Platform should provide robust user management, DICOM file management, viewing and reporting tools, and annotation capabilities for training AI models. The PACS integration should ensure interoperability, scalability, performance, and reliability, facilitating efficient workflow management and remote access to medical professionals.
2. Scope of Work
2.1 Annotation Platform
The Annotation Platform should provide the following functionalities:
· User Management: Define user roles (Admin, Radiologist, Cardiologist, Technician, Viewer, Annotator, etc.), implement secure login functionality, and ensure role-based access control.
· DICOM File Management: Enable uploading of DICOM files to a VNA, store DICOM files securely, extract and store relevant metadata, and ensure secure access.
· Viewing and Reporting: Integrate a DICOM viewer with essential tools (zoom, pan, measure), allow users to search, filter, and sort studies, and enable report generation with templates.
· Annotation Tools: Provide tools for annotators to label images (bounding boxes, polygons, points), save annotations in a structured format, allow annotation review, and enable export in standard formats (JSON, XML).
2.2 PACS Integration
The PACS integration should ensure:
· Interoperability: Compatibility with different DICOM file sources and support for standard DICOM protocols.
· Scalability: Ability to handle a large number of concurrent users and a growing database of DICOM files without performance degradation.
· Performance: Quick loading times for the DICOM viewer and fast retrieval of studies.
· Reliability: Robust error handling and high availability with minimal downtime.
3. Technical Requirements
3.1 Annotation Platform
· User Authentication: Secure login using email/password.
· Role-Based Access Control: Restrict access based on user roles.
· Metadata Extraction: Extract metadata from DICOM files for indexing and searching.
· Annotation Tools: Support for drawing bounding boxes, polygons, and points.
· Export Functionality: Export annotations in JSON and XML formats.
3.2 PACS Integration
· DICOM Compatibility: Support for standard DICOM protocols.
· Centralized Storage: Secure and scalable storage solution for DICOM files.
· User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design for medical professionals.
· Error Handling: Robust error handling to ensure system reliability.
4. Deliverables
· Integration Framework: Framework for integrating the Annotation Platform with existing PACS.
· User Documentation: Comprehensive documentation for system usage and maintenance.
· Training: Training sessions for end-users and administrators.
· Ultrasound Image viewer and extendible annotation platform: Viewer where various annotations can be done at frame, video, study level, and ability to do landmark based, tag based, and text-based annotation.
· Continued support for NAAMII’s research team in the project: Should provide staff support on maintenance, iterative development as required on potentially new annotation tools in the system until the end of the project (July 30, 2025).
5. Timeline
· Product Definition: March 25, 2025 – March 28, 2025
· System Delivery: April 14, 2025
6. Eligibility Criteria: Only Firms or Organizations registered in Nepal and Nepali Nationals are eligible to apply. Both the interested firms and individuals with sole proprietorship must be registered in VAT.
At least one core team member must have following qualifications:
1. At least ten years of experience working in the field of Medical Imaging Analysis.
2. At least ten peer-reviewed international scientific research publications on AI in Medical Ultrasound Images.
3. Have delivered and successfully deployed a working ultrasound medical imaging platform, where images are archived, can be accessed through role-based access control, can be annotated for AI models, and has the feature for quality control.
7. Documents Required
| S.N. | Documents | Remarks |
| A. | Technical Proposal | Max of 10 pages |
| B. | Financial Proposal | The financial proposal shall include all the costs including DSA, accommodation, and transportation required in the course of the assignment. |
| C. | Documents Required | For firms/organizations: Copies of VAT registration certificate, latest tax clearance certificate, firm registration certificate, updated company profile, and CV of lead consultant and team members along with the sample of previous similar assignments. Documents required for Person: Copies of VAT certificate, updated CV of consultant along with the sample of previous similar assignments. |
| D. | Description of the Expert | Detailed and in alignment with RFQ |
Note: Submission Documents have been provided below for reference. NAAMII can ask for additional information from other sources for validation of the information provided.
8. Selection Criteria
| S.N. | Criterion | Points |
| A. | Technical Proposal | 80 |
| 1 | Understanding of Terms of Reference (ToR) and scope of work | 25 |
| 2 | Methodology in line with objectives and deliverables | 15 |
| 3 | Expert and Proposed Team Composition Expertise | 20 |
| 4 | Previous Relevant experience | 20 |
| B. | Financial Proposal | 20 |
| GRAND TOTAL | 100 |
9. Award Decision
The consultants, whose technical and financial proposals have gone through the evaluation process, will be informed in writing of the award decision.
10. Confidentiality and Integrity
- Confidentiality: All information provided during the consultancy service mandate is to be treated as confidential.
- Integrity Clause: Consultants must avoid corruption and not offer or accept payments or other advantages.
11. Contact Information
For any inquiries or clarifications, please contact:
Udit Chandra Aryal [Grants, Partnership and Program Manager]
Email: [email protected]
12. Submission Instructions
Electronic documents including all forms should be submitted to the [email protected] by 25th March, 2025. Late submissions will not be considered.
We look forward to receiving your competitive quotations for this important project. Thank you for your interest and participation.
NAAMII
10th March, 2025
FORM/TEMPLATE FOR SUBMITTING THE PROPOSAL
A. FORM/TEMPLATE FOR TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
| Major Content | Guideline |
| Cover Page | Title, submitted to, and submitted by and date |
| Table of content | |
| Introduction | Background, Objectives, Scope of study, consultant’s relevancy for this task in terms of the experience of consulting individual (Max. 3 pages) |
| Methodology | Detail of the methodology consisting of research methods and tools (Max. 3 pages) |
| Team Composition | Brief of team members, clear roles and responsibilities -Max. 1.5 pages |
| Action Plan | With a clear timeframe and weekly breakdown |
| Output of Study | As outlined in RFQ (Max. 0.5 page) |
| Annex | CV of study team members and Sample of Previous Similar Assignments |
B. FORM/TEMPLATE FOR FINANCIAL PROPOSAL
| S.N. | Items | Unit | Qualtity | Rate (NPR) | Total (NPR) | Remarks |
| 1. | ||||||
| 2. | ||||||
| 3. | ||||||
| 4. | ||||||
| 5. | ||||||
| 6. | ||||||
| 7. | ||||||
| Total | ||||||
| VAT(13%) | ||||||
| Grand Total |
Note: The total cost shall include the detailed and justified cost of all applicable items required for the assignment.
C. DESCRIPTION OF LEAD CONSULTANT AND TEAM MEMBERS
| S.N. | Name | Education | Designation | No. of years’ experience | Areas of expertise | Present assignment |
Note: Submit the updated CV of the team leader and team members.
Lead consultant’s name:
Signature: