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What to require in a tender for medical technology management
A tender for a medical technology management system should require six blocks: multi-brand inventory, an equipment history file per device, preventive and corrective maintenance management, traceability, data handling compliant with Law 25.326, and support and implementation. The most common mistake is describing loose functions without requiring them to be connected to each other, which is where the value comes from. Here is the checklist, block by block.
Before the checklist: name the category correctly
The category is called GMAO (Gestión del Mantenimiento Asistido por Ordenador, the Spanish term) or CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System). They are synonyms. Naming the right category in the tender avoids responses from vendors offering clinical management or supply-inventory software, which are different things.
Requirements checklist for the tender
Fleet inventory
- Loading of equipment of any brand and model
- A unique identifier per device + the manufacturer's serial number
- Classification with standard nomenclature (UMDNS/ECRI)
- Organization by service and by site
- Operational status per device
Equipment history file per device
- A complete chronological record per device
- Installation, warranty and calibration data
- History of preventive and corrective work tied to the device
Preventive and corrective maintenance
- Preventive schedule with frequency per device
- Advance warning of due dates
- Work order management (corrective)
- Assignment of a responsible person per task
Traceability
- Reconstruction of each device's full history
- Physical device identification linked to its profile (e.g. QR)
- Record of transfers and retirements
Data and security
- Compliance with Law 25.326 on personal data
- Definition of where the data is hosted
- Access roles and permissions
- Backup and recovery of information
Support and implementation
- Initial fleet load (survey and labeling)
- Staff training
- Support during use
- Data migration and exit conditions
How to write a requirement without locking it to a single vendor
A tender that copies a specific product's datasheet is open to challenge. The right way is to require the function, not the brand: instead of "must have module X from company Y," require "must allow scheduling preventive maintenance with advance warning of the due date." The function is verifiable and does not close off competition.
KIBBO keeps a multi-brand inventory of the fleet and, for each device, its equipment history file, preventive and corrective maintenance, and traceability. Each user works under a role whose permissions are set by the institution. It also has a service with its own cost, contracted separately from the license (assisted onboarding), which includes the initial fleet load and training.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the category of software to require called?
- GMAO or CMMS. They are synonyms: management of asset maintenance, applied to medical equipment. It's worth naming both acronyms and describing the scope as medical or biomedical equipment management, so no vendor is left out over vocabulary.
- What is most often forgotten in these tenders?
- That the functions be connected (inventory, equipment history file, maintenance, traceability) and the data-and-exit block. Without requiring data export, the institution stays locked to the vendor.
- Is the initial fleet load part of the license?
- In KIBBO, the initial load and training are part of assisted onboarding, contracted separately at its own cost. It's worth having the tender require it as a separate, explicit item.
KIBBO keeps the fleet inventory and each device's history file, maintenance, and traceability. A KIBBO advisor helps draft or evaluate the tender.