Ireland's national electronic health record procurement is moving forward, creating opportunities for technology suppliers across healthcare software, integration, implementation, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.

Ireland is progressing one of its largest public-sector technology procurements through the HSE One Health Record programme. The HSE's official announcement says the programme will establish a national electronic health record replacing paper records and separate IT systems, with an estimated 5.3 million people and around 160,000 staff across Ireland's six health regions expected to benefit.

The procurement is being conducted through a competitive dialogue process. The eTenders procurement notice confirms that the HSE is seeking a suitably qualified economic operator to provide the One Health Record Application Service as a national EHR for Ireland. The system is intended to provide a unified, lifetime electronic healthcare record supporting patients and care providers across acute and community settings.

The procurement scope extends beyond the supply of EHR software. The published eTenders documentation includes requirements covering managed software, configuration, installation, integration, implementation, data migration, training, hosting and post-implementation support, including maintenance services. This creates a broad procurement opportunity for technology providers, systems integrators, implementation specialists and professional services firms.

The procurement also places emphasis on the ability of suppliers to support a national healthcare environment. The HSE One Health Record programme states that the chosen system must be safe, reliable and easy to use, while technical planning will address national standards for safety, quality and protection of personal information. The HSE expects to select a vendor in 2027, with the first stage planned for Dublin and North East in 2029 and availability across Ireland targeted for 2032.

The procurement comes as Ireland's digital health market prepares for wider investment around the national EHR. Black Book Market Research's Ireland Digital Health Competitive Intelligence Report: Outlook 2026-2027 surveyed 200 Irish healthcare IT, clinical, procurement, privacy, cybersecurity and digital transformation decision-makers. The research identifies One Health Record readiness, shared-care interoperability, cybersecurity and measurable operational outcomes among the factors influencing future digital health purchasing.

Black Book reported that 85% of respondents said shared-care interoperability would be mandatory or heavily weighted in their next major RFP, renewal or technology decision, while 84% said they require or prefer Ireland- and EU-aligned controls for sensitive digital health workloads. A further 84% said quantified operational or workflow evidence would be required before approving digital health investments. These figures are Black Book's research findings rather than official HSE procurement requirements.

For suppliers, the national EHR procurement demonstrates that major public-sector technology contracts increasingly extend beyond the initial software platform. Implementation capability, integration, data migration, training, hosting, cybersecurity and long-term support are all becoming important elements of the procurement landscape.

The scale of the programme further underlines the importance of long-term supplier capability. The official EU procurement notice confirms that the HSE is seeking a national EHR through competitive dialogue, with the service intended to support patients, carers and healthcare staff across Ireland's health regions.

The HSE's progress also shows that procurement has moved beyond the planning stage. HSE board minutes from April 2026 record that evaluation of responses to the Request to Participate was underway, with shortlisting for competitive dialogue expected as a major programme milestone.

For the sector, the lesson is clear: Ireland's One Health Record programme represents a significant public procurement opportunity extending well beyond the selection of an EHR platform. Suppliers able to demonstrate secure integration, national delivery capacity, implementation expertise and long-term support will be better positioned to compete across Ireland's expanding digital health ecosystem.

Source: Black Book Market Research / HSE / eTenders Ireland / European Commission