The Veteran's Administration has awarded Louisville, Ky.-based Beacon Enterprise Solutions Group, which specializes in information technology systems infrastructure, and its Vienna, Va.-based partner, ICS, a contract worth roughly $3.4 million to develop real-time locating systems (RTLS) for its hospitals.

Under the agreement, Beacon will provide management, installation and billing services for delivering an RTLS wireless solution to select VA Medical Centers.

The joint Beacon/ICS teams will provide application software, receivers, ID tags, installation and ancillary equipment for wireless tracking of equipment, supplies, implants, and surgical instruments.

[See also: Tracking a bright future for RTLS.]

This technology package will provide hospitals with real-time capability to actively track all assets, including medical supplies, staff and patients in order to increase clinical efficiencies, staff productivity, and maximize equipment utilization.

"We have believed for some time that solid benefits could be leveraged from using a well-designed and integrated wireless platform," said Bruce Widener, Beacon's chairman and CEO. "Winning a wireless project of this scope is actually a little ahead of our projections, as we had anticipated it during fiscal year 2012."


He added that "we see the far-reaching benefits of this RTLS wireless project potentially extending beyond the government sector into our Fortune 1000 clients, especially into our pharmaceutical vertical. This is the first large medical award in Beacon's Healthcare vertical announced at the beginning of this fiscal year."


[See also: RFID adoption poised for ‘huge’ growth.]

"We do not believe this to be an isolated project," said ICS Chief Strategy Officer Khurram Shah. "The need for wireless RTLS services in the public and private sectors is emerging and we believe will shape the way a wide variety of assets will be managed in the future.  The successful execution of a project of this scope that spans several million feet of healthcare footprint will require the kind of professional services and execution that we saw in Beacon when we signed the teaming agreement."