Our sister company, Health Online, has recently launched their latest report on healthcare procurement. The report discusses complex topics which are becoming increasingly significant for the future of public sector tendering in the NHS and NHS supply chain.

Among these are collaboration across the entire NHS organisation and between buyers and suppliers, as well as the transformation of the NHS to meet the needs of patients in an environment where value for money and efficiency for all service users is paramount.

This relates to Supply2Gov’s area of expertise as a tender alerts tool to help you win public sector NHS contracts.

 

NHS tendering is evolving

Many key figures in NHS procurement and NHS supply chain attended the P4H England event at the NEC in Birmingham this year. Amongst them was the Managing Director of Corporate Services at NHS London Procurement Partnership, Michael Pace.

Referencing Lord Carter of Coles’ report on hospital efficiency, which was published in 2015, Pace stated that:

 “as an NHS family, it’s our time to respond and start to support the collaboration that drives the efficiencies Carter identified.”

A key take from Carter’s report was on removing unwarranted variation on NHS contracts. With so many frameworks operating at once, the landscape is complex and confusing for prospecting customers. According to Pace, “the competitive edge has been given away to our suppliers, as they pick and choose how they want to work with the individual frameworks and how they want to sell back to the NHS.”

The solution to this is providing an opportunity for trusts to work together to reduce costs. By evaluating and scrutinising the way the NHS buys and how the collaboration is created, this can be achieved.

 

Transparent and accessible frameworks

In 2018, the gigantic public sector supplier Carillion collapsed after too many risky contracts left them with debts of £1.6 bn. As the second largest government supplier, Carillion worked on a range of huge construction projects including the Aberdeen bypass and the new Royal Liverpool Hospital as well as high-profile work for the private sector including Anfield Stadium in Liverpool. The demise of Carillion caused extensive damage not only to its clients and employees, but also its supply chain and the public sector. It led to extensive discussion on how to prevent similar collapses happening in future. Among the ideas raised was increasing transparency between buyers and suppliers involved in large framework agreements going forward.

There has been a clear shift on buyer and supplier collaboration to achieve frameworks that are transparent and easy to access. The NHS in particular is working to maximise collaborative procurement, with its objectives for the next ten years outlined in the NHS ‘Long Term Plan’.

The document, published in January 2019, shows the efforts already being made to streamline services between NHS trusts. It also highlights progress made within the current legislative framework, whilst it simultaneously puts forward a list of potential legislative changes that would smooth out and accelerate the procurement process further. An example of this is allowing joint decision-making between buyers and suppliers and reducing competition in the NHS.

Speaking at the P4H England 2019 event, Beth Loudon, Head of Procurement Development and Sourcing at NHS SBS, stressed that “framework agreements should always be made with the customer at the centre.”

She added the need “to be proactive in shaping new markets and developing outcome-based procurement solutions.”

Loudon’s speech highlighted that there is a long way to go, and collaboration between all parties was the key to improving services for patients – the overall goal of the NHS. In all cases, benefiting the NHS and NHS supply chain is the driving force behind the change.

 

What is the goal for the future for healthcare procurement?

To bring greater clarity to NHS procurement and to reduce inefficiencies, which will be valuable both to the NHS itself and to its many supplier organisations in the short and long term.

Read the full Healthcare report, ‘Current Trends in Healthcare Procurement: Beyond Collaboration and Transformation’ published by Health Online, click here.

 

Register on Supply2Gov for free

Do not miss your opportunity to get access to a wide range of NHS contract opportunities.

For your one-stop portal to all NHS contracts and other public and private sector tenders, look no further than Supply2Gov. We are the largest database for public sector contracts in the UK and Republic of Ireland. What’s more, we offer a free tender alerts service based on a local area of your choice.

Get started for free

The new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recently made a number of spending promises which could create future tender opportunities for suppliers.

If you would like to win UK tenders and want to learn more about potential areas of opportunities, read more below.

No-deal Brexit

With the prospect of a no-deal Brexit happening on 31 October, the Prime Minister has allocated immediate funds to support the Government’s preparations for this eventuality.

According to the BBC, the Treasury has announced that:

“£2.1 billion would be spent bolstering border and customs operations, stockpiling critical medical supplies and supporting UK nationals abroad. Money will also be spent on a public awareness campaign ahead of a possible no-deal Brexit outcome.”

 

Healthcare

Healthcare is a key area of investment for Mr Johnson. Reports suggest he is “determined to deliver” on promises made during the Brexit referendum campaign by significantly increasing NHS spending.

The Prime Minister confirmed a new £1.8 billion NHS cash injection to help improve patient care at the beginning of August. This spend will go towards “more beds, new cutting-edge equipment and additional wards will be delivered at hospitals across the country.”

 

Prisons

According to Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, under Mr Johnson’s leadership by “the mid-2020s” the Government will have delivered around 13,500 extra prison places. The cost of building or refurbishing cells as part of this programme is projected to reach £2.5 billion.

Further to this, the BBC has reported that “if £2.5 billion is actually spent then under the Barnett formula about an extra £300 million would need to be allocated to Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

 

Education

During his recent Conservative party leadership campaign, Mr Johnson declared that he would reverse previous cuts to school spending should he get into Number 10. In less than a month in post, the Prime Minister has revealed that moving forward he wants per-pupil funding to hit at least £5000 in English secondary schools.

Mr Johnston has also stated that he wants to increase funding in primary schools.

 

Find UK tenders

New to procurement and would like to find UK tenders that are relevant to your business?

Supply2Gov offers a tender alerts service with no strings attached. New users can sign up for a local area subscription for free and can opt to upgrade to our ‘Touching the Sky’ UK-wide package at any point.

For more information about our packages, get started here.

social value

In our last blog, “Why social value is important when bidding for government tenders”, we gave you access to the latest BiP Solutions market report: “Is Procurement Good Business?”.

This report explores social value in the current procurement landscape and introduces some of the regulations around social value for those who may be new to procurement.

If you are looking for more information around social value, we have created an infographic that gives details on new government procurement measures put in place to support social value.

See our latest infographic in full below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you missed our last blog and would like to work with the public sector, the “Is Procurement Good Business?” report offers firm advice on how your business can get ahead in procurement by supporting you to stand out in terms of social value.

Gain access to the full report here.

 

 

The latest BiP Solutions market report highlights the importance of social value when bidding for government tenders.

‘Is Procurement Good Business?’ explores social value in the current procurement landscape and introduces some of the regulations around social value for those who may be new to procurement.

Learn about the report and the importance of social value when bidding for government tenders below.

 

Ethical supply chains

The most recent market report by procurement experts BiP Solutions states that when putting government contracts out to tender, buyers must “show that they are treating smaller companies fairly”.

In July 2019 the UK Government announced that suppliers winning public contracts could lose out in the future if they fail to pay their supply chain on time.

The Government’s new Crown Representative for Small Business, Martin Traynor OBE, is championing the latest plans, recognising that slow payment can be extremely damaging for smaller businesses.

In a government statement, Mr Traynor said:

“Making sure companies in the government supply chain are paid on time is very important – particularly for small businesses.

“The difference between waiting 60 days and having to wait 90 days can be make-or-break for many small companies, so it’s vital that both the private and public sector work better in this area.”

Instead of working with suppliers that are failing to adhere to the regulations, the UK Government wants to engage with suppliers that are making a difference to their communities, tackling ethical issues other than payment including sustainability and modern slavery.

This is something examined in ‘Is Procurement Good Business?’ The report’s ‘Ethical Supply Chains’ section outlines what suppliers can do to stand out in the procurement industry – for the right reasons.

 

Download the full report

If you would like to work with the public sector, the ‘Is Procurement Good Business?’ report offers firm advice on how your business can get ahead in procurement by supporting you to stand out in terms of social value.

Gain access to the full report here.