The NHS has launched a competition worth up to £1.5 billion for suppliers to provide a variety of computer hardware to the world's biggest healthcare organization, including PCs, printers, and peripherals.

NHS Shared Business Services Limited (NHS SBS), a joint venture between the NHS and French outsourcer Sopra Steria, and North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC), an NHS buying organization, have launched the tender for a framework deal dubbed "Tech Devices - Link 4."

The agreement is expected to last four years. Potential bidders need to request participation by October 2.

The two buying organizations are set to act as a combined agency on behalf of customer organizations in the NHS and social care who might themselves form consortia. The resulting framework - which gives buyers discounts in return for an in indicative volume - is set to replace the existing IT Hardware and Services framework called Link 3.

Link 3 was awarded in 2021 with a maximum value of £1 billion. According to public sector procurement research organization Tussell, only £131 million in call-offs were made from the framework.

Link 2, worth up to £504 million, was awarded without competition in the COVID era because "framework continuity is required during a period of high demand and priority to support the operational needs of the NHS in procuring these particular products and services at short notice," The Register reported at the time.

The latest buying agreement is to be split into four Lots with a maximum of 15 suppliers awarded onto Lot 1 and a maximum of ten suppliers awarded to Lot 2, Lot 3, and Lot 4.

Most of the spending is available in Lot 1, for devices, peripherals and associated services. In it, up to £1.2 billion could be spent on all forms of desktop computers, laptops, and mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, and wearables. The framework also includes financing options.

Lot 2 addresses specialist healthcare-related IT hardware, such as medical workstations and built-in devices, and mobile clinical assistant devices, for use in point-of-care and mobile environments. It might be worth £150 million. Printing and scanning devices make up Lot 3, which could be worth up to £50 million. Lot 4 gives buyers the option of procuring refurbished devices at a maximum of £100 million.

If you're in the NHS or elsewhere in the UK public sector, this framework is not the only game in town. Last year, the Cabinet Office launched the tendering process for an agreement set to be worth up to £12 billion ($14 billion) including deals for hardware. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/09/02/nhs_hardware_procurement/