News / Commissioning support competition launched

By Seamus Ward

NHS England has invited bids for its commissioning support lead provider framework, which is open to independent providers as well as NHS commissioning support units.

Alhough clinical commissioning groups will not be required to use the framework, NHS England said there were advantages. These included assurance that suppliers were of high quality, reduced procurement times, reduced costs and lower risk of legal challenges.

NHS England is inviting bids from any organisation or group of organisations that can deliver the services, including NHS bodies, local authorities and private and voluntary sector suppliers

The framework will be available to other organisations, both within and outside the NHS, to procure some or all of their health and social care commissioning support services. NHS England anticipates that between £3bn and £5bn of services will be procured through the framework.

The competition will take place in two lots. The first, for end-to-end commissioning support, will allow CCGs to choose a mixture of support services from one or a number of providers. The second will be for specialist decision support, such as specialist medicines optimisation support, to help commissioners secure the best outcomes for patients with specific conditions. This is set to be launched in March.

NHS England expects lead providers to be accredited by December, and CCGs will be able
to call off the framework from January 2015. The framework is leading to consolidation within commissioning support units, with some in negotiations over a formal merger and others forming alliances or partnerships.

NHS England said the move was essential to enable commissioners to secure the best outcomes for patients and value for taxpayers.

NHS England director of commissioning support services, strategy and market development Bob Ricketts said: ‘By creating this framework, we can ensure that local health service commissioners have access to suppliers who have a solid track record and are able meet high-quality criteria and specified minimum standards.

‘The framework will also cut a typical procurement process from nine months to three months and reduce costs by more than half.

‘Local commissioners have been asking for a faster, simplified approach to choosing and changing their commissioning support provider and I’m pleased that we are launching the first steps of the process to accredit the best providers in the market.’