This year, the NHS is making wholesale changes to the way businesses can procure tenders. The Procurement Act 2023, is set to come into force at the end of February and with it comes changes that aim to make the process more streamlined; enhancing transparency and making for a more level (and competitive) playing field.
So, what are the key changes that you need to keep an eye on as you look to secure NHS contracts?
Introduction of the Procurement Act 2023
As mentioned above, this act, which will replace the old Public Contracts Regulations 2015, will come into effect as of February 24th this year, and will look to create a ‘simpler and more flexible commercial system (NHS England) that will allow more small businesses to not only compete and win more contracts. It will also allow for transparency, so that taxpayers will know exactly how their money is being spent.
This new simplified procurement process will not only make it easier for smaller businesses to compete – as mentioned above – but also to enter. This is because rather than multiple existing regimes, a single procurement framework will come into force which will aim to reward and prioritise innovation, sustainability, and social value. This will include factors such as how your project will benefit the local community, and how it will align with the NHS sustainability goals, especially in areas that help them achieve their Net Zero targets.
More focus on transparency and digitalisation is also high on the agenda with a new central digital platform set to let you know faster and more efficiently whether or not your tender bid has been successful. It will also allow you to have easier access to the tenders you can bid for and give you more visibility into procurement data. This will in turn make the competition fairer and reduce the risk of bid rigging – a term used whereby competing companies collude to affect the winner of the process, an unfair and illegal practice.
How can you and your business prepare?
With the impending changes it will be good for you and your business to get to grips with how the changes affect you. Read through the Procurement Act 2023, pore over the details, do your research and make sure you’re completely up to speed with how it changes the NHS tendering process – for you specifically. Start small. There’s no reason to overhaul your business completely because it may be harder for you to sustain as you move forward.
This will mean thinking more about how your business genuinely can incorporate sustainability methods and community benefits into your tender writing process. This will increase your social value and show that you’re serious about sustainability. But make genuine changes that you’re likely to stick to, because if not you’ll only open yourself up for scrutiny further down the line.
Make sure you have someone tasked with regularly checking the new NHS procurement platform. This way there’s less chance of you missing out on a great opportunity, and there’s nothing worse than missing out on something you know you would have been perfect for – or even worse it goes to a competitor.
Making sure you strengthen your compliance and security measures will also stand you in good stead. If your supply chain security and regulatory compliance is lacking, then it will be easily spotted, and your bid may be looked at less favourably.
Be proactive! Embrace and make the best of the new tender process. If you haven’t already started making changes to areas that will make you look more favourable for an NHS contract then start looking now and see how and when you can make sustainable changes that will see you competing, and winning, more contracts.
If you are looking to win more public sector contracts through tenders, or are worried about the impact The Procurement Act 2023 could have on your ability to win lucrative contracts in the future, contact us on 0330 1331 041 or info@klowconsulting.com.