NHS SBS Launches £1.5 Billion Digital Workplace Solutions Framework Revamp.
NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) has initiated the process by issuing a prior information notice (PIN) to inform the market about its upcoming second edition of the digital workplace solutions framework. This move also signals the start of engagement with potential suppliers. The framework, valued at £1.5 billion, is scheduled to become operational before the expiry of the current framework agreement on August 9, 2024.
The existing digital workplace services framework, designed to facilitate comprehensive IT service procurement for NHS and social care organizations, is set to evolve. It encompasses various components, including data center infrastructure, servers, storage, networking products, end user computing hardware and software, tailored software, professional services, and training. The proposed new framework is intended to encompass additional aspects such as infrastructure management services, communication services, as well as information systems and services.
The core objective of this framework is to facilitate NHS's investments in enhancing its IT systems, ensuring that the workforce is equipped with suitable technology and that systems are interconnected, and allowing seamless information sharing at the point of care. This endeavours aligns with the NHS Long Term Plan of 2019, which outlines a vision to modernize the healthcare service through digital integration.
The NHS Long Term Plan, which was unveiled in 2019, delineates the strategy for utilizing the additional £20.5 billion annual funding allocated to the NHS by 2023/24, a financial boost given in commemoration of the NHS's 70th anniversary in 2018. The primary objective is to reshape the NHS around patient requirements, leveraging technology to enhance service accessibility, and prioritizing disease prevention and early detection.
upon its initial launch, the NHS Long Term Plan was lauded as a "blueprint for a future-ready NHS," leveraging technology to revolutionize services. It emphasized the application of advanced scans and technologies, including the potential integration of artificial intelligence, to reshape healthcare services.
The first edition of the digital workplace solutions framework, introduced in 2020, offered NHS entities potential cost savings ranging from 10% to 20%. The current framework involves 28 suppliers, featuring a mix of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as resellers.
NHS SBS intends to conduct market engagement sessions in October 2023, involving industry experts and interested suppliers aiming to bid for the framework. The goal is to publish the contract notice by the end of January 2024 and to launch the framework shortly before August 9, 2024.
NHS SBS is presently responsible for managing ten distinct IT and digital frameworks accessible to the NHS and social care sector. Among these is the digital workplace hardware framework, which complements the digital workplace solutions framework. This hardware-focused framework offers end-user computing devices such as laptops, desktops, mobile devices, and medical IT hardware.
