NHS England and 13 out of 17 NHS CSUs use the AWARD® procurement solution

NHS ENGLAND AND 13 OUT OF 17 NHS COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNITS NOW USE THE AWARD® PROCUREMENT SOLUTION

Commerce Decisions and its AWARD® solution have been widely deployed across the NHS for over ten years, delivering robust, defensible procurements and significant savings. Indeed, NHS England and 13 of the 17 NHS Commissioning Support Units (CSUs) currently use AWARD® to support their procurement and delivery processes.

Commissioning Support Units (CSUs) are designed to provide a range of back office functions for NHS England, including the procurement of healthcare services by local GP groups, organised into Clinical Commissioning Groups. Furthermore, CSUs deliver specialist advice and expertise to help their customers maximise resources and focus their clinical leadership on securing the best outcomes for patients.

NHS England itself uses AWARD® to support its Clinical Procurement, under which it may procure services for Primary Care Organisations such as GPs, Dentists and Eye Care specialists.  Examples of recent procurements include Domiciliary Care/Home Care services, GP Surgeries provision, Out of Hours Dental Care and the Alternative Provider of Medical Services (a project allowing the NHS to contract with non-NHS bodies).

The services delivered by Commerce Decisions include the AWARD® evaluation software together with procurement expertise, guidance, training and thought-leadership in methodologies. AWARD® is a collaborative web-based solution designed specifically to support the strategic procurement process in line with EU regulations; from Request for Information preparation, through proposal evaluation to negotiation, delivery and post contract review.

“With the changing NHS landscape and the increasing complexity involved in healthcare procurements, Commerce Decisions is well-positioned to help NHS clients to procure innovatively through the use of its AWARD® software. Commerce Decisions has a strong track record in supporting the NHS in effectively managing cost effective procurements with cross sector input, across various healthcare services throughout England,” commented Wendy Wates, Managing Director, Commerce Decisions Ltd.

AWARD® is proven to reduce time to contract, improve value for money and reduce risk. For over 12 years it has been used to support strategic procurements in a range of sectors including utilities, transport, local government, healthcare, aerospace and defence, covering a broad range of activities including the provision of schools, hospitals, transport and defence systems across Europe and the US.