Driving ICT collaboration and innovation into public health
Health Tech World reports on how NOE CPC and its pioneering collaborative model is helping to support the NHS in driving technology developments.
Public health has always had an insatiable appetite for new ideas and technologies; but this has intensified during the last two years, out of the pressure generated by the pandemic.
For innovators and entrepreneurs with the capacity to address this demand, however, selling into the public sector can be hugely challenging.
Public health bodies are vast, complex entities, whose supply chains require expert knowledge – and the navigation of numerous obstacles – to access.
Yet the spoils of overcoming this process can be transformative, including enabling SMEs to scale up to new levels.
Easing the route towards these opportunities in the UK – and supporting NHS trusts in working with the right suppliers – is NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC).
Founded in 2007 and owned by the NHS, the organisation provides collaborative and bespoke procurement solutions to the NHS and other public sector organisations.
Since April 2020, 167 NHS and public sector customers have utilised its range of technology (ICT) frameworks which provide a fully compliant route to market.
Here Alison Petrie, NOE CPC’s senior category manager for technology (ICT), talks to Health Tech World about how collaboration, the pandemic and shifting NHS trends are reshaping its work.
HTW: What is the purpose of a public sector framework agreement?
AP: A framework agreement is an umbrella procurement vehicle through which goods and services can be purchased in a compliant manner. As a framework authority, we are the legal entity who addresses the supplier market and puts the framework agreement in place; facilitating the necessary tools and documentation for participating Authorities to appropriately contract under the framework.
Across our portfolio of ICT frameworks we undertake the necessary suppliers due diligence to ensure awarded suppliers are capable and compliant, so framework users are safe in the knowledge that any resulting contract let under a framework is compliant with the Public Contract Regulations required when spending public money.
HTW: How has NOE CPC’s role in healthcare innovation changed in recent years?
Our purpose is to support procurement functions across the NHS and collaborate where viable and efficient to do so.
With the formation of Integrated Care Systems and the recent pandemic challenges across the NHS, the opportunity for development, collaboration and innovation has never been more important.
The NHS agenda for ICT, whether being delivered locally, regionally or nationally is under focus and it remains strategically important that NOE CPC is at the forefront of these developments over the coming months and years.
As an organisation and the ICT category within, we are continuously adapting our knowledge of the ICT market to inform our own category strategy and objectives. This is to ultimately support our procurement and IT colleagues across the NHS in achieving their local ICT objectives, which includes innovations desired by supplier markets and innovation being developed internally across the NHS.
HTW: How has NOE CPC adapted to its customers’ needs during the pandemic?
The ICT category immediately stepped up to help trusts locate the goods and services required for home working and the wider IT environment, from end user devices for home working to front-line and infrastructure adaptations and developments which needed to be deployed at short notice.
Due to the size and culture of NOE CPC, we were fortunate in being able to maintain a sense of agility during the challenging and more reactive periods of the pandemic by quickly adapting our focus and resources to support the needs of our NHS procurement colleagues which changed from day to day.
In addition, we quickly adapted the NOE CPC website to include resources such as supplier contingency plans and regular COVID updates including the ability for customers to self-serve framework information securely from the site following access approvals.
HTW: Do you see this new agile working approach enduring in the long term?
NOE CPC continues to remain flexible in order to adapt to the needs of our customers.
Before COVID, we’d mostly attend face-to-face meetings but travelling around the country isn’t very productive. Although we hope to resume some physical meetings with stakeholders in the future, the virtual working world we continue to live in has increased our dialogue with external stakeholders and proved to be both productive and efficient.
A hybrid approach to our communication channels will continue to be taken and will prove effective as we increase our supplier engagement during 2022 with the introduction of two Supplier Relationship Managers into the organisation.
HTW: What collaborations are happening or on the horizon from an NHS ICT perspective?
NOE CPC is one of the four NHS procurement hubs that collaborate to form the NHS Procurement in Partnership (NHS PiP).
As PiP we are continuously working with our members and the wider NHS to inform and engage in areas where collaboration is in the best interest of the NHS.
In the NHS digital space, the hubs continue to represent PiP as we work with wider stakeholders to consider the roadmap for digital collaboration with partners as appropriate such as Crown Commercial Services and NHS England and Improvement among others.
HTW: What else is shaping the NHS digital agenda?
The tech and data strategy for the health and social care system is set by NHSX, a joint unit bringing together teams from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England and NHS Improvement to drive the digital transformation of care and deliver the commitments within the NHS Long Term Plan.
COVID has driven a number of things forward from an NHS digital perspective, certainly locally where transformation and tech initiatives were fast-forwarded in many cases during the core COVID period to cope with the demands placed on the NHS.
With a range of funding streams available for application by the NHS, the appetite for digital development and transformation across the NHS is larger than ever.
NOE CPC continue to support NHS Trusts through this journey either individually or as part of collaborative workstreams active within the NHS landscape.
HTW: You are currently recruiting Supplier Relationship Manager (SRM) roles at NOE CPC. Why is this a particular focus for NOE CPC?
Engaging and developing our relationships with suppliers plays a key role in our category and organisational strategy. Understanding markets, key developments, future technologies is key to ensuring NOE CPC maintains the necessary procurement vehicles and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to category knowledge and expertise.
What challenges do you face in developing new relationships with suppliers? Are there any misconceptions?
There can be a misconception that public sector procurement comes with a lot of red tape and time constraints. At NOE CPC we constantly seek to break down these barriers with good and consistent communication with new and existing suppliers to simplify processes and communication channels, while complying with the necessary regulations.
We try to make our services and framework agreements easily accessible to both bidding suppliers and subsequent customers, promoting the benefits and USP’s of using NOE CPC to all stakeholders.
An example of this would be the recently launched NOE CPC Quick Quote tool under our IT Hardware and Services Framework which enables customers to interact with awarded suppliers to quickly and consistently request direct quotations for their procurement needs.
This delivers additional value to both the suppliers and customers; further reducing those perceived barriers to working with the public sector.
www.htworld.co.uk/news/why-noe-cpc-quick-quotes-is-a-great-asset-for-procurement/
How can Suppliers engage with NOE CPC and the NHS to get with the programme?
Suppliers can find out more about NOE CPC at www.noecpc.nhs.uk/suppliers and contact our helpdesk for further information: [email protected]
