NHS: Life Sciences
(asked on 20th March 2023) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has published recent guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises in the life sciences sector on accessing NHS procurement contracts; and whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that competition between large and small organisations for NHS procurement contracts is fair.
Procurement within the National Health Service is conducted within the rules of the Government’s Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which stipulates that all suppliers are treated fairly and equally in the procurement process.
Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs) also provide provisions to allow contracting authorities not to unfairly exclude small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In November 2020, PPN 11/20 published Reserving Below Threshold Procurements, allowing contracting authorities to restrict certain threshold procurements for SMEs, which is available at the following link:
PPN 01/23 Requirements to Publish on Contracts Finder, published in January 2023, reminded contracting authorities to publish all contract opportunities on Contract Finder. For NHS trusts and Foundation trusts this is set at £30,000.
SMEs are critical to the NHS Supply Chain, and the NHS is fully committed to supporting SMEs so they can supply to the NHS. NHS England is establishing a strategic supplier relationship programme to help build and enhance our relationship with NHS suppliers, including SMEs.