Technology is how the NHS’s 10 Year Health Plan gets delivered — and the money follows. In July, health buyers awarded 1,862 contracts worth over £26 billion, with IT among the largest categories.
So why do so many capable technology companies still find the NHS impossible to sell into?
Steve Dunkerley, Chief Commercial Officer at NHS London Procurement Partnership, takes suppliers inside the buying decision. HCI’s Dawn MacTaggart shows you the data behind it.
Why this matters now
Framework renewal is binary. Frameworks are 28% of health notices by count and 82% of the value. You either secure a place on the replacement or that revenue stream ends. There is no partial credit — which is why the renewal calendar matters more than the tender feed.
Most suppliers watch the wrong feed. Health ran over 1,800 awards against 330 notices in July. Most of that activity is modifications, extensions and call-offs through arrangements that already exist. If you only monitor tenders, you are watching the smallest part of the market — and the part where the decision has already been made.
Accredited routes are a gate, not a suggestion. Trusts are expected to buy digital through the accredited routes set out in the NHS procurement framework strategy. Outside those routes, a strong product is an invisible one.
The clinical AI framework opens within months. Pre-market engagement is already done. Too late to shape it — not too late to bid, if you move now.
Business cases are judged on evidenced return. Benefit realisation, affordability, whole-life cost, critical success factors — assessed by finance leads, health economists and programme leads. Suppliers who pitch features instead of proven return lose before procurement ever sees them.
If that’s your space, you should already be engaging.