The NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) has developed a new procurement framework for enabling NHS and public sector organisations to buy cost-effective IT solutions.
According to the company, the new framework called Digital Workplace Solutions Framework can potentially save the buyers an estimated £75m.
NHS SBS is a joint venture between the UK Department of Health and the French IT services company Sopra Steria.
The Digital Workplace Solutions Framework will replace the Link: IT Solutions Framework. Its objective will be to offer a simple and compliant route to market for high-quality IT solutions for public bodies like NHS trusts, universities, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), police, and local authorities.
The company said that the new framework provides consumer-oriented technologies across a full variety of software and IT infrastructure areas from 28 public sector suppliers, who are said to have been carefully selected and are well-established.
The new framework is also said to represent a quick and effective manner for procuring enterprise licence agreements such as N365 and other nationally negotiated public sector deals, that are particularly developed for the NHS.
Estimated to have a value of nearly £500m, the Digital Workplace Solutions Framework is slated to run until August 2022 and has the option to be extended to 2024. It is expected to generate average indicative savings of 15% when compared to procuring directly from a supplier at list price, said NHS SBS.
NHS SBS procurement director Phil Davies said: “As remote working has become commonplace due to COVID-19, the launch of the Digital Workplace Solutions Framework means public sector organisations can access technologies like VPN remote access and virtual desktops, which can be needed to mobilise home working securely and effectively.
“The framework has been carefully-negotiated to ensure it covers the widest range of infrastructure, hardware and software, whilst saving valuable time and resource for NHS and other public sector organisations.”
