NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) has formed a procurement framework worth £250 million including 25 suppliers in order to establish an agreement allowing NHS organisations and public sector bodies to purchase intelligent automation solutions.
The framework “provides a contractual vehicle” to support adoption, development and implementation of intelligent automation, with NHS SBS highlighting how the technology has the potential to “increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve quality”.
The 25 suppliers include Endpoint Automation Services Limited; Abtrace; Accenture (UK); Agilisys; Arvato; Atos IT Services UK; Broadstones Solutions; Camtec Consulting; CGI UK; NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit; Datamatics Infotech; Deloitte LLP; Ebo.AI (UK); Epam Systems; Ernst & Young LLP; FPT Software United Kingdom; Infosys; Insight Direct (UK); Kainos Software; Mastek (UK); Netcall Technology; Robiquity; Synertec; Tech Mahindra; TPXIMPACT; AECOM; Capgemini; Trustmarquee; and the Royal Free London, subject to receipt of required accreditations.
The contract is set to run until November 2025.
In the summer, we shared plans from NHS SBS to launch a cyber security framework for an estimated £125 million.
Last year, NHS Transformation Directorate published guidance on robotic process automation, describing the guidance as a “national ‘how to guide’ to support effective and safe adoption of RPA [which] will present good practice on planning, delivering and sustaining RPA solutions and will highlight the key considerations including where RPA cannot be used.”
In other procurement news, we recently covered how NHS England published a £307 million tender for the New Hospital Programme; how Medway Council Public Health opened a tender for NHS Health Check software; and how Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB opened a £1 million tender for digital mental health support for young people.
