NHS Scotland’s health boards have launched a procurement for an integrated, cloud-based software-as-a-service solution for finance, HR, payroll and procurement processes, worth an estimated total value of £206 million.
NHS National Services Scotland is leading the procurement, including the appointment of a systems integrator to oversee the design, delivery and implementation of the selected SaaS product. Suppliers are required to work together in a bidding partnership to jointly propose “a cohesive solution and delivery approach which meets NHS Scotland’s outcome-based requirements and demonstrates they are a compatible supplier partnership”, the notice states.
Graham Watson, executive chair of formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health, highlighted: “It is a much-needed step and will be hugely welcomed by aspiring workforce innovators, with NHS Scotland striving to provide a flexible, agile, and cost-effective environment.”
The procurement will result in two separate contracts, one for the technology and one for the implementation services, with a duration of 192 months. The selection process will be in two stages, with the first looking to compliance and exclusion, with minimum requirements that the economic operator meets economic and financial standing selection criteria; and the second involving the scoring of responses from bidding partnerships, with the four partnerships scoring highest to be invited to submit an initial tender.
The notice sets out selection criteria including on technical and professional abilities, covering ISO27001 certification, a confirmation of the number of UK based staff certified and trained on the SaaS technology, and details of the percentage of the contract intended to be subcontracted.
Tenders or requests must be submitted by 18 June at 5pm.
Wider trend: Digital health in Scotland
The Scottish Government’s annual update on progress toward the NHS Recovery Plan highlighted the role of digital innovation in empowering patients, supporting preventative care, managing demand, and addressing inequalities; noting specifically the progress made around developing a digital front door, enabling remote monitoring, and enhancing scheduling. The government also noted a planned update to the data strategy for health and social care is also expected in 2025 and highlights the ongoing work to develop AI policy and guidance for health settings.
In a speech at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh, Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, outlined plans around innovation, the Scottish health and social care app, Hospital at Home, and “better use of data”, as well as the potential for new technologies such as AI and robotics to “modernise” health services and “transform” diagnosis and treatment. On the Scottish health and social care app, Swinney noted the roll-out will start at the end of 2025, beginning initially in Lanarkshire.
NHS Scotland’s operational improvement plan has also been published, focusing on the roll-out of its health and social care app, the “digital front door” to health and care, taking a “stronger digital first approach”, and “further harnessing the benefits” of digital tech and innovation.
