interviews

11.01.16

The impact of last year’s procurement regulation changes

Source: NHE Jan/Feb 16

Helen Lisle, chair of the Health Care Supply Association (HCSA) and a director of procurement in the NHS, looks back over the last year and gives her thoughts on the impact changes introduced by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR15) have had on procurement professionals and their wider organisations.

I think it would be fair to say that when the new Public Contracts Regulations were initially announced, the most frequently discussed area of change was the abolition of Part B services. While interested, I was slightly saddened by this and wondered whether we were actually doing our colleagues procuring in this arena a disservice, as many already carried out extremely robust procurement processes. Such processes may not have been characterised as open or restricted, but nonetheless they followed clearly documented and rigorous processes.  

There was also much hype about ‘new’ procedures and the ‘improved’ procedures, such as the competitive procedure with negotiation, innovation partnership, and dynamic purchasing systems. 

Alongside the hyped changes there were so many other changes, including, but certainly not limited to, the removal of the PQQ (pre-qualification questionnaire) for under-threshold procurements, the need to consider splitting contracts in smaller lots to support SMEs, and the need to formally document procurement decisions made when establishing a contract, framework agreement and a dynamic purchasing system. 

Electronically available 

But, the reality is that the biggest impact for procurement professionals and their organisations has been the need to make procurement documents available electronically from the date of the OJEU.  

This impact is of course two-fold; firstly (and possibly the easier, you would think, to deal with) is making documents freely available from the date of OJEU. But even this seems to have posed a problem for some organisations already advanced in the use of eTendering. 

Secondly, having a full document set ready at the commencement of a procurement process has been a huge shift in practice. Essentially, prior to the changes, when organisations followed a restricted procedure, the individual documents, such as the PQQ (including selection criteria and outline specification) and invitation to tender (ITT, including final specification and award criteria etc) would be worked up throughout the procurement stages. So the move to ‘documents up front’ has been a significant change in mindset and practice for most. It frontloads the process and requires robust planning capabilities organisation-wide.  

Yes, there has been some interest in the new and tweaked procedures, and the shorter timescales, some of which may prove to be useful going forward. But the reality remains that on the ground focus has had to be around the education of the wider audience of the increased significance of partnership working and planning!

Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]

Comments

Claire Povey   05/02/2016 at 11:47

Couldn't agree more with Helen's comments. Things like new procedures and reduced timescales can all be managed within the constraints of the procurement department but publishing all of your procurement documentation upfront is an organisational wide change. In my opinion, soft skills are becoming more and more important for procurement professionals as we move to developing relationships across the organisation to ensure we are embed in the business areas, raising the profile of good procurement and putting in plans for more efficient and streamlined processes.

Add your comment

national health executive tv

more videos >

latest healthcare news

New agreement reached to benefit NHS junior doctors

10/09/2020New agreement reached to benefit NHS junior doctors

Junior doctors in the NHS will now also be able to undertake their training in independent hospitals after a new agreement was reached between in... more >
NHS capability for advanced therapy boosted by further investment

10/09/2020NHS capability for advanced therapy boosted by further investment

An additional £9.5m funding boost has been awarded by the UK Government into the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) network. Est... more >
Identification of Covid-19 risk groups to help guide treatment

10/09/2020Identification of Covid-19 risk groups to help guide treatment

Appropriate treatment pathways for coronavirus patients admitted to hospital are beginning to be refined after research data showed people w... more >

the scalpel's daily blog

Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

28/08/2020Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive, NHS Employers & Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Confederation The common enemy of coronavirus united the public side by side with the NHS in a way that many had not seen in their lifetimes and for others evoked war-time memories. It was an image of defiance personified by the unforgettable N... more >
read more blog posts from 'the scalpel' >

comment

NHS England dementia director prescribes rugby for mental health and dementia patients

23/09/2019NHS England dementia director prescribes rugby for mental health and dementia patients

Reason to celebrate as NHS says watching rugby can be good for your mental health and wellbeing. As the best rugby players in the world repr... more >
Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

21/06/2019Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

Taking time to say thank you is one of the hidden pillars of a society. Being on the receiving end of some “thanks” can make communit... more >
Nurses named as least-appreciated public sector workers

13/06/2019Nurses named as least-appreciated public sector workers

Nurses have been named as the most under-appreciated public sector professionals as new research reveals how shockingly under-vauled our NHS, edu... more >
Creating the Cardigan integrated care centre

10/06/2019Creating the Cardigan integrated care centre

Peter Skitt, county director and commissioner for Ceredigion Hywel Dda University Health Board, looks ahead to the new integrated care centre bei... more >

last word

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad, president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), sits down with National Health Executive as part of our... more > more last word articles >

editor's comment

26/06/2020Adapting and Innovating

Matt Roberts, National Health Executive Editorial Lead. NHE May/June 2020 Edition We’ve been through so much as a health sector and a society in recent months with coronavirus and nothing can take away from the loss and difficulties that we’ve faced but it vital we also don’t disregard the amazing efforts we’v... read more >

health service focus

‘We are the NHS’: NHS England publish newest People Plan

30/07/2020‘We are the NHS’: NHS England publish newest People Plan

NHS England has published its People Plan for... more >
How NHS Property Services adapted to a new way of working

01/07/2020How NHS Property Services adapted to a new way of working

From May/June 2020 edition Trish Stephen... more >