Buying Solutions firms await verdict on NHS mega-deal

Software firms in line for a slice of £50m-plus deal

Healthy sum: the NHS contract up for grabs could we worth well over £50m

Software players are anxiously awaiting news of a bumper NHS contract being awarded through the £6bn commodity IT framework, with half of the pool of chosen suppliers set to miss out.

Earlier this year, public sector procurement body Buying Solutions unveiled the 20 channel firms that had made it onto the hotly anticipated framework, which is divided into three lots: the desktop hardware segment contains 12 suppliers; the IT infrastructure hardware lot features 13; and 10 have made the cut for software.

CRN understands that suppliers in the software lot were informed on 24 May they had until the 28 May to submit their bids for an NHS contract potentially worth well over £50m. Five firms will be picked, with the decision expected within the next few days.

The contract will be one of the largest awarded through the framework. One supplier told CRN Buying Solutions is providing plentiful opportunities, but added that many public sector bodies are still not taking advantage.

The supplier claimed those conducting tenders outside the framework could be wasting as much as £80,000 a time.

"We are still seeing a bunch of people in government and the NHS doing it the hard way," said the supplier. "They could get rid of all the standard questions and due diligence [by buying through the framework]. It could be better publicised and people could be pointed towards it."