NHS picks perfect 10 for major hardware framework

Resellers, system builders and integrators land on systems and services contract

A dectet of top channel players has sealed a berth on a major new NHS-led IT hardware framework.

The framework has been awarded by the North of England NHS Commerical Procurement Services (NOE CPC). It has no minimum order restrictions and can be used by NHS and other public sector bodies. The contract is divided into 10 lots, with numbers one to three covering desktops, laptops and tablets respectively.

Lot four deals with specialist healthcare hardware, with lot five addressing clinical monitors and medical displays and lot six designated as "green, sustainably sourced IT hardware". Lot seven is for printers and scanners, lot eight for deployment services, and lot nine for third-party warranty providers.

Lot 10 has been designed as a "one-stop shop", with public sector bodies able to procure a range of bundled hardware packages. A statement on the NOE CPC website claims that the framework will provide NHS organisations with a "wide portfolio of IT hardware suitable for both office and clinical environments".

The framework, which came into effect at the start of this year, runs for an initial two years, with two optional 12-month extensions.

According to the statement the 10 suppliers to feature on the framework are: Dell, Stone, Akhter Computers, Viglen, Softcat, VeryPC, Parity Medical, Centerprise, Insight and HP, although the latter two are listed as "TBC".

Softcat has landed on seven of the 10 lots, including being one of only three firms selected for the one-stop shop contract.

Andy Bruen, Softcat's public sector frameworks manager, said, "It was a hard-fought tendering process where keen pricing, innovation and a genuine value-add approach were key to both the successful suppliers and the NHS."