NHS procurement
NHS procurement is the way NHS organisations buy goods, works and services, using a mix of direct purchasing, frameworks, procurement hubs and advertised tenders. The applicable route depends on the NHS organisation, the purchase and the relevant UK or devolved regime.
Reviewed
The route into an NHS opportunity depends on what is being bought, who is buying it and which part of the UK is involved. A supplier may sell directly to a trust, compete in an advertised tender, join a framework or work through NHS Supply Chain or a procurement hub.
Identify the route and legal regime
For English goods, works and many non-clinical services, the Procurement Act 2023 applies to new procurements from 24 February 2025, subject to its scope and transitional rules. Clinical healthcare services arranged by relevant English authorities can instead fall under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR), which has bespoke rules. Healthcare procurement in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follows the applicable devolved arrangements. Read the buyer, contract subject and procurement documents before applying a generic NHS tender checklist.
Build a practical search plan
Search Find a Tender, Contracts Finder and the relevant devolved portal. Check NHS England, NHS Supply Chain and procurement-hub pipeline pages for future activity, but treat a pipeline as indicative until a formal notice is issued. For a direct approach, identify the trust’s procurement route and approved framework requirements. For example, a digital clinical service may be a PSR arrangement, while supplying standard consumables may be a framework or NHS Supply Chain opportunity. Check clinical assurance, information governance, patient safety, sustainability and contract-management requirements early.