NHS Lothian are working to develop more local supply chains and support local economic growth.
Procurement case study
NHS Lothian are using our influence as an Anchor Institution to support our local economy by using procurement approaches which enable local suppliers to access opportunities more easily.
NHS Lothian often uses existing public sector procurement frameworks to purchase goods and services, however we know that many local businesses do not participate in these frameworks.
Therefore to enable local businesses to bid for work, our procurement team have taken a proactive approach to identifying upcoming tenders for services which could be delivered by local businesses rather than a framework supplier. When a suitable opportunity is identified, the procurement team actively approach the market directly, to encourage and support local suppliers to bid for the work.
Recently, this approach enabled local businesses to bid for work under our own Trades Framework, which covers electrical, plumbing, building and roofing. As a result, 29 local businesses entered bids, and will be able to undertake work for us estimated at £1.5-3m over the next couple of years.
Commissioning locally
NHS Lothian commission third sector partners to deliver welfare advice services across six acute hospital sites. There is at least one site within each local authority area of Lothian. As part of a commitment to supporting the development of the local supply chain, the contract for the work was divided into four lots, one for each local authority area. This ensured the opportunity for local providers to be able to bid on the project in their respective area and lessened the likelihood that national organisations would be interested. This approach has resulted in a partnership between NHS Lothian and four locally based welfare advice organisations. Not only is this providing much needed welfare advice services in NHS Lothian hospitals, it also ensures a consistent offer of support following discharge where required and good links across other sources of support in the area.
