Healthcare Procurement and Commercial Solutions

Delivering the vision set out in the NHS Long Term Plan will require new models of care that drive integration and provide sustainable health services. Procurement and commercial services must align with the current EU regulatory frameworks for public sector purchasing, while simultaneously enabling your organisation to work through ‘best value’ tests that will provide the foundations for transformational change.

ICSs will provide the vision and strategy required to transform local healthcare, while nationally, NHS England must continue to deliver efficiency and innovation for directly commissioned services. Our procurement and commercial solutions support both regional and national programmes and are driven by four objectives:

• Improving health and wellbeing via innovation in how services are delivered
• Driving collaboration, integrated working and shared rewards
• Securing the best outcomes and experience for patients
• Optimising value for every pound spent for both patients and the taxpayer.

Our multi award-winning team has a proven track record in delivering complex projects for both local and national initiatives. Our solutions provide a roadmap, underpinned by tools, work process methodology and governance that ensures commissioning plans are successfully delivered. This includes a unique Seven Step Strategic Sourcing Model used to safely deliver a range of programmes, including working towards the appointment of the first integrated care provider (ICP).

Arden & GEM has been recognised by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Excellence Programme, in recognition of our delivery of efficient, high quality services. We are also working collaboratively with our clients to develop a ‘best value’ tool set that will enable commissioners to achieve the most cost-effective solutions while making best use of the current system.

We deliver end-to-end procurement and commercial solutions, or modular services that can dovetail with your existing resource. Our core services include:

Market assessment and development

Our thorough market assessments provide invaluable understanding of how the supply market works, the direction in which the market is going, capacity, competitiveness and key suppliers. This informs strategy, and the tendering process, and enables delivery of an intervention that meets the needs of patients and the wider system.

Pre-procurement

We deliver a comprehensive range of pre-procurement activities that lay the foundations for your purchasing activities and reduce the risks associated with complex change. We provide high level strategic advice, including legal and regulatory, to ensure you remain safe, compliant and adopt an intervention that removes wasted procurement costs and fragmented service provision.

Procurement

From large scale national procurement programmes, to bespoke local projects, to Any Qualified Provider (AQP) arrangements, we have unrivalled experience that draws on cross-sector expertise spanning health and social care systems. We can design and implement an optimal market intervention that maximises opportunities under the current regulatory frameworks and delivers a cost effective, value driven intervention.

Transition management

We provide comprehensive management of the implementation of new services. Following the award of the contract we work across all stakeholders to identify and manage risks, create shared understanding of responsibilities, create realistic plans and finalise all administrative details.

Collaborative contracting

The drive towards system integration has created an upsurge in collaborative contracting. Our extensive experience of implementing collaborative contractual models includes prime contract, prime provider contract and alliance contract arrangements, and supports clients to improve performance and deliver savings. Our service ensures that contracts perform within the defined outcomes and that activity levels are aligned to the planned out-turn.

Category management

Recognising the move towards integrated care systems, and care being provided in different settings, we have developed sector specific expertise in category management. We can help you to manage markets, and capacity, to ensure care can be delivered effectively and in line with your strategic aims. Our services provide the opportunity for greater collaboration, a contracts database for effective benchmarking and the potential to unlock considerable cost benefits.

Spend analytics and contract management

We provide commissioners and health systems with transparency for every pound spent, including visibility of both clinical and non-clinical activities. With a move towards greater CCG collaboration, this offers the opportunity to manage current contracts throughout their lifecycle to deliver both improvements and efficiency.