The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has announced funding of £12.8 million to support the use of the Atamis e-commerce system in by health sector organisations over the next three years.
It has begun working with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care to provide Atamis licences for procurement and commercial teams and data analysts.
It said this will encourage all health sector bodies to use the same system for pipeline management, tendering, supplier and contract management, and expects it to deliver greater commercial effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and resilience.
More than 90 organisations in the sector have already begun to use to use the system and will be able to increase their usage through the new funding.
CCS said the money comes from the surplus it generates as a levy on the value of business suppliers through its agreements.
Investment for better outcomes
Its deputy director for health Helen MacCarthy said: “We’re making this investment to give something back to the health sector, enabling better outcomes for our customers. Leveraging the scale and expertise of CCS and the health sector, and the business intelligence from Atamis, will help us get the best value from procurement.”
Jacqui Rock, chief commercial officer for NHS England, said: “Moving to one e-commerce system will make a significant contribution to our wider efforts to support the NHS to deliver the maximum possible benefit for patients from every pound of taxpayer investment.
“Atamis will also make it easier for suppliers, especially SMEs, to do business with us, and will help us meet our sustainability requirements as part of our commitment to be net zero by 2045.”
