NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) has launched the Digital Workplace Solutions Framework for the procurement of consumer oriented technologies for the health service.
It has estimated the framework, which is also available to the wider public sector, could provide savings of up to £75 million, average indicative savings of 15% compared to buying direct from a supplier at list price.
The contract covers 28 suppliers and is due to run until August 2022, with the option to extend to 2024, with an estimated value of around £500 million.
The framework replaces the Link: IT Solutions Framework and covers a range of products and services including servers, storage, networking, security and data centre infrastructure, along with end user computing devices, desktop operating systems, enterprise software and professional services.
It also provides a route to procure enterprise licence agreements developed specifically for the NHS, such as N365 (Office 365 from Microsoft).
Phil Davies, director of procurement at NHS SBS, said: “This new framework has been developed to build on the success of our previous Link: IT Solutions agreement, which was very well used by the NHS and wider public sector. It provides ease and peace of mind for organisations looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to meet their software and IT needs.
“As remote working has become commonplace due to COVID-19, the launch of the Digital Workplace Solutions Framework means public sector organisations can access technologies like VPN remote access and virtual desktops, which can be needed to mobilise home working securely and effectively.
“The framework has been carefully negotiated to ensure it covers the widest range of infrastructure, hardware and software, whilst saving valuable time and resource for NHS and other public sector organisations.”
NHS SBS said public bodies can access the framework to purchase a bundled solution of IT products and services, which may include elements from several of the different categories available.
