Existing Suppliers
As part of our ongoing transformation journey, there will be a period of disruption affecting transactional reporting and the issuing of accurate sales feeds.
The automatic weekly sales feed data you receive and the demand reports in the Supplier Portal should only be considered as correct once NHS Supply Chain has completed the reconciliation and verification of the data. Our teams are working diligently to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible.
You can check the status of weekly sales feed data on this page.
If you have any queries about the weekly sales feed, please contact the category contact assigned to you as part of your contract award.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time of transition.
Supporting our suppliers
NHS Supply Chain delivers procurement and logistics to the NHS.
All NHS Supply Chain suppliers have access to the Supplier Portal, an online system to support supplier management tasks such as:
- Viewing the stock position of your products
- Creating and running reports including customer demand and service levels
- Accessing key NHS Supply Chain contacts
- Creating Advance Shipment Notice (ASN) for the National Distribution Centre (NDC)
- Amending stock orders and confirmed eDirect deliveries.
See our Useful Links section for further information on the:
- Supplier Portal
- Supplier Code of Conduct – the Government Commercial Service Supplier Code of Conduct that all our suppliers are expected to adhere to.
See our Downloads ▼ section for:
- Data Standards Supplier Product Coding Policy – a policy describing GS1 as NHS Supply Chain’s preferred data coding standard for products.
- Supplier Requirements Guidance – Data Standards Product Coding. Guidance for suppliers to accompany our policy on GS1 as the preferred data coding standard for products.
Supplier Relationship Management team
The Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) team look after the active management of NHS Supply Chain’s suppliers to maximise value over the full relationship life cycle. We have a number of key suppliers where an enhanced approach to relationship management will deliver additional value and benefit to the NHS. The SRM team will focus on this group of key suppliers, working closely with our Category teams to deliver enhanced supplier relationship management.
By shaping the approach and process for interaction with suppliers, SRM provides a structure by which supplier relationships are defined, governed and improved to realise value in keeping with our strategic objectives, and for the mutual gain of both parties and improve processes and performance.
Contract and tender process
In order for a product to be listed in the NHS Supply Chain Catalogue, it must be procured through a compliant tender and, if successful, will be listed on a Framework Agreement under the respective Category teams.
NHS Supply Chain follows a compliant procurement process when purchasing goods for the NHS in accordance with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR2015). This involves:
- Following procedure where spend is above the Public Contracts Regulations threshold
- Advertising all tender opportunities on Contracts Finder
- Advertising all tender opportunities in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), which can be viewed on the Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) website.
Supplier eProcurement Portal (Jaggaer)
Suppliers need to access this website if they are going to be tendering for business with NHS Supply Chain.
The web-based system brings together a suite of collaborative tools that enable NHS Supply Chain and suppliers suppliers to conduct the strategic activities of the procurement lifecycle.
It provides a simple, secure and efficient means for managing tendering activities, reducing the time and effort required for both buyers and suppliers.
Using the Jaggaer eProcurement system: how to videos
Economic and Financial Standing
In June 2023, the UK Cabinet Office published PPN 03/23 (later updated to PPN03/24) which revised the guidance on how public sector authorities should vet suppliers on the grounds of their Economic and Financial Standing. This is now embedded in the Procurement Act.
Assessing and monitoring the Economic and Financial Standing (EFS) of suppliers is about understanding the financial capacity of suppliers to perform a contract in order to safeguard supply. At NHS Supply Chain it is the term we use for the standard checks we undertake on a supplier’s financial records at tender evaluation, confirmation of award and then as part of our continuous monitoring during the contract term.
See our Downloads ▼ section to view our Economic and Financial Standing Supplier Guide.
Procurement Act
The Procurement Act 2023 became effective from 24 February 2025.
The Act’s aims are:
- Reporting transparency – Embeds transparency throughout the commercial lifecycle. Additional pipeline and notice publication requirement throughout the process including in Contract Management.
- Financial savings – Encourage innovative solutions, potential to realise better value for money and greater savings through transparent contract and performance management.
- Community investment – improving wider societal benefits by moving from Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) to Most Advantageous Tender (MAT), and, in central government, a minimum 10% social benefit mandated.
- Flexibility – Enable contracting authorities to tailor their approach to achieve better outcomes and value for money. Greater flexibility to modify route or contract.
- Supplier diversity – Help new entrants (especially SMEs) to compete for public contracts. Single digital tool for suppliers to register and reuse their details.
- Governance – Central digital platform to publish opportunities, enable greater scrutiny and monitor supplier performance.
Supplier benefits
- Register as suppliers once on a central digital platform – details can then be used for multiple bids.
- All public sector contracting authorities will be required to post their contracts on one website, making it easier for suppliers to see opportunities.
- Frameworks will be more flexible, so prospective suppliers are not shut out for long periods of time.
- There will be prompt payment for more businesses in public sector supply chains.
- The most significant areas of change are:
- Transparency: a real expansion in the number of notices that an authority will need to publish about the procurement and lifetime of the contract.
- Procurement processes: new flexibilities, subject to limits, to design bespoke procurement processes.
- Contract performance: a new requirement for all authorities to set and publicly report on KPIs for larger contracts valued at over £5 million.
- Supplier debarment list: the possibility of supplier debarment where mandatory or discretionary exclusion criteria are triggered.
- New language: the Act uses new language to describe familiar concepts (for example, “selection criteria” will be known as “conditions of participation” under the Act).
Suppliers should ensure they take advantage of the training and education opportunities offered by the government and that they are signed up to the relevant email alerts. See our Useful Links section for further information.
A Net Zero Supply Chain
Suppliers are key to supporting the NHS in meeting its sustainability targets, and in particular those focussing on reducing carbon emissions.
There are five supplier requirements that all suppliers must meet:
- Publication of a Carbon Reduction Plan
- A minimum of 10% Net Zero and Social Value weighting in all procurements
- Completion of an Evergreen Supplier Assessment
- Compliance with NHS England’s Supplier Roadmap
- Completion and maintenance of a Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT) as part of PPN 02/23.
See our Useful Links section to watch a series of short videos covering each of these requirements.
Category Contacts
We’re often contacted by existing suppliers who are looking for contact details for their product category area. Please view the relevant section on this website and select your category page.
