Renal Buying Guide
Renal replacement therapies are used within secondary care and within patient homes to support renal function through dialysis or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Our Renal Replacement Therapies Services, Technologies and Consumables framework includes chronic dialysis equipment, supplies and services, as well as equipment and supplies for acute renal care.
There are five Lots on this framework covering the following product areas:
Dialysis Consumables and Equipment
Covers all types of equipment for utilisation in a trust environment, including haemodialysis (HD) equipment and consumables, and peritoneal dialysis (PD) consumables. These items are used to treat chronic kidney disease.
Home Dialysis Service
HD equipment and consumables are delivered directly to the patient at home. A therapy billing package includes the cost of this home delivery service.
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy
CRRT equipment, consumables and associated products, used to treat patients with acute kidney injury in an ICU setting. This may also be referred to as haemofiltration.
Home Peritoneal Dialysis Service
PD equipment and consumables are delivered directly to the patient at home. A therapy billing package includes the cost of this home delivery service.
Managed Service
This Lot covers the provision of managed haemodialysis services, where HD services are outsourced to private providers where it is more appropriate.
The procurement of this framework was undertaken following extensive engagement with various stakeholders.
They included Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT), trade bodies, customers and suppliers.
An improved way to purchase renal replacement products and services
A compliant contracting solution for NHS trusts, improvements include:
- Cost per treatment pricing
- Whole life cost models
- Commitment discounts
- Ability to buy individual items through our online catalogue.
The 22 suppliers on the framework offer an extensive range of high quality products to help drive innovation and deliver savings.
The procurement of this framework was undertaken following extensive engagement with various stakeholders including GIRFT, trade bodies, customers and suppliers to deliver a compliant contracting solution for the NHS trusts.
Our framework agreement for this area is managed by NHS Supply Chain: Diagnostic, Pathology and Therapy Technologies and Services.
With Objective Conditions, Framework Pricing and various Discount Models customers can use the option to Direct Award Call-Off their purchases and contracts.
Customers may elect to conduct a Further Competition where their specific requirements for goods and services, including managed services, are not defined in the framework agreement (but are covered within the scope of the specification).
This page provides an overview of how we can support you with your purchasing requirements for Renal Replacement Therapies Services, Technologies and Consumables.
| Supplier | Lot 1: Dialysis Consumables and Equipment | Lot 2: Home Haemodialysis Service | Lot 3: CRRT and Plasma Therapy Consumables and Equipment | Lot 4: Peritoneal Dialysis Service | Lot 5: Managed Service |
| Acime | X | ||||
| Andrac | X | ||||
| B. Braun Avitum | X | X | X | X | |
| Bard | X | ||||
| Baxter Healthcare | X | X | X | X | |
| Diaverum Facilities Management | X | ||||
| Fresenius Medical Care | X | X | X | X | X |
| Genmed.me | X | ||||
| Kimal | X | X | |||
| LINC Medical Systems | X | X | |||
| Maltron International | X | ||||
| Medical Access | X | ||||
| Medtronic | X | X | |||
| Nikkiso | X | X | |||
| Nipro Medical | X | ||||
| NxStage (now Fresenius Medical Care) | X | ||||
| Physidia | X | ||||
| Quanta Dialysis Technologies | X | X | |||
| Renal Services UK | X | ||||
| U-Drain | X | ||||
| Valiant Medical | X | ||||
| Veolia | X | ||||
| Xtra-med | X |
See our Downloads ▼ section for:
- Awarded Suppliers Matrix – An Excel file showing the awarded suppliers by Lot on the framework.
- CRRT Machines Matrix – An Excel file showing pricing, volume discounts and machine specifications for CRRT capital equipment available through the framework.
- Haemodialysis Machines Matrix – An Excel file showing pricing, volume discounts and machine specifications for haemodialysis capital equipment available through the framework.
- Renal Product Category Matrix – An Excel file giving an indication of products areas available within each Lot category and the suppliers that supply against each of these areas.
Purchasing through the framework
The framework can be used in a number of ways (in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and any subsequent amendment of re-enactment thereof) by either ‘calling-off’, or by re-opening competition and running a Further Competition exercise amongst suppliers within one of the framework’s categories.
We have an established process for each procurement route which allows access to the products and services you require. There are three procurement options:
- Catalogue purchases
- Direct Award
- Further Competition.
See our Useful Links section for an overview of the different procurement routes on our Ways to Purchase Diagnostic, Pathology, Dental and Therapy Products and Service page.
Where you have a requirement for tailored and precise requirements or a large consolidation of spend, you may wish to undertake a Further Competition exercise amongst suppliers within one of the framework’s categories.
| Lot | Catalogue Purchase | Direct Award | Further Competition |
| Lot 1 | X | X | X |
| Lot 2 | X | X | |
| Lot 3 | X | X | X |
| Lot 4 | X | X | |
| Lot 5 | X |
This table shows the procurement routes for each Lot.
Purchasing through the framework – Direct Award process and timelines
The process and timelines vary dependent on the requirements. For example, if your requirement is to purchase a haemodialysis machine and you know the make and model, or have a quotation from a supplier that requires validating, we can quickly refer to our Framework listing of products and issue you a Unique Reference Number (URN). We can also provide pricing for placed deals, where equipment costs are amortized into the cost of the consumables.
For consumables, please speak with your Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), who will be able to provide you with the latest documentation for us to complete a product match. Completion of our product match template is a mandatory requirement for all product match requests and allows us to carry out a product match against specific products and their Manufacture Product Codes (MPC). See our Useful Links section to find the contact details for our Customer Relationship Management team.
Home services can also be purchased under the Framework. In order to progress your requirement, we will simply need the name of the supplier currently being used, and an estimated annual contract value. We can then send you the relevant call-off paperwork, along with a URN, in order for you to set up your contract with the supplier.
Please note:
- Where you do not have a chosen supplier, or wish to explore the market, you will need to conduct a Further Competition under the Framework.
- Due to the highly variable nature of the requirements, Direct Award is not available for Managed Services.
We understand the importance of providing a quick and easy ordering process for our customers. We have a range of templates, documents and guidance materials to support you.
Purchasing through the framework – Further Competition process and timelines
If you decide you wish to complete a Further Competition under the framework, we have a range of templates and resources to guide you through the process. These cover the process from specification through to Invitation to Tender (ITT), including guidance material and are available on request. Please contact:
The average time that it takes to complete a Further Competition varies greatly as it is mainly down to the preparation of the documents which are completed by the customer. We can discuss your project and the relevant timelines with you when you are ready to initiate the project.
See our Useful Links section for further information on the Roles and Responsibilities for a Further Competition.
Managed Services (MS) are available under this Framework via Further Competition only.
Managed Services are a flexible and specialised partnership with a private sector service provider, to provide trusts access to innovative medical technology and equipment. The partnership typically covers a period of 5-15 years (sometimes longer), for a fixed annual fee.
Most MS providers will manage all of the trust’s equipment concerns such as:
- ownership (Title Retention)
- provision (initial and ongoing equipment/upgrades)
- capital purchase
- installation and commissioning
- provision of consumables; user training, (initial and ongoing)
- asset management
- maintenance and ongoing replacement. planned preventative and corrective).
More information about our framework and how the tender was evaluated
The procurement process we undertook was based upon an open tendering procedure as detailed in the European Communities Combined Directive (2004/18/EC). As there were a number of different Lots, we evaluated each Lot separately to ensure tenders for the same Lot were assessed on the same basis.
The evaluation involved two stages, qualifying and award; those offers that met the qualifying criteria were then scored against the award criteria.
The qualifying criteria included assessment of the following:
- Compliance of bid
- Regulatory compliance of devices and products
- Compliance with contract regulations
- Compliance with terms and conditions.
The award element of the evaluation was subsequently carried out based on the following criteria:
- Quality 70%
- Price 30%.
The total quality score added to the price score gave the grand total of points and a position on the framework was awarded to all suppliers meeting the 50% overall threshold within each Lot.
During the tender extensive pricing and discount structures were captured from all the suppliers for both evaluated lines and additional lines
Please note: If you are looking to carry out Further Competition these thresholds can be changed to meet your individual requirements.
Next steps and support
If you are interested in purchasing renal replacement therapies services, technologies or consumables through our framework then please get in touch and we will be happy to talk you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
For queries related to consumables and product matches please contact your regional Customer Relationship Manager.
For all other enquiries or to purchase via a Direct Award or Further Competition please complete our enquiry form and a member of our Procurement Delivery team will be in touch.
In addition to the various documents, templates and further information outlined in this guide, we can also provide:
- Commitment Discount Letters – These can be provided in order to facilitate volume discount arrangements and are available on request by completing our Enquiry form.
- Call-Off Contracts – These will be issued by us upon award of any Direct Award or Further Competition process. Both you and your successful supplier will be given the opportunity to review and sign.
