Cloud
Navigating the cloud market within the NHS With a brand new framework now in place to help public sector organisations purchase cloud solutions, Phil Davies, Procurement Director at NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), explains how it simplifies the procurement process and provides very best value for money The ever-increasing popularity of cloud And this chimes exactly with the feedback computing across the public sector in recent we receive at NHS SBS. Buyers from across years has provided a great opportunity, the NHS and wider public sector have one that has helped improve the lives described the process of navigating the cloud of those working to deliver our public market as unmanageable and daunting. services, whilst benefiting the general public who access them day-to-day. Cloud Solutions Framework Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rapid We therefore set about developing a growth of the sector – and new Cloud Solutions Framework, the growing demand from which involved a rigorous The rap NHS organisations and tender process to ensure id growth other public bodies for legally-compliant access to cloud technologies the very best cloud services compu of cloud t – has led to a at the most competitive i n g a t cross he pub somewhat crowded price. Like all our l led to a ic sector has and complex market. frameworks, access is free somew A space where it of charge to public sector hat crowde is all too easy to bodies and the agreement d a n d c omplex be overwhelmed by is awarded under NHS market the huge breadth of terms and conditions, products and services offering maximum leverage on offer from a seemingly for the entire public sector. endless pool of suppliers. Crucially, we deliberately
limited the number of suppliers on the framework to the 10 or 20 most outstanding across four separate lots. The result is a specialist pool of 24 leading suppliers, which provide the greatest expertise and best value-for-money to the NHS or any other public sector organisation. The framework is also structured in a way that includes a full range of cloud support services, which means that regardless of where a public body is on its journey into the cloud – or how straightforward or complex its requirements – purchasing the right support is simple, quick, costeffective and OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) compliant. Four different lots Four different lots cover a wide range of cloud services and include both bespoke and off-the-shelf solutions. The provision of tailored support – unique to this framework – is particularly appealing, enabling a level E Issue 20.1 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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