Latest blogs on procurement law

NHS England's objective is to maintain the pace and momentum of improving value for money from the NHS's investment in PMS contracts while at the same time ensuring that now all PMS contracts are commissioned centrally by a single NHS organisation PMS practices are being treated fairly and consistently across England.

Readers will be aware that The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (the Regulations) provide a mechanism by which the running of a procurement process and the decisions taken within it can be challenged by bidders and/or others with an interest in the outcome.

The guidance sets out the procedures to be followed by CCGs and NHS England in the circumstances of a CCG wishing to apply to NHS England to make changes to its constitution or to dissolve or two or more CCGs wishing to apply to merge.

Earlier this month the Department of Health (DH) published details of the 2013 -14 charges to commissioners for property costs which are not recoverable from occupiers.

Monitor announced on its website on 5 June 2013 that it was launching an investigation into the conduct of purchasing decisions made by the North of England Specialised Commissioning Group whose functions were assumed by NHS England as of 1 April 2013.

Three sets of Directions have been issued - find out more...

In January 2013 PRUComm (the Policy Research Unit In Commissioning and the Healthcare System) published its interim report following the commencement in 2012 of a three year study into how health care commissioners negotiate specify monitor and manage contractual mechanisms to improve services and allocate risk in their local health economies.

The Social Value Act requires CCGs to consider how their commissioning could improve the economic social and environmental well-being of their area.

When dealing with third sector providers CCG's should also bear in mind Local Compacts.