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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

The fund will be available to NHS providers to support the move from paper-based systems for patient notes and prescriptions to integrated electronic care records and the development of e-prescribing and e-referral systems.