On 14 September 2012, the NHS Commissioning Board published a set of procurement briefings for CCGs that summarise the key elements of legislation and guidance currently governing NHS procurement of clinical services.
There are six briefing papers in all and they are as follows:
- Introduction: Why do CCGs need to understand procurement?
- How does procurement fit with the different stages of commissioning?
- What are the procurement options?
- Which rules apply to a procurement process?
- How should a procurement process be conducted?
- Summary of the decision making process.
The Introduction briefing paper states that the briefing papers will:
- set out key milestones in the different stages of commissioning;
- explain the integral role of procurement in the stages of commissioning;
- explain CCG responsibilities in relation to procurement of healthcare (clinical services);
- set out the points at which CCGs need to make key decisions; and
- help CCGs understand what governance arrangements they need to put in place to discharge CCG responsibilities.
The briefings are fairly short (none contain more than six pages) and could be a useful starting point for those about to become involved in commissioning clinical services. Here is a link to the six briefing papers.