Overview of the Tender
NHS Scotland has announced a £206 million tender aimed at acquiring a cloud solution to unify HR, finance, payroll, and procurement processes across the regional health boards in Scotland.
Tender Details
- The tender is for a 15-year contract, published on 19 May 2025.
- The goal is to procure an integrated, cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution along with a systems implementer.
- The selected implementer will be responsible for designing, delivering, and implementing the chosen SaaS solution.
Comments from NHS Scotland
Graham Watson, executive chair of NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health, expressed optimism about the tender, stating:
“This is undoubtedly positive news for a health service looking to deliver on its modern, forward-thinking ambitions. It is a much-needed step and will be hugely welcomed by aspiring workforce innovators, with NHS Scotland striving to provide a flexible, agile, and cost-effective environment supporting both better joined up service delivery and more progressive ambitions.”
He emphasized the importance of identifying the right SaaS platform and a trusted systems implementer for effective design and rollout.
Long-term Benefits
Watson noted that achieving the right solution could lead to significant long-term benefits, including:
- Revolutionizing patient care in Scotland through improved data management.
- Enhancing collaborative efforts among health services.
- Reducing operational costs.
Bidding Process
Suppliers of SaaS and system integration services must form a bidding partnership to apply for the contract by 18 June 2025. The competitive procedure will result in:
- Two national contracts from National Services Scotland (NSS): one with the technology vendor and another with the systems integrator.
- A budget allocation of £120 million for the cloud-based SaaS solution, with the remainder designated for implementation costs.
Future Plans
According to Scotland’s ‘Care in the Digital Age: delivery plan 2024 to 2025’, the full rollout of a new national GP IT system is expected to be completed before transitioning to a single cloud-hosted solution by 2026. The plan aims to:
- Support and develop current and future leaders to drive digital transformation across Scotland’s health and care services.
Recent Developments
Last year, NSS contracted OneAdvanced Health and Care to implement a cloud-based document management system across all GP practices in Scotland. However, in May 2024, the Scottish government announced a delay in its ‘Cloud First’ digital health strategy due to a recent budget review.