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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Plain-language definitions of every Healthcare & Social Services Procurement term that shows up in government tender work.


Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Emergency Healthcare Procurement

Emergency healthcare procurement refers to the use of accelerated or direct award procedures by health authorities and governments to purchase medical goods and services rapidly during declared public health emergencies, drawing on the extreme urgency exceptions in EU Directive 2014/24/EU and equivalent national frameworks.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Healthcare Supply Chain Procurement

Healthcare supply chain procurement covers the purchasing of clinical and non-clinical goods that flow through hospitals, clinics, and care settings, including consumables, personal protective equipment, surgical instruments, and logistics services, typically managed through central frameworks and catalogues to achieve economies of scale.

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Healthcare & Social Services ProcurementICB

Integrated Care Board (ICB) Procurement

Integrated Care Board procurement refers to the commissioning and purchasing activities of NHS Integrated Care Boards in England, which hold population health budgets and contract for the full range of primary, community, and secondary health services for their local populations.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Light-Touch Regime (Healthcare)

The light-touch regime is a simplified procurement framework under Directive 2014/24/EU and the UK Procurement Act 2023 that applies to health, social, and certain other services listed in Annex XIV, requiring publication and adherence to core principles but allowing contracting authorities much greater procedural flexibility than standard procurement.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Medical Devices Procurement

Medical devices procurement covers the purchasing of instruments, equipment, implants, software, and diagnostic products by hospitals and health authorities, requiring compliance with both EU Medical Devices Regulation (MDR 2017/745) or UK UKCA marking requirements and standard public procurement rules for above-threshold contracts.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

NHS Procurement (UK)

NHS procurement encompasses all purchasing activity by National Health Service bodies in the UK, covering clinical supplies, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health services, governed by a combination of the UK Procurement Act 2023, the Provider Selection Regime, and NHS Supply Chain frameworks.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Patient Choice Framework

The Patient Choice Framework is a UK NHS policy mechanism that gives eligible patients the right to choose their provider for certain elective services, creating a regulated market where qualified providers are listed rather than selected through competitive tender, with NHS funding following the patient.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Pharmaceutical Procurement

Pharmaceutical procurement covers the purchasing of medicines, biologics, and advanced therapy medicinal products by hospitals, health authorities, and national agencies, involving unique considerations around patent protection, generic substitution, joint EU procurement, and regulatory compliance that distinguish it from standard public procurement.

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Healthcare & Social Services ProcurementPSR

Provider Selection Regime (PSR)

The Provider Selection Regime is the bespoke procurement framework introduced in England in 2024 that governs how NHS commissioners and other relevant authorities select providers of healthcare services, replacing the former NHS procurement rules and removing most clinical healthcare services from the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Social and Other Specific Services (Annex XIV)

Social and Other Specific Services listed in Annex XIV of Directive 2014/24/EU are subject to a lighter procurement regime above a threshold of 750,000 euros, reflecting the local, relationship-based nature of health, social, educational, and cultural services across EU member states.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Social Care Procurement

Social care procurement covers the purchasing of care and support services for adults and children by local authorities and health bodies, including residential care, domiciliary care, and supported living, typically governed by the light-touch regime under EU Directive 2014/24/EU or equivalent national frameworks across Europe.

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Healthcare & Social Services Procurement

Voluntary Sector Procurement

Voluntary sector procurement refers to the commissioning and purchasing of health, social care, and community services from charities, voluntary organisations, social enterprises, and community interest companies, with specific provisions under EU Directive 2014/24/EU allowing reserved contracts and quality-led award processes suited to mission-driven providers.

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