The Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) introduced flexibility into public sector purchasing. This regulatory shift empowers trusts to maximise the design of framework agreements to achieve the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT).
With RM6380 Health Workforce Solutions, a diverse range of flexible options are available throughout the commercial lifecycle. By leveraging these routes independently or in combination, contracting authorities can drive value, resilience, and innovation.
1. Shape the demand: Preliminary market engagement
The starting point to any procurement process is establishing a clear, robust requirement. Preliminary market engagement is a valuable tool for shaping your specifications, and framework suppliers are your primary resource.
Engaging with suppliers early in the lifecycle helps co-design solutions by building a transparent understanding of current market capacity, workforce availability, and active market trends and forces. RM6380 is set up for a broad range of workforce requirements, as such, there are a broad range of solutions available to leverage. Often, suppliers are the best stakeholders to utilise when exploring solutions. Preliminary market engagement opens up access to a range of specialist information which will help form the best solutions.
- Act early: To get the most out of preliminary market engagement, it is best to conduct it early, as soon as the possibility of a future requirement has been identified. Early engagement with the market ensures a well considered approach to shaping the need.
- Zero obligation: Preliminary market engagement does not oblige you to launch a formal tender. It serves as an excellent, risk-free opportunity to discover what is achievable and help shape your requirements. It also does not have to link to any procurement activity. In these circumstances, it provides a valuable way to stay informed about the market and understand available options for when a need does arise.
- Bespoke scalability: You can design your engagement to match your internal resource and timeline constraints. This can be an intensive multi-stage dialogue or a light-touch exercise, conducted with as many suppliers as you like.
2. Focus on outcomes: Output-based specifications
Once your requirements are defined and you begin drafting your tender documents, shifting to an output-based specification can transform your outcomes.
Instead of prescriptive inputs (such as dictating how a solution should be delivered), an output-based specification defines the contract in terms of results, outcomes, and performance levels. It concentrates entirely on what must be delivered, leaving the how to the expertise of the supply base.
The benefits of an output-based approach:
- Innovation: By leaving the delivery mechanics open, suppliers can compete on creative, cutting-edge workforce models that your project team may not have anticipated.
- Optimised value for money: Output-based specifications drive value for money because suppliers are incentivised to design the leanest, most optimised path to achieve the output. Suppliers can pass these efficiencies on through more competitive pricing structures.
- Paying for results: Your expenditure is tied directly to successfully realised performance metrics rather than generic costs.
The RM6380 advantage: The baseline framework specification for RM6380 is inherently built as an output-based model. It supports commercial flexibility while protecting non-negotiable safeguarding terms, such as worker compliance and standards.
3. Drive bespoke, future-proofed value
RM6380 explicitly champions innovation to elevate public sector health outcomes. The scope of the framework is purposely broad and varied, facilitating tailored workforce delivery methods suited to a shifting healthcare environment.
By aligning the broad scope of RM6380 with robust preliminary market engagement and output-based tendering, buyers can implement bespoke, legally compliant workforce models that are flexible, innovative, and future-proof.
Discover what is possible
To explore how to make the best use of available options, get in touch with your regional team using the contact form on our website and we can help design the best process for you.