NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) unveiled its new Procurement Strategy for 2025-2028 last week. This comprehensive strategy aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of procurement activities, ensuring the highest quality goods, works, and services for staff and patients.
With a trade spend of approximately £887m with third-party suppliers, procurement activity significantly influences financial sustainability, so delivering best value and supporting efficiency savings is a key priority for NHSGGC.
The strategy aligns with the first Public Procurement Strategy for Scotland and the NHS Scotland Procurement Strategy, ensuring that procurement activities support national objectives such as sustainable and ethical procurement, supplier relationship development, and contract security.
The strategy consolidates previous objectives into five key priority areas:
- Ensuring continuity and security of supply
- Delivering value for money
- Improving governance and compliance
- Corporate social responsibility
- Workforce development
In terms of Environmental Sustainability, NHSGGC is committed to embedding sustainability requirements in procurement activities. This includes staff completing Procurement Climate Literacy Training, working collaboratively with national and local sustainability groups, and appointing a group of environmental sustainability champions.
The procurement strategy also significantly emphasises societal benefits. A crucial element of this approach is the incorporation of Community Benefits clauses in local contracts. This aims to align procurement activities with public health needs, ensuring suppliers effectively tailor their offerings to address community requirements.
Over recent years, NHSGGC has seen a steady increase in the total spending with local suppliers across Glasgow and the surrounding areas.
While current statistics show that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for approximately 12.6% of trade expenditure, they are working to increase this by actively engaging local businesses and providing them with contract opportunities.
Chris Sanderson, Head of Procurement for NHSGGC, said: “We are proud to launch our new Procurement Strategy for the next three years. We are confident this will deliver our five key priorities and support the best value and quality for patients and staff within NHSGGC.”
