Health service body issues notice of intent to implement a contract of up to five years in length with a provider of digital support that can help deliver service upgrades

NHS England is planning a £150m-plus commercial engagement through which a supplier will provide support for greater “personalisation” of digital services.

Last week, the central health service entity published a procurement pipeline notice outlining future plans “to award a contract for a digital delivery” specialist to assist with ongoing provision and upgrades for digital services related to adult healthcare.

Acting as the health service’s key tech partner in the field, the chosen firm will be expected to work with the NHS “to support adult screening and personalisation digital delivery”.

“This work will require collaborative working with other NHS England teams, particularly [those working on] the NHS App,” the pipeline notice added.

The health service organisation – which is in the process of being dissolved and incorporated into the Department of Health and Social Care – has not yet commenced a formal procurement process. This is expected to begin with the planned publication of a contract notice in September.

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The intention is then to appoint a provider to a contract taking effect around July 2026. This deal will last for an initial period of three years, plus a possible extension of two further years.

The engagement is expected to be worth £154.8m to the winning bidder, inclusive of VAT.

Offering more personalised care via digital platforms is a long-standing ambition of ministers and health-service leaders, with guidance on NHS England’s website stating “personalised care and digital are two of the five major, practical changes that will create the new NHS service model fit for the 21st century”.

“To ensure personalised care becomes ‘business as usual’ we need digital approaches that meet users’ needs and enable and accelerate its spread, whilst maintaining and adding value to the fundamental relational approach that personalised care represents,” the site adds. “This includes ensuring that we have the digital services, platforms, infrastructure and standards in place that will enable interoperability across care settings and meet the significant increase in people who will receive personalised care over the next 10 years. At the same time, personalised care supports people to be empowered to participate in their health and care using digital services that meet their needs, target prevention and offer a personalised experience.”